Should we leave varroa board under the Mesh Floor in winter?

[TomH]

Also the varroa that drop can climb back up.

Does this actually happen though? Surely mites that fall to the hive floor are either dead, or dying.

Does the mesh actually do anything, or just an invention of another bit of kit, to sell beekeepers under the guises of 'IPM'?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Does the mesh actually do anything, or just an invention of another bit of kit, to sell beekeepers under the guises of 'IPM'?

It certainly doesn’t do anything re mite control.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Does this actually happen though? Surely mites that fall to the hive floor are either dead, or dying.

Does the mesh actually do anything, or just an invention of another bit of kit, to sell beekeepers under the guises of 'IPM'?

OMF was around long before varroa, they just used varroa to try and convince more people to use mesh floors.
As for mites climbing back up after falling through the mesh, inspection tray or not.................
As far as I'm concerned, forget the insert trays, either run the hives all year with OMF or just use solid floors

 

[TomH]

Ha - thanks. I was going to make some under floor entrance floors over winter and undecided whether to go solid or mesh.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Ha - thanks. I was going to make some under floor entrance floors over winter and undecided whether to go solid or mesh.

most of my floors are UFE. Easier to make them OMF and it also means you can sublimate with a varrox from underneath as you can't shove it through the entrance

 

[TomH]

Ah ok that makes sense. I've been sublimating the past couple of years, so will do as you suggest. No point reinventing the wheel!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Ha - thanks. I was going to make some under floor entrance floors over winter and undecided whether to go solid or mesh.

I have three solid floors with UFE. They are great. Sublimating is no problem because I use a sublimox.