What's the best way to put a screened bottom board on a TBH? I'm thinking I'll have a top entrance but would like to be able to check mite fall.
Just leave the floor open and tack hardware cloth to the bottom edge of the side boards. 1/4 or 3/8 will let the bees enter and exit that way as well, or you can use #8.
>What's the best way to put a screened bottom board on a TBH? I'm thinking I'll have a top entrance but would like to be able to check mite fall.
My long mediums, I jut make the box out of one by eights with a 3/4" deep and 3/8" wide frame rabbet and tack the screen on the bottom.
Did you make something to slide up in there so you could check for mite fall? I'm trying to find the most efficient way to do this on a TBH.
>Did you make something to slide up in there so you could check for mite fall? I'm trying to find the most efficient way to do this on a TBH.
I did. I put a one by two frame on to hold the screen and to provide a space. Then I put a treated two by two "rail" on both sides to hold it up and make a plastic cardboard insert to slide under. Some baling twine stapled onto the bottom holds it.
Can't help with the SBB, but I did build a couple TBH with openable bottoms. I left them open in the summer and closed them off in the winter. Used a couple sheets of coroplast in grooves that I had cut into to bottom of the hive and installed/removed from the backside of the hive.
(http://www.bushkillfarms.com/photos/d/267-1/100_0595.JPG)
(http://www.bushkillfarms.com/photos/d/271-1/100_0604.JPG)
(http://www.bushkillfarms.com/photos/d/273-1/DCP_0187.JPG)
These hives where sized so I could hang Langstroth deep frames from the top bars.