OMF board

[Griffo]

Temperatures low tonight and even down to minus 12 tomorrow night. Should I be putting the boards in ?

 

[Griffo]

I forgot to say, my entrances are all buried in snow so ventilation might be a problem if I put the boards all the way in.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Are you up in the hills where its windy?
Are your hives near the ground?
If not then relax and don't bother
I have my inspection trays in all the time but they are three or four inches below the OMF and have no back stop so it's like putting the hives on a solid stand

 

[madasafish]

I have a mix of solid floors and OMF with varroa trays in all winter. All the same size entrances, some with underfloor ones. No colony has died from lack of ventilation...nor had any sign of mass die offs.

 

[Griffo]

The hives are about 18 inches above the ground and the snow is only about a foot deep at the moment. No wind forecast so I think I'll leave them alone for now.

 

[Karsal]

Temperatures low tonight and even down to minus 12 tomorrow night. Should I be putting the boards in ?

Mine bottom boards are in all winter. Great spring build up with no issues. OMF's in my opinion are good for summer but I never leave them open all winter.

It works for me and my colonies

 

[Beefriendly]

Mine bottom boards are in all winter. Great spring build up with no issues. OMF's in my opinion are good for summer but I never leave them open all winter.

It works for me and my colonies

Judgement call IMHO, wax moths seem to love that debris on the bottom floors in mild winters.if not taken out and cleaned every so often.

 

[Millet]

I have left my inspection tray in on a wooden hive covered with a cosy and they have done ok through the past two winter's and onto there 3rd.
I now have two poly hives this year and i thought i would do the same, bad move i ended up with mould and moisture on the crown board and water on the inspection tray, i pulled the tray out and 2wks later the dampness has gone and all is fine.
My hives are on stands 18in above the ground by the way..

 

[Curly green fingers]

Temperatures low tonight and even down to minus 12 tomorrow night. Should I be putting the boards in ?

Hi I've left inspection board in I've got an empty supper under my omf to keep my hive of the ground , home made cozy and a bee shelter my hive would of been under a snow drift if I hadn't got the shelter up the worst snow up here since feb 2009 . mark

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Temperatures low tonight and even down to minus 12 tomorrow night. Should I be putting the boards in ?

No

 

[ShinySideUp]

What is snow?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

What is snow?

God's dandruff

 

[Ely]

What's all this fascination with putting inspection trays in?

 

[oliver90owner]

Yep, as per Ely. They are inspection boards, nothing more, but do give some extra protection if in part way during the worst weather.

My 14 x 12 boxes afford more protection than deeps but the bees will be between the frames, not hanging near the floor. Any with shallows, as well as a deep brood, will be in much the same situation as a 14 x 12.

Colder air does not rise and the air in the brood will not sink - all provided the beekeeper has not foolishly left holes in the top of the hive, whe warmer air will leave the hive, to be replaced by colder air. Simple as that.

 

[enrico]

Yep, as per Ely. They are inspection boards, nothing more, but do give some extra protection if in part way during the worst weather.

My 14 x 12 boxes afford more protection than deeps but the bees will be between the frames, not hanging near the floor. Any with shallows, as well as a deep brood, will be in much the same situation as a 14 x 12.

Colder air does not rise and the air in the brood will not sink - all provided the beekeeper has not foolishly left holes in the top of the hive, whe warmer air will leave the hive, to be replaced by colder air. Simple as that.

Unless you are in a windy spot where the cold air can get channelled into the bottom of the hive.
E

 

[Eyeman]

Unless you are in a windy spot where the cold air can get channelled into the bottom of the hive.
E

In the 'old days' we used to call that a draught

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Unless you are in a windy spot where the cold air can get channelled into the bottom of the hive.
E

I have attached around the hive stand a "skirt" of a double thickness of scaffolding debris netting. It's by no means windproof but it is intended to reduce wind buffeting from beneath the Under Floor Entrance. My inspection boards are left in place over winter and inspected and cleaned regularly. Air can still get into the hive for ventilation via the entrance (400x8mm) and via a gap of about 10mm above the monitoring board (400x10mm) - that's a total of about 72sq.cm., which should be enough for any colony.

CVB

 

[Millet]

I have attached around the hive stand a "skirt" of a double thickness of scaffolding debris netting.

CVB

I have done the same it still lets the air flow through but it slows any strong winds down, i used to do the same on my aviaries.

 

[Finman]

- that's a total of about 72sq.cm., which should be enough for any colony.

CVB

72 is huge.

. My ventilation hole is about 15 cm2 in solid floor hives. But all have upper hole on the front wall, 15 mm diameter. It adds air circulation.

 

[Hivemaker.]

My ventilation hole is about 15 cm

Round or square?