The Brynmair slant on the Dartington Underfloor entrance

[Erichalfbee]

Yep. I always credit @jenkinsbrynmair with the design. I run all my hives on these floors and got the plans direct from @jenkinsbrynmair

I can recommend your soft set heather honey too. I ate it all myself and shared it with nobody.

 

[BMH]

I can recommend your soft set heather honey too. I ate it all myself and shared it with nobody.

Ah thanks Dani. Im glad you enjoyed. Its a very soft set this batch but its certainly my favourite honey. MMMM

 

[deemann1]

Ah thanks Dani. Im glad you enjoyed. Its a very soft set this batch but its certainly my favourite honey. MMMM

Soft set heather ? Never seen that . Does it work well

 

[Erichalfbee]

Soft set heather ? Never seen that . Does it work well

I thought it was lovely. A novel idea. I always buy a bucket or a half of heather for myself and end up having to dispense it from the freezer. This way maybe I could just keep the jars somewhere out of sight if the rest of the family

 

[Corbeehives]

Hey guys, where's the best place to buy a roll of mesh, I'll like to swap my hive floors over to this design. Cheers

 

[Murox]

Hey guys, where's the best place to buy a roll of mesh, I'll like to swap my hive floors over to this design. Cheers

The mesh company

 

[Erichalfbee]

 

[Corbeehives]

I thought oooo that's a good price, then the vat we added

 

[polomadh]

Now that he's done the overhead vaping ekes. no problem with vaping.

Overhead vaping? As a user of Kewl floors (lol) vaping is a pain, so I am curious who does this, and how?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Overhead vaping? As a user of Kewl floors (lol) vaping is a pain, so I am curious who does this, and how?

I do
I have a 2 inch wooden eke, a hole in the back for the sublimox and with a plastic crown board (Paynes one cut to size) There is a central feeder hole so I can feed at the same time. This stays on for the duration of the treatment....16 days. Vape from the top. No need to shut the entrance but I do block off the OMF

 

[Newbeeneil]

I vape both from above and via my Kewl type floors. When I make my floors I drill a 8mm hole into the vertical section from the side at a slight upward angle. I block the entrance with foam rubber and vape through the hole. ( this is plugged with a 8mm bolt when not in use.) This is less disruption to the hive, especially during a cold winter, but I'm not sure it's as effective as putting an eke above and vaping into that.

 

[Apiarisnt]

I vape both from above and via my Kewl type floors. When I make my floors I drill a 8mm hole into the vertical section from the side at a slight upward angle. I block the entrance with foam rubber and vape through the hole. ( this is plugged with a 8mm bolt when not in use.) This is less disruption to the hive, especially during a cold winter, but I'm not sure it's as effective as putting an eke above and vaping into that.

I would be most interested in people's thoughts on this question:

I have been vaping / sublimating (with a sublimox) like some others, by drilling a small hole in the back of the OMF just above the mesh. For one recaltritant colony I have also been sublimating from the top via a small hole just below a Perspex crown board.

My frames are warm way so when I sublimate from the back the jet of gas almost immediately hits a series of walls. Would it nor be better to sublimate from the side so the jet of gas can more easily shoot up (or down) / percolate though the frames? For my top sublimating I have begin sublimating from the side to try to achieve this.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

My frames are warm way so when I sublimate from the back the jet of gas almost immediately hits a series of walls. Would it nor be better to sublimate from the side so the jet of gas can more easily shoot up (or down) / percolate though the frames? For my top sublimating I have begin sublimating from the side to try to achieve this.

Maybe the fact that the sublimox was designed for cold way hives gives food for thought?

 

[OldFarm]

Is there a risk to the colony from a build up of dead bees on the floor blocking the exit in winter?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Is there a risk to the colony from a build up of dead bees on the floor blocking the exit in winter?

Yes.
As with any other entrance.
Easy enough to check by looking underneath with your phone.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Is there a risk to the colony from a build up of dead bees on the floor blocking the exit in winter?

Not really - on an underfloor entrance if they fall over the entrance gap, a great thing called gravity means they will fall through onto the floor of the 'lobby' below. They don't stay there long as the wind will clear them.
It also means less work for the undertaker bees as all they have to do is carry the dead to the area of the frame over the entrance slot and drop them out.
I had a very strong colony last year that seemed to have suffered an early autun mass dieout of the older bees the pile below the entrance slot must have been nearly three inches high and spanned the whole width, there was a carpet of dead bees on the OMF inside as well.
Bees were still flying unhindered though and they came through winter champing at the bit to be one of the strongest colonies this season

 

[Erichalfbee]

I would be most interested in people's thoughts on this question:

I have been vaping / sublimating (with a sublimox) like some others, by drilling a small hole in the back of the OMF just above the mesh. For one recaltritant colony I have also been sublimating from the top via a small hole just below a Perspex crown board.

My frames are warm way so when I sublimate from the back the jet of gas almost immediately hits a series of walls. or down) / percolate though the frames? For my top sublimating I have begin sublimating from the side to try to achieve this.

No. The jet of sublimate goes under the frames. Some hits the other side of the hive and bounces back around the frames.
Why would it hit the first frame? The frames don’t touch the omf.
Similarly when vaping from the top the Oxalic fills the eke and drifts down like a fog.