Bill Truesdell <[log in to unmask]> said:

> From: Robert Stevens <[log in to unmask]>

> > This leads me to believe that the commonly available 4
> > mesh might be even better than the 6 mesh - if mice are not able to get
> > through it???

> If bees can get through it so can yellow jackets. If your hive is weak
> and they are around, they will take the hive over fairly quickly.

I could not find a local supply of 8-mesh (1/8th-inch) hardware cloth,
so I bought a roll of the 1/4-inch mesh, and simply use two layers,
one offset from the other.

While this is not a "perfect" 8-mesh, it is close enough to keep out wasps.

...and yes, one wants to be able to clean the screens, which is why I built
my own screened bottom boards - I wanted to have a slide-in/slide-out
screen for cleaning.  The "screen frame" is nothing more than aluminum
window screen frame material with the inner edge of the U-shaped spline
channel bend inward.  I used super-glue to attach the 1/4-inch mesh to the
frame.  The base has a pair of grooves to accept the framed screen, covered
by the same slide-down cover that covers the sticky board.

Yeah, I know the bees will try to propolize the joint between the groove and
the screen, but I paint the grooves and the frames with beeswax to keep the
problem to a minimum, and I remove the screens at least once a month,
give 'em a shake, and swap in newly-beeswaxed frames for those that
cannot be cleaned with a shake.

        jim

        farmageddon