Hi All

Peter Borst said (in a seperate thread)

> I currently have an apiary of 24 hives started from packages in 2002.
> Half are on screens, half are not.  The only reason I mention this is
> to show that I am continuing to experiment with them, even though I
> have never seen that they *do* anything at all.
>
> That is, I will try different approaches regardless of my personal
> bias. But this is the fourth year of testing them, and I have never
> seen any effect: not on brood rearing, not on honey production, not
> on mite levels.

This is not a criticism, but I ask if you have tried using the screens on
their own (no solid board underneath) and with stands of 400 mm height (16")
that allow plenty of air to flow through underneath the colony.

This is how we use them in UK and we notice that initial brood rearing is
delayed slightly, but the brood production accellerates and surpasses solid
bottomed colonies. I have no data that indicates better or worse honey
production. Mite levels are affected simply due to any live ones falling
through the mesh being out of the equation. This might not be a large
effect, but surely it is in the right direction.

Best Regards & 73s... Dave Cushman, G8MZY
Beekeeping & Bee Breeding Website...
http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman