Solid Floor or mesh

[chrisg]

Hi,

Looking to buy my second hive this spring.

Currently have a national with solid floor, but as a beginner, what is better?

Solid or mesh?
Reading many books and articles, including this forum as a biginner does, many prefer mesh.

If I do decide mesh, how do you convert from solid to mesh (as in my current hive) Is it a matter of just lifting up the brood box and replacing the floor?

Also when is it best to do this? Now when the colony is dormant?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Regards
Chris

 

[MuswellMetro]

Hi,

Looking to buy my second hive this spring.

Currently have a national with solid floor, but as a beginner, what is better?

Solid or mesh?
Reading many books and articles, including this forum as a biginner does, many prefer mesh.

If I do decide mesh, how do you convert from solid to mesh (as in my current hive) Is it a matter of just lifting up the brood box and replacing the floor?

Also when is it best to do this? Now when the colony is dormant?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Regards
Chris

i change my floor on every hive every spring,

by

• move a stand next to the hive,
• new floor on the new stand
• hive minus old floor on top of new floor,
• remove old floor
• newly floored hive back to the old stand

clean and blow torch the floor, brush the mesh with a wire brush, and use that as the new floor of another hive


mesh or solid, well i prefer mesh as i don't like monitoring varroa with internal boards in solid floor hives, varroa get dislogded and escape onto bee etc ,etc

 

[Moggs]

Hi Chris. Beekeepers have their preferences. OMF's allow ventilation (obviously) and damp conditions are therefore largely avoided. Damp is a bigger killer of bees - moreso than cold conditions. That said, I have put supers 'under' my brood boxes this winter, to limit any wind chill. Your choice but I would venture that OMF's are quite popular for these reasons. Changing is as easy as you suggest. I would wait until the bees become more active (unless they are already living in a damp envionment) but change at this time of year is probably a very bad thing.

Your plan to increase your colonies twofold is a good one by the way. One colony does not allow much flexibility in apiary management!

 

[Hivemaker.]

Good idea to have at least a couple of good quality open mesh varroa floors, with well fitting slides in each apairy for varroa monitoring,and effectiness of treatment being used.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Good idea to have at least a couple of good quality open mesh varroa floors, with well fitting slides in each apairy for varroa monitoring,and effectiness of treatment being used.

intersting,, in 1995 the bee inspector recomned to my late grandfather that he buy one OMF for 50 hives but when he died in 1998, he still did not treat other than shook swarm ()

i assume it is possible therefore to treat a apiary site rather like a homogenous animal, the varroa leval in the hives would even out by drifting , monitoring a % of the hives would give you the average condition and what treatment was needed

 

[oliver90owner]

many prefer mesh.

Maybe have a look at the poll presently running re overwintering?

Regards, RAB

 

[Hivemaker.]

MM
thats just about what i do,but around four mesh floors per apairy for observing the effects of any treatments,the rest on solid floors,and can also monitor those on solid floors, by raking out a few drones...only a few though,as i also like plenty of good drones around.

 

[blackbrood]

i change my floor on every hive every spring,

thats a good idea MM, I think I will be adopting that protocol this Spring

BB

 

[oliver90owner]

thats a good idea MM, I think I will be adopting that protocol this Spring

Everyone should be doing it. Standard spring cleaning. Changing the brood box at the same time is common, too.

Regards, RAB

 

[Queens59]

I'm going the whole hog and changing from WBC to National when I do my Spring change...hope they like it...

 

[broandy]

Hi,

Looking to buy my second hive this spring.

Currently have a national with solid floor, but as a beginner, what is better?

Solid or mesh?
Reading many books and articles, including this forum as a biginner does, many prefer mesh.

If I do decide mesh, how do you convert from solid to mesh (as in my current hive) Is it a matter of just lifting up the brood box and replacing the floor?

Also when is it best to do this? Now when the colony is dormant?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Regards
Chris

If I do decide mesh, how do you convert from solid to mesh (as in my current hive) Is it a matter of just lifting up the brood box and replacing the floor?

Same as, you need to buy a mesh floor
Also when is it best to do this? Now when the colony is dormant?

anytime

 

[MuswellMetro]

thats a good idea MM, I think I will be adopting that protocol this Spring

Everyone should be doing it. Standard spring cleaning. Changing the brood box at the same time is common, too.

Regards, RAB

must admit i am a bit haphazard on that, if i do an AS then to combine i use the new brood box but otherwise my main method of cleansing is a shook swarm every three years [new years resolution: Must keep betteer records]

 

[broandy]

thats a good idea MM, I think I will be adopting that protocol this Spring

Everyone should be doing it. Standard spring cleaning. Changing the brood box at the same time is common, too.

Regards, RAB

I Always change brood box at spring cleaning time

 

[oliver90owner]

Andy,

Does that mean that you are common, too?

Join the club. Little effort and usually little gain, ...but you never know....and better not to find out.

Regards, RAB

 

[broandy]

tractor driver sometimes to common lol

 

[Rosti]

If I do decide mesh, how do you convert from solid to mesh (as in my current hive) Is it a matter of just lifting up the brood box and replacing the floor?

Same as, you need to buy a mesh floor
Also when is it best to do this? Now when the colony is dormant?

anytime

See MM's previous posting. Spring is the opportune time to switch, gives a helping hand with removal of dead bees from over wintering and marginally reduces infection / parasite loadings before the spring build up.
Bottom line, surely any time April to September is a good time to switch since OMF immediately improves varroa removal opportunities.

 

[Finman]

I Always change brood box at spring cleaning time

never heard about that. What is the idea in it? If walls have poo or mold, that I understand

 

[broandy]

never heard about that. What is the idea in it? If walls have poo or mold, that I understand

Yea I put a nice clean brood box @ spring clean no nasty bugs hiding in corners etc

Andy