In article <[log in to unmask]>, Ken Hoare
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>Just like P-O Gustafsson from Sweden I experience no propolis being stuck to
>mesh floors. VERY OCCASIONALLY there may be a little comb, obviously a small
>piece has fallen down (probably my fault) and they have fixed it to the
>mesh. If the floor is removed for any reason my cure for this is the gas
>torch - an essential piece of beekeeping equipment. Obviously the mesh must
>be steel wire, but then plastic mesh is a waste of money.


Our experience on this directly is strictly limited, but we do talk to a
number of people who also use them, and propolising does not occur in
any but very rare cases.

The gas torch is, of course, lethal to these floors and boxes as used by
P-O and widespread in Northern Europe, because they are made from
expanded polystyrene. We get a few bits and pieces lying on the mesh,
which youcan just tip out,  but no 'stools' as mentioned by Allen Dick
on the actual mesh. They occur as usual on the surrounding solid area,
but not attached to the actual mesh. The majority of these mesh floors
available on the market are the polystyrene version although there are
some wood ones too.

Somepeople say the plastic mesh in some of these floors is no good,
others are perfectly happy with it. Whilst we have not YET had any
problems at all with the plastic that is not to say we will not in
future as it gets old and brittle. I would tend to concur that steel
would have been better, preferably stainless steel when it is this close
to the damp ground.

Choice of material comes down to price. The plastic costs a fraction of
using steel mesh, an even smaller fraction of the stainless version. It
comes as a ready to use made to measure piece (it is a slotted grid,
rather than a mesh), so there is little labour in cutting/trimming/fitti
ng/replacing it.
--
Murray McGregor