Dummy boards

[thepliedes]

Hi, why would you use a dummy board please? I've never used one and the only reason I can think why is if you have run out of frames for the super???
Thanks.

 

[SunnyRaes]

The other half has dummy boards in all her hives - I assumed it was standard practice? I understood it was to allow the remaining frames to be manipulated more easily?

 

[onriver]

wonderful things, dummy boards, with loads of uses:
one to take out first with few bees on, creating the gap that means you can slide the frames before lifting - otherwise you'd be lifting the frame vertically with only the beespace - lots of bees disturbed, rolled and annoyed, the risk of damaging the queen, crushing or opening brood cells...
when you want to restrict a brood box, for example when you have a new colony and you want to gradually let them take over the complete box
when you finish your inspection there is no better way of making sure all frames are snug against each other - the dummy board allows you to lever centrally with your hive tool in a way that you couldn't if you just had a frame to push against
they allow an instant division of a box
they can be a flash purpose made cedar board, a bit of plywood with staples banged in to provide the bee space or, if stretched, an ordinary frame with the foundation replace with cardboard
I just wish I had more of them!

 

[youngyoungs]

Absolutely

 

[Nellie]

Technically a National will take 12 frames. after a while, perhaps even before the end of the first season, depending on the bees, you have some propolis going on between the frames, which can make it tricky to get the frames in and/or out without rolling bees.

11 frames and a dummy board can make life a lot easier, you pop the dummy board out and suddenly you've got lots of room. Take out the last frame which at best is stores and you've got loads of room to manipulate frames.

You can use them to divide a hive, but typically a dummy board has a bee space at the bottom/top depending on your hive, while a divider board won't. Generally though a dummy board will stop them doing things on the other side unless there's a huge gap.

 

[Finman]

.
When the bee room is proper, it ensures maximum build up. In winter it ensure maximum wintering.

 

[scuttlefish]

Technically a National will take 12 frames. after a while, perhaps even before the end of the first season, depending on the bees, you have some propolis going on between the frames, which can make it tricky to get the frames in and/or out without rolling bees.

11 frames and a dummy board can make life a lot easier, you pop the dummy board out and suddenly you've got lots of room. Take out the last frame which at best is stores and you've got loads of room to manipulate frames.

 

[alanf]

Dave Cushman's site has some diagrams. http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/dummyframe.html

He distinguishes between dummy frames and division boards. Dummy frames (dummy boards) replace a normal frame to provide manipulation room while keeping the beespace.

Division boards http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/divisionboard.html extend to the full width of the box to restrict bees to part of the box they will find easier to keep warm, for instance if a nuc is expanding into it. With care they can even maintain separate colonies in one box if all bee sized routes between are blocked.

Th0rnes supply correx based dummy boards in their basic hive kits which seems a handy way to recycle signs if you have any. Division boards I have only seen commercially as part of a ready assembled 'twinstock' two nucleus colonise in one brood box arrangement.

 

[Lindylou]

Been wondering about this myself. Dummy board or no dummy board. Not got one at the moment but am thinking perhaps it would be better to have one.

 

[Poly Hive]

Even handier are insulated dummies. Tip.

PH

 

[alecthomson]

A dummy board can also be utilised as a cover over some of the frames during manipulation in lieu of a cover cloth the use of which is now frowned upon in some quarters especially if used in more than one hive as it could be the medium for transfer of pathogens between hives.