Hello All

Tim Smith wrote as follows:

>Has anyone ever used the screened bottom board for ventilation and also =
>mite
>control. I'm experimenting with them now and find that the bees do not =
>seem
>to gather outside the front of the hive during extremely hot weather. I =
>live
>in the central GA area.
>
>


That is exactly what the screened bottom board was designed to do.

The screened bottom board (Open Mesh Floor - OMF) is in my opinion the only
beekeeping device that has no disadvantages. The following are the
advantages of an OMF.

1. Incredible ventilation. Dampness is what destroys colonies, not cold.
OMFs have been used way up north in Canada with excellent results.

2. Destruction of varroa mites. Some observers claim that up to 15% of mites
lose their hold on bees and fall to their deaths through the OMFs. If you
had a solid floor these mites would easily re enter the hive.

3. It is a travelling screen in that you can move a hive equipped with an
OMF without worrying about suffocating the bees.

4. By placing a board equipped with a sheet of paper under the OMF you can
monitor mite fall if you wish to know it, perhaps you are using IPM
(Integrated Pest Management) systems to counteract varroa.

I shall be glad of feed back on this as always.

Sincerely

Tom Barrett
Dublin
Ireland