Clean floors

[Cazza]

I read a post recently talking about replacing floors weekly with a clean one.
What do you do and why? (I have been removing the now dead wasps from my shed floor this afternoon and consequently have been thinking again.....never a good idea.)

Cazza

 

[Queens59]

From what I have read this tends to be done in the spring, as debris can build up over the 'closed season' - so if you move your hive to one side, place a new floor where it stood, then move everything across, it gives you a chance to clean the floor ready to do it again as req. and then your hive starts the year with less rubbish in.

 

[Cazza]

I forgot to say that I routinely replace floors generally only twice a year in Autumn and Spring. I clean the floors but do not replace when they look messy through the rest of the year.
Do you think this is a little slovenly?
C

 

[JamesB]

When i replace its in the warm weather period and its replaced with a scrubbed clean floor and that was once a month,
weekly i just gave the floors a sweep collecting the debris in a baggy once in a while for a closer look-see.
This time of year as its colder im not planning to disturb the hives apart from feeding.

Generally bees are quite tidy but you do get some hives that are not , same as i have one hive that likes to cover everything in propolis campared to the others lol

 

[victor meldrew]

If bees have access to the floors , they will keep same clean. If omf's are in use,then the floors are self cleaning !
Faffing about changing floors throughout the active season serves no purpose and will only succeed in unnecessary disturbance!
An annual floor change is all that is necessary.
The practice of leaving the monitoring board of an omf denies the bees access to the board , thus encouraging wax moth !!

John Wilkinson

 

[MJBee]

If bees have access to the floors , they will keep same clean. If omf's are in use,then the floors are self cleaning !
Faffing about changing floors throughout the active season serves no purpose and will only succeed in unnecessary disturbance!
An annual floor change is all that is necessary.
The practice of leaving the monitoring board of an omf denies the bees access to the board , thus encouraging wax moth !!

John Wilkinson[/QUOTE

 

[MuswellMetro]

If bees have access to the floors , they will keep same clean. If omf's are in use,then the floors are self cleaning !
Faffing about changing floors throughout the active season serves no purpose and will only succeed in unnecessary disturbance!
An annual floor change is all that is necessary.
The practice of leaving the monitoring board of an omf denies the bees access to the board , thus encouraging wax moth !!

John Wilkinson[/QUOTE

changing floors once a month, would in my opinion be too much disturbance for the Bees, remember even an inspection knocks them back 2days, less is more, just enough to spot QC and problems

 

[JamesB]

changing floors once a month, would in my opinion be too much disturbance for the Bees, remember even an inspection knocks them back 2days, less is more, just enough to spot QC and problems

personally i cannot see what the issue is in swapping the floor once a month in the good weather , im in the brood anyway inspecting racks for cells etc once a week

So why is changing the floor more of a disturbance?

 

[tonybloke]

personally i cannot see what the issue is in swapping the floor once a month in the good weather , im in the brood anyway inspecting racks for cells etc once a week

So why is changing the floor more of a disturbance?

erm, they'd have to propolise the floor to the brood, and cover the entire floor in a microscopically thin layer of propolis, as they do with everything else.

 

[JamesB]

erm, they'd have to propolise the floor to the brood, and cover the entire floor in a microscopically thin layer of propolis, as they do with everything else.

and?

 

[Heather]

Just caught this thread... what floor??
If you mean OMF- I have never changed it unless I have done Bailey Exchange. Bees keep clean and I must be a slut! They look fine to me. Just move hive 2ft to pastures new and tidy old site.

 

[JamesB]

Just caught this thread... what floor??
If you mean OMF- I have never changed it unless I have done Bailey Exchange. Bees keep clean and I must be a slut! They look fine to me. Just move hive 2ft to pastures new and tidy old site.

I havent got omf's im just talking about std floors, looking to change to omf's with the inspection tray you pull out at the back of the hive

 

[Heather]

James -I cannot recommend that highly enough. It is the way forward with the varroa situation

 

[Poly Hive]

My reason for not doing a monthly change is very simple.

A complete waste of time for beekeeper and bees.

I would not recommend it as a practice, nor have I ever seen it mentioned in any of the (more than I want to admit to) bee books I have read.

Sorry but not a great idea.


PH

 

[JamesB]

James -I cannot recommend that highly enough. It is the way forward with the varroa situation

yep i know any preventative measures avail i will try -but treatment all done and testing underway atm, im using the empty hives my dad used before he stopped, but at £28.50 per floor (and the roller floor even more expensive) ill maybe get a couple next year for a couple of hives and build up from there depending how successful they are,

In the meantime ill continue 'my housekeeping habits' on the non OMF floors - not had a issue so far and ive got 4 strong healthy colonies (all produced honey and looking well on the way to be prepared for winter) and 2 weaker ones due to a ballsup but looks like i may have to combine them.

 

[oliver90owner]

Heather,

It would seem a recommendation re varroa is irrelevant as none of James' hives have any varroa at all.

Regards, RAB

 

[JamesB]

My reason for not doing a monthly change is very simple.

A complete waste of time for beekeeper and bees.

I would not recommend it as a practice, nor have I ever seen it mentioned in any of the (more than I want to admit to) bee books I have read.

Sorry but not a great idea.


PH

If you say so, tbh im really open to what other beekeepers do and whether i think what they say is a waste of time i generally dont remark on it,

Unless i have actually done it and didnt actually get on with it, but each to their own i guess,
I dont remember atually saying its best practice, but only advised thats what i do and its not been a issue for me, so hey up to people to keep bees how they think is best and ill continue to listen to 'suggestions' and 'advice' from all beekeepers from all areas,
But ill do whats best for me and my hives and if the end result is great no matter how much work unnecessary work i put into it ill class it as a success

 

[JamesB]

Heather,

It would seem a recommendation re varroa is irrelevant as none of James' hives have any varroa at all.

Regards, RAB

the sarcasm is strong in this one young padawan, if you recall i advised my fathers hives before he retired were varroa free, im actually awaiting my lab results

 

[VEG]

I clean/change floors once a year in the spring the bees keep them clean most of the year apart from cluster time.

 

[Queens59]

And if they are changed to often, won't the bees use energy on propolising everything instead of foraging etc?