I was at our local county beekeepers assoc. meeting and one commercial
beekeeper shared he does not use bottom boards. He goes to home depot and
buys scrap plywood and closes the bottom of the hive body up. Then drills 1
3/4" hole just under 1 handle on each hive body. The hole is more
defensable. in addition, can anyone find a beehive in the wild that their
entrance is below the comb ? It is usually 99.9% above the nest. So why do
we use commercial bottom boards ? Also having bottom boards allows an easier
entrance for mites to re-enter the hive. The small 3/4" hole is easier for
the bees to defend and is higher off the ground. Seems ferral colonies that
are high up in the trees or in soffits in homes they don't have mite
problems. Imagine a mite trying to crawl back up 3 stories to get back into
the entrance of the hive. ....  Just a thought. wanted to see what you
b-L'ers would have to say about bottom boards.

Andrew Dubas
www.dubees.com

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