Bill asks:
 What do you guys do to close off bottoms?

I do not use screened bottoms Bill as all my hives are on four way pallets. 
I have considered trying to make a few pallets with a screened bottom.

Randy uses a boom loader and screened bottoms. I think he said once he uses 
a special board he made to close the bottom.

The secret to apigard in my opinion is to use three 25 ml doses at exactly 7 
day intervals and treat for varroa spring and fall. I alternate between 
apigard ( fall usually) and miteaway 2. ( spring and at times fall)

Once a year only with either miteaway 2 or apigard is pushing the issue 
*unless* you run a Russian or varroa tolerant bee which allows you to not 
treat as much.

I test and decide if to treat both times ( spring & fall) but since I went 
to soft treatments I have needed to treat.

I have yards which I do not treat but my high production prolific Italians 
need treatment.

Once a year with miteaway 2 has made me able to drop my menthol treatment 
for tracheal mites in my Italians (but the treatment I used only cost about 
fifty cents a hive so not a big deal.) Formic is very effective against the 
tracheal mite which my prolific Italians are susceptible to.

bob

Ps since the internet beekeeping lists have become popular I hear every year 
of beeks which have lost all their bees trying to quit all treatments as put 
forth on the *other* list. I heard of a beek last month which dropped his 
treatments for AFB. last i heard he was burning all his new frames from 35 
hives and scorching his boxes and starting over. He saw the foulbrood but 
followed the advice from the other list that  his hygienic bees could clean 
the problem up.
 

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