Hi All,

I am trialling 2 hives here at home with no floor and have been dutifully
measuring the depth of the cluster below the bottom frame rail. All is going
more or less as I would have expected.
I also keep a hive for a keen lady who wanted to trial the floorless hive
concept. I had almost forgotten this but was quickly reminded of its
floorless condition when I examined the bottom box frames. Many frames had
bur drone comb attached to them, one had a 200 mm crescent of capped drone
comb hanging from it's bottom frame rail.
SO
I have added another tool to my hive inspection box, a 550 mm handled 35mm
thisel like tool.
The idea is that I first put in my mite counting drawer, through the rear
opening door, and then use the long handled chisel to cut off all the drone
brood and remove it on the counting drawer and hopefully a lot of varroa
mites contained therein.

DETAILS
The West and North hives are floorless'. (no screen, nothing)
The sub-floor volume is enclosed on all sides by a 6mm tanalised plywood
surround (an unpainted stand) 250 mm above the bare ground. The rear wall of
this stand is hinged to open DOWNWARDs. The bees enter the hive in the
'normal' manner
through a 20mm X 365mm opening at the front.

In summer, rear flap (180 mm X 280 mm) will be left swung open for ALL to
come and go and to increase the ventilation.

A mite counting drawer can be laid on the ground via the rear opening flap,
to catch all 'fall' material over, say, a 24 hour period, for general
'health' monitoring.

I have measured the distance the 'bee cluster' extends below the bottom
frame bar at dusk. (by opening the rear flap and inserting a scale on a
stick)

Date       8Apr 15Apr 22Apr 29Apr 12May 22May 29May 19Jun 14Jul 28Jul 22Aug
North hive 40mm 55    68    40    37    20    15    18    22    34    28
West hive  30mm 55    50    55    45    30    35    38    38    45    42
Temperature/°C                                11    8     11    10    13

Cheers Paul b. Auckland, New Zealand.