> 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. Last
year, with a soild bottom board I had to button up a hive to a small
entrance because of a hoard of yellow jackets invading the hive. If the
hive had a large screen on the bottom it would have been all over for
that hive.

This spring there was almost no debris on the screened bottom compared
to what I usually find on closed bottoms. I really did not need to clean
it. I noticed no difference in spring buildup. The bees over wintered
here in Maine with no problems with a completely open bottom and
unwrapped hives.

I agree that there is little use for a normal entrance and a drilled
hole would be enough. Based on what I have seen, the bees would prefer
it.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, ME