> Subject: Re: [BEE-L] open bottom boards
> > one else with Varroa. Open mesh flours is in my opinion only for
> > ventilation.
>
> I wonder, Jorn, if you use screen floors that are same size as the
> bottom of the brood box or if you use the smaller screens -- 10 cm x 10
> cm or so -- that are poplular in northern europe?

When I started this type of hives I bought the polyester supers but decided
to make the bottom and the lids myself due to the difference in cost. The
bottom is simple a frame covered with mesh. I was not at all thinking of
Varroa because at this time Denmark was free of those creatures. Because of
the size of the mesh I could by at this time I had to cover the back of the
bottom with a peace of plywood, means that only 80 % of the bottom is mesh.
The mesh I used was fly mesh, but this is now getting very rusty, so I have
to replace it. This time I will se if I can get stainless mesh, but the size
of the mesh openings is not of much concern. By the way, I am no longer
counting varroa. I have those and I have to treat. I treat in spring with
Formic acid, that I get from a farmer in exchange for a little honey, as
soon as I have harvested the last honey and have given the winter feed I
drip with oxalic acid. This has in my system given about 85 to 90 % well
wintered hives coming out well in spring. This spring I had to combine some
few week hives.


Best regards
Jorn Johanesson

Multilingual software for beekeeping since 1997

hive note- queen breeding and handheld computer beekeeping software

More fields like mating places for queen, queen mother and queen grandmother

home page = HTTP://apimo.dk
e-mail [log in to unmask]

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