how long have beekeepers used open mesh floors

[REDWOOD]

A friend of mine lost a hive 2 winters ago when I had a look he had the inspection board in all winter and no ventilation in the roof, the hive was black with mould on the inside. What I was told is on solid floors use vented roof but on OMF don't use vented roofs and keep the inspection board out which I do and never had a problem or lost a colony (touch wood ) so far

 

[Heather]

They used to use matchsticks to ventilate-

.......................used to?

some of us still do in order to clear humidity from glazed cover boards

Well, serves you right if you use glazed in winter..

Seriously, you may need to sometimes, but these cover boards are for the bee keeper- not the bees....

 

[yeogi75]

Mr

no 1 lesson learned
built the floor with mesh and landing board built in,taken out floor varroa board which left gap between hive stand and base, bees found it difficult to find entrance as bees went under landing board which look dark and the entrance, put strip of wood in gap now bees go straight in, question ? is there any need for varroa board as it sound most people treat every year any way,would it be better to remove drone comb and treat anyway.

thanks admin for putting title right

 

[itma]

As a hobby beekeeper, you should monitor for varroa levels on a monthly basis, as the level can spike dramatically if your bees should happen to rob a varroa-weakened (perhaps feral) colony.
Strong suggestion that you download and study DEFRA/FERA's free booklet "Managing Varroa". Start there and then build on that knowledge!

A honey farmer, with little time to waste and plenty colonies with which to play the odds, might reach a different compromise than monthly monitoring.

 

[Into the lions den]

A honey farmer, with little time to waste and plenty colonies with which to play the odds, might reach a different compromise than monthly monitoring.

Quite so. It would take us at least two months to carry out a monthly monitoring! <G>

 

[REDWOOD]

Well, serves you right if you use glazed in winter..

Seriously, you may need to sometimes, but these cover boards are for the bee keeper- not the bees....

please tell me your not taking over from grumpy

 

[Chris Luck]

No point in me monitoring for varroa because I don't use anything on my bees or hives, however....

I also have a number of older solid floor hives as well as hives with OMF and it's fair to say that the OMF appear to do slightly better but not in terms of losses, they just seem to build up more quickly, and the plastic hives with OMF appear to be even better.

Chris

 

[Haughton Honey]

Quite so. It would take us at least two months to carry out a monthly monitoring! <G>

Presumably you use inserts in the Autumn when treating for the mite do you Murray?

 

[Poly Hive]

I have posted this a few times but again ...

B. Mobus got interested in OMF from reading German Bee mags. Then he brought one in to the UK to trail at Craibstone. He was the last bee advisor of the North of Scotland College of Agriculture when in Scotland the advisers were divided between the three colleges.

He then experimented with more ventilation in the floors to see if it improved wintering which it did, and gradually the holes he put in the floors got bigger and bigger, and when I met him for the first time his holes were as big as they were in the poly floors.

Timeline? he was working on it pre 1987 when I started so I would guess at 1980.

PH

 

[Into the lions den]

Presumably you use inserts in the Autumn when treating for the mite do you Murray?

No. Never do. Also no autumn treatment. Oxalic mid winter, and if they need something else they get it as and when it is needed. This year we have had to do supplementary treatment (so far) on less than 5% of the colonies in Scotland, and ALL of the colonies in England. Brood presence at treatment time the probable culprit.

We have our ways of checking if a colony needs treating other than at the blanket oxalic time, and rotate the supplementary treatments used.

 

[Haughton Honey]

No. Never do. Also no autumn treatment. Oxalic mid winter, and if they need something else they get it as and when it is needed. This year we have had to do supplementary treatment (so far) on less than 5% of the colonies in Scotland, and ALL of the colonies in England. Brood presence at treatment time the probable culprit.

We have our ways of checking if a colony needs treating other than at the blanket oxalic time, and rotate the supplementary treatments used.

So, in essence, do your own methods negate the need for ever having or using an insert in your floors?

I presume that you might apply formic acid if you come across a heavy mite load at times other than the oxalic period (subject to no nectar coming in)?

All interesting stuff.

 

[Into the lions den]

So, in essence, do your own methods negate the need for ever having or using an insert in your floors?

I presume that you might apply formic acid if you come across a heavy mite load at times other than the oxalic period (subject to no nectar coming in)?

All interesting stuff.

At this time we have been using various formulations of strips as the supplementary method. Things that have never previously been used in our hives, and prepared to source from anywhere in the EU, products that can be obtained through 'cascade' system. Never use inserts ever.

fwiw.....when selling poly type hives, which often have a varroa tray included, lots ask for them without the varroa tray and thus can they be cheaper please?

IF we need to get come idea of how many mites are being knocked down we simply vaseline a cover board, having previously marked it out in a chess board pattern. Makes mite counting easy.