Cleaning solid floors

[Hux70]

Do solid floors need cleaning out periodically or can they just be left. I have a swarm that is thriving on a DIY floor and didn't know wether to buy an OMF or leave them be. Any benefits to a solid floor over mesh?

 

[JamezF]

Depends on the bees I think. Some are quite tidy whilst others leave some mess on the floor, especially coming into Spring. I think it's always worth checking them a couple of times a year just to make sure there's no damage inside anyhow.

Some people say their bees do really well with an OMF left on all year round. Mine clearly don't want it as they've heavily propolised them up in recent years. It is alleged that having an OMF means varroa that fall off bees will drop through the floor and out of the hive never to return and it is recommended as part of IPM because of this, but (like a few other things recommended for IPM) I'm not sure I find it a very convincing argument. It's also said that having a solid floor helps the bees maintain a level of humidity in the hive that is detrimental to varroa, though I don't know what the evidence is for that.

I think you just have to find out what works for your bees. After ten years or more on mesh floors I'm going to move back to solid ones at the end of this summer (as long as I've made enough).

James

 

[blackcloud]

There's a recent and very lucrative thread on cbpv.
Without even looking it up, that topic alone should answer the enquiry.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It is alleged that having an OMF means varroa that fall off bees will drop through the floor and out of the hive never to return and it is recommended as part of IPM

 

[blackcloud]

It's true with the levitating mesh type-there's no sides that they can crawl back up.

 

[Erichalfbee]

How many perfectly viable varroa drop off, I wonder?

 

[blackcloud]

Sloths often plummet through the forest canopy to their deaths because they can't be bothered to grab the next branch.
And jbm's mirth is misplaced anyway - he clearly has in mind the Daleks who ,historically at least, could not climb staircases.

 

[JamezF]

How many perfectly viable varroa drop off, I wonder?

Loads, once they're covered in icing sugar. Maybe

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

Loads, once they're covered in icing sugar. Maybe

James

As part of IPM?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

As part of IPM?

no, as a zingy sweet snack to serve guests as an accompaniment to their aperitifs

 

[Newbeeneil]

Loads, once they're covered in icing sugar. Maybe

James

Or salt..... or both...... sweet and salty snack?

 

[JamezF]

Or salt..... or both...... sweet and salty snack?

Now I think you're onto something

James

 

[drex]

My choice would be salt and pepper toasted.
A friend recently gave me a bar of cheese and onion crisp chocolate. Mad I thought, but it does work

 

[Erichalfbee]

Mad I thought, but it does work

And so does pepper on raspberries
Maybe I could try it on rhubarb

 

[Erichalfbee]

Do solid floors need cleaning out periodically or can they just be left. I have a swarm that is thriving on a DIY floor and didn't know wether to buy an OMF or leave them be. Any benefits to a solid floor over mesh?

I keep both and I must say that the bees seem to do well on them. Only the wooden boxes are on them though and they are all under floor entrances. I haven't decided whether putting poly boxes on them might be overkill. I did have a poly nuc on a solid UFE but they weren't in there long so I couldn't make a judgement there.
All the colonies on them have kept them clean.
When there is a strong flow on and it's warm the entrance is stuffed with bees fanning in rows which alarmed me a little but the bees managed. If you have a standard entrance with the entrance block out I guess there is more room to ventilate.

Edit. On reflection the colony that arrived into a bait hive on the potting shed roof is now there in a poly box and that is on a solid floor and they seem to be doing very well with two supers on.

 

[magor]

When there is a strong flow on and it's warm the entrance is stuffed with bees fanning in rows which alarmed me a little but the bees managed. If you have a standard entrance with the entrance block out I guess there is more room to ventilate.

if is to open the entrance block do it cold days not warm days

warm air is ussual dry thus harder for the open brood keep its humidity whith hot air try reach hive's top , maybe the beard bees do outside hive is open passageways to circulate better the cool air from ventilated bees or maybe and to block further warm dry air insert or heats up outside walls and floor inside on the opposite jep warm dry air is better for nectar flow ripening

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

And so does pepper on raspberries

a pinch of black pepper on strawberries is an old trick

 

[JamezF]

a pinch of black pepper on strawberries is an old trick

I've also heard of people eating strawberries with balsamic vinegar.

James

 

[Pembroke]

When I had my four hives two were on mesh, two were on solid floors. As far as I could tell there was no difference between the two. All hives were wooden commercials and all had standard front entrances.