What's the best way of improvising a floor?

[mjt68]

Got lots of spare bits for a hive but no floor. What's the best thing to do until the weekend? Crownboard on hive stand with box on top so entrance at bottom through feed hole? Find something flat and engineer an entrance?

 

[Cazza]

How about crown board with an eke on top with a slot cut in the eke?
Cazza

 

[Dishmop]

A quick trip to B&Q

 

[dn170221]

I have 2 I have made up, 4-5 bits of fairly decent pallet wood cut to 460 mm in length. These are laid side to side and then a trim place at one end that is 460mm and two from it that are 460mm minus the width of the piece at the end. The two bits of trim hold the base together. I used some wood I found in the skip as trim just under 20mm if I remember. The 4-5 bits of pallet wood laid side by side are over 460 mm so the excess acts as a basic landing board and saves a long cut. Works fine although being without mesh they sometimes build comb down on to it. Getting the bee space a bit more accurate than skip found trim might help that.

 

[oliver90owner]

You are top bee space, so just need care that frames are clear of your improvised floor. Your ideas are good enough, Cazza's is a little better - basically equates to your second option with some floor clearance.

You could just bore a hole in the box wall as an entrance, but three (or four) strips of batten on a flat sheet would do. No need for a rocket science solution for a couple days.

 

[itma]

How about crown board with an eke on top with a slot cut in the eke?
Cazza

I (now) have an eke with an 'ole. This has been used as a steam hose inlet for wax-melting and was earmarked for future use as a Bailey change mid-entrance, but yes, over any flat(-ish) board it would make an improvised entrance.

 

[Dan Job]

You could just bore a hole in the box wall as an entrance,

I've got a couple of boxes like this. One temporarily had a 450x450 paving slab as a base. If you do it 25mm a champagne cork makes a perfect closer when your done. Or get a entrance disc (or 2)with your next supply order. This would make the box versatile for future manipulations. Simply pop it over a crown board and open the entrance for a vertical split.

 

[wessexmario]

you can make an emergency floor with a piece of board and 3 pieces of wood.
(no cutting required method)

The only dimensions that are critical are:
The board must be the area of the hive box or larger. (national 460x460mm)
The three pieces of wood must be at least as long as the hive box sides, all the same thickness, any width.

- Lay the board down.
- Place the longest piece of wood along the back edge of the board. (extra length can stick out to either or both sides).
- Lay the other two pieces to form the sides (extra length sticking out to the front)
- The remaining open 4th side becomes the entrance.
- Put the hive boxes on top.

 

[REDWOOD]

A piece of plywood and two pencils spring to mind

 

[mjt68]

Thanks all! Now sorted. Seems it's very difficult to have too much kit....

 

[Ely]

I have 2 I have made up, 4-5 bits of fairly decent pallet wood cut to 460 mm in length. These are laid side to side and then a trim place at one end that is 460mm and two from it that are 460mm minus the width of the piece at the end. The two bits of trim hold the base together. I used some wood I found in the skip as trim just under 20mm if I remember. The 4-5 bits of pallet wood laid side by side are over 460 mm so the excess acts as a basic landing board and saves a long cut. Works fine although being without mesh they sometimes build comb down on to it. Getting the bee space a bit more accurate than skip found trim might help that.

I did the same recently. Also organising it in such a way that any extra width of the pallet wood acts as a good alighting board.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Thanks all! Now sorted. Seems it's very difficult to have too much kit....

What did you do?

I've used an upturned plant tray and some top bars in the past, good enough for a day or two, even if that day or two does stretch into several weeks.

 

[mjt68]

What did you do?

I've used an upturned plant tray and some stop bars in the past, good enough for a day or two, even if that day or two does stretch into several weeks.

Fashioned an eke over pallet boards with box overhanging a little on one side to give an entrance.

 

[alanf]

I have a few National "standard" crown boards with one section of spacing batten cut and pivoted as an extra opening. Pin something over the feed holes and you have an improvised solid floor, or a vertical AS division board (simplified Snelgrove). Or they are still normal crown boards if that's what's needed.

With your Langstroth's flat crown board it would be a little more construction, but a batten around one side plus pivot entrance would give you a board you could use as an improvised floor, maybe apiguard eke, vertical AS and it's still usable as a crown board.