Peculiar Nuc...

[Vanterrier]

Amongst the equipment I gratefully inherited from my 90 year old neighbour were three Nucs. Two were beyond repair but one was still solid so I set about copying the good Nuc.
The box and lid are pretty conventional but there were also a mesh frame with deep and shallow sides and a flat "crown" board with one 3" hole and two 1" holes. Both fit neatly inside the roof but??? Why? What for?
I could not see anything similar on any online photos or diagrams and sadly my neighbour cannot remember making these.
Does anyone have any idea what they could be for?
They are well made and a shame to scrap
Might be a prize for the best suggestion
K

 

[Vanterrier]

 

[fian]

pass the mesh?
a queen excluder to prevent her escape.
Size of the bottom hole in the flight table.
The large hole would be about the size of a feeder.
Size of small holes, less than 5 mm (vent hole)?

 

[Newbeeneil]

I would agree with Fian about the large hole. Probably the size of a 1lb honey jar. I made similar holes in some of my mating nucs.

 

[Vanterrier]

So do I need a "shallow" box on top of the Nuc to allow room for feeders?
Presumably the build would be Nuc, crown board, shallow, mesh frame, roof?
I've not seen anything like that before.
K

 

[Anduril]

The mesh would be a travel screen, the 2 holes in the crownboard may be for ventilation or for allowing bees to go back into the brood chamber if they somehow get stuck above it while feeding. On the forum there has been mention of holes in crownboards but with metal covers over them. You don't need a shallow box, just make an eke with 4 strips of wood to go on top of the crownboard. Or if the travel screen is deep enough on one side you may be able to use fondant to lay on top of the mesh.