Just been given a Tube Varroa floor

[MuswellMetro]

Hi, new to this site,

i looked after one or two nationals for my father every now and then, so now that he has past away, i have kept one of his old hives and a new flat pack hive

BUT the flat pack comes with a french tube floor, this appear to require 12 hoffman DN4....12 tubes, but do 12 Dn4 fit in a national brood , it must be very very tight...any views welcome

As i said i have some experaince but may need a lot of help even when i get around to joining my local group

 

[JCBrum]

Hmmm, I can't see what a tube floor, and DN4 hoffman frames, have to do with each other at all !

As far as a standard National deep brood box is concerned, 11 frames are usual.

I think you should take some pics perhaps.

 

[plumber]

tube floor

Thornes list the floor there is a full report on it here

http://www.apiculture.com/happykeeper/index_us.htm

 

[BKF Admin]

Hi Metro welcome to the forum,
The tube floor has no impact on how many frames you use.

Is your floor a happyfloor like this one:

 

[Hombre]

This link might be of some help.

 

[JCBrum]

I see that they suggest a tube under each frame, and that their Dadant floor has 12 tubes.

Could MuswellMetro's floor be a Dadant and the hive might be Dadant as well if it fits the floor.

Or the components might be unrelated I suppose.

 

[JCBrum]

Here's an extract from Thornes description -

Straight from Apimondia in Slovenia in 2003. This is a revolutionary self cleaning floor. Suitable for National hives with 12 brood frames spaced at 35mm (DN4 Hoffman) or 11 DN4 and a dummy board. Not suitable for a hive with frames spaced on narrow plastic or metal ends as each frame must have a tube directly below it. This cannot be achieved with a 36.5mm (1 7/16") spacing.


I think this contains errors, and probably actually refers to a Dadant, not a National.

Heres a pic of their National floor, which contains only 10 tubes, so one should use 10 frames also, spaced one directly above each tube. Hmmm.

..

So, ..... Mus Metro .... count your tubes carefully and tell us how many there are !

 

[MuswellMetro]

Hi Metro welcome to the forum,
The tube floor has no impact on how many frames you use.

Is your floor a happyfloor like this one:

yes thats it Happykeeper, the leaflet says use with 12 DN4 frames and its National size, the receipt is Thornes, so its the same one as on their web site, agsin they say 12 DN4 frames...i cannot fit 12 dn4 in the width of and old super ( i know the dn4 are too deep just testing the width

 

[MuswellMetro]

Here's an extract from Thornes description -

Straight from Apimondia in Slovenia in 2003. This is a revolutionary self cleaning floor. Suitable for National hives with 12 brood frames spaced at 35mm (DN4 Hoffman) or 11 DN4 and a dummy board. Not suitable for a hive with frames spaced on narrow plastic or metal ends as each frame must have a tube directly below it. This cannot be achieved with a 36.5mm (1 7/16") spacing.


I think this contains errors, and probably actually refers to a Dadant, not a National.

Heres a pic of their National floor, which contains only 10 tubes, so one should use 10 frames also, spaced one directly above each tube. Hmmm.

So, ..... Mus Metro .... count your tubes carefully and tell us how many there are !

ok....sorry, TEN, should not beleive all you read,t

but the leaflet says 12 the same as the advert and same 12 style picture, when i went to the garage...oops ten


,

..

 

[JCBrum]

Oh good, that seems to be sorted now then.

Are you going to make the hive up ? or wait till spring ?

 

[plumber]

turning 90degs

has any one on here used one of these floors and have you used it frames across the tubes as well with the tubes ?

 

[oliver90owner]

No, I put all my frames in the same way!

Why would you do that? It specifically states to have a frame over each of the tubes; and that spacing is important, so needs to be precise. Sure way to very quickly get tubes which will not rotae and therefore will not be self cleaning

RAB

 

[JCBrum]

Personally, I cannot yet envisage what advantage tubes can have over mesh, except perhaps to reduce dramatically the open aperture, if you consider the 'draught' of omf to be excessive.

The 'aperture' of 8 mesh is about 95%, whereas that of 10 tubes is about 8%. This means that omf is nearly the same as having an 'open' floor, and tubes are nearly the same as having a 'solid' floor.

I suppose its all a question of how much 'ventilation' you require really.

.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Oh good, that seems to be sorted now then.

Are you going to make the hive up ? or wait till spring ?

i'll be making it up for spring, and using it first to re house the bees from the live hive as it has a mix of foundation and wild comb ( my father did not look after it well in his last years)

But i am even more confused about the tube floor, as i have found other tubes, that also fit

The tubes just found are 12 tubes about 32MM stamped happykeeper with plastic fittings, that form a floor that fits,this seems to tie in with the leaflet

i also have the tube floor i measured which also fits, it has 10 tube of 35mm un stamped with aluminium fittings

both made up measure about 420mm by 370mm in a 460 by 460 frame, so both are national

Think i'll buy a OMF...at least i know them, looking at the tube floor it can only be used cold way and i prefer warm way

 

[JCBrum]

both made up measure about 420mm by 370mm, so both are national

Not sure what's going on here ?? National is 460x460mm or 18 1/4 inches square. afaik.




.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Not sure what's going on here ?? National is 460x460mm or 18 1/4 inches square. afaik.




.

ammneded the post as you replied, the floor is 460 by 460 with a well 424 by 370 ( ie the interal size of anational) into which the tubes fit so they are only under the frames
$

anyway, i think for me as a relative beginner, i'll leave it alone

looking at happy beekeeper site, their tubes must be 32mm to fit in the dadant size

 

[Frisbee]

Not sure what's going on here ?? National is 460x460mm or 18 1/4 inches square. afaik.




.

The outside is square, but the inside isn't............

Fris

 

[Hivemaker.]

National should be 18 1/8, not 1/4 JC.,no wonder you get a sloppy fit,with your undersize foundation, and oversize bits,LOL.

 

[Frisbee]

National should be 18 1/8, not 1/4 JC.,no wonder you get a sloppy fit,with your undersize foundation, and oversize bits,LOL.

 

[JCBrum]

Oh dear, bugger, a slip of the tongue, you're right, sod it, cringe etc ...... I'm all metric nowadays, can't remember what inches feel like ... same as you i suppose .....

Should be 18 1/8 of course ...........

Nothing wrong with my foundation of course ...... it's been independently measured .. so there !