OMF on a stand

[SimonB]

With an OMF is it better that the surface that the hive sits on is solid, as it might provide better insulation in winter, or does it not matter, or is it a seasonal thing - open 'base' in Summer for ventilation, closed in winter.

I made a makeshift stand and currently the front and back of the hive sits on the thin edges of two planks, and I was wondering is this was not ideal. I plan to add a couple of hurdles later in the year to protect them from the worst of the wind.

My intention was to make a much better stand incorporating a landing and was interested to know whether it would be advisable to put a board on top for the hive to sit on.

Thanks

 

[MuswellMetro]

With an OMF is it better that the surface that the hive sits on is solid, as it might provide better insulation in winter, or does it not matter, or is it a seasonal thing - open 'base' in Summer for ventilation, closed in winter.

I made a makeshift stand and currently the front and back of the hive sits on the thin edges of two planks, and I was wondering is this was not ideal. I plan to add a couple of hurdles later in the year to protect them from the worst of the wind.

My intention was to make a much better stand incorporating a landing and was interested to know whether it would be advisable to put a board on top for the hive to sit on.

Thanks

some use solid floors, some use omf, if you use an omf i would suggest to get maximum varroa loss you need 4" of space or more below the mesh before any solid surface otherise you have not a omf but a ventialted solid floor ( same is you use it with a vorroa screeen in for a long tiMe)

why ,varroa can either climb or jub back into the hive

in winter if put a empty super under to stop drafts and the omf floor is then 20" from and solid surface under it

 

[Rosti]

I agree with Muswell but adopt a diffrent approach - to the same ends. I use stands that allow an effective varroa drop but the stands have side planking to reduce 'eddie' wind currents - ventilation without variable / uncontrollable cooling. Agree on the top insulation. R

 

[darrenperrett]

I agree with Muswell but adopt a diffrent approach - to the same ends. I use stands that allow an effective varroa drop but the stands have side planking to reduce 'eddie' wind currents - ventilation without variable / uncontrollable cooling. Agree on the top insulation. R

I`ve put 6" boards around the legs of my stand which leaves a 3" gap all around the bottom because mine are in a windy situation.

Darren.

 

[Arfermo]

A beek, who has 4 apiaries and 50 or so hives and has been nursing bees for best part of 75 years and is still fit as a fiddle puts an empty super under the brood boxes in winter to minimise draughts but leaves the OMF unobstucted on the 9" or so high stands. Presumably he graduated from solid floors sometime along the way when varroa arrived!!! Good example? Rosti and Darrenperrett have a similar idea but the super seems a bit better if one has spares - as most do in the off season.

 

[kazmcc]

Would that mean lifting the brood box? If so, how do they deal with the change of entrance? Does it matter if moved at that distance?

 

[Onge]

I use concrete blocks on a paving slab and leave the OMF out all year round.

 

[keith pierce]

same width as the open mesh floor

 

[RoseCottage]

OK so this thread has caused me to question what I am doing...

I have 2 WBC hives with OMF and the varroa tray. This sits under the OMF within about .5-1cm gap. This is the standard OMF design from Thornes.

I leave the count tray in throughout the week and count on the weekend. I have seen very low numbers of Varroa. Is this because the little buggers are climbing back up???

So is what we are doing normal and OK?

All the best,
Sam

 

[keithgrimes]

Would that mean lifting the brood box? If so, how do they deal with the change of entrance? Does it matter if moved at that distance?

Kaz. It won't matter if you move the entrance that distance. I did it last week with two hives. They found it straight away

 

[oliver90owner]

If you wish to risk wildcomb into the super then fit one below the brood box. If you want to avoid it, fit it below the OMF, or get it off pretty early in the year. BTDT.

RAB

 

[Poly Hive]

Raising the floor. Not a problem. Forget it as any sort of an issue at all.

Open mesh floors and top insulation. Now then where did they originate?

Er Poly hives from Germany which in turn led B. Mobus to experiment with ventilation in wooden floors and top insulation which in turn were trialled by a bee farmer in Ross-Shire (north of Inverness)

So all this hoo ha about OMF is not exactly new, I was using them in 1988.

PH

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Sam,
You don't need to count each week so the slider under the Thornes WBC can (should) be out most of the time - just put it in for a few days at a time. You can use vasalene or olive oil on the board to stick the varroa to it. A very thin coating is all you need.

The board should be IN when you treat with Apiguard.

 

[RoseCottage]

HeBeGeeBee,
Thanks for that, I was under the impression that we needed to count each week and that you monitored the drop over the week...any more than 4 or 5 a day may indicate an issue. We have very light varroa (none last year) and just the odd one or two this year in our hives.

Now I'm thinking they were all laughing their socks off as they played with the OMF trampoline we gave them!

Paranoid...who me??!Q?

Sam

 

[SimonB]

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts - the way the stand is built (with planks on their side) means that I seem to already have the wind break that others use. Combined with a couple of hurdles should be good enough then. The hive is located in a relatively open half acre with very little to stop the wind and was concerned it would suck out all their precious heat.

 

[darrenperrett]

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts - the way the stand is built (with planks on their side) means that I seem to already have the wind break that others use. Combined with a couple of hurdles should be good enough then. The hive is located in a relatively open half acre with very little to stop the wind and was concerned it would suck out all their precious heat.

My hives are in a windy spot Simon and mine came through the winter ok. I put some posts in and ran some of that green netting in front of them to slow the wind down a bit.