Hello everyone,
I hived my bees on April 11th. A few days later I went to my hive, removed the tray of my screened bottom board and generously applied Vasoline to it, which I was told would help varroa stick so they can't get back up into the frames.
Yesterday I went to check that tray and saw lots of sugar granules (I presume from when I sprayed them in the package), pollen, various other unidentifiable things, but one is bothering me.
I see some white furry mold growth on it. So I have a few questions.
1) Should I clean it, and how?
2) How often should I check this tray and clean it
3) With the sugar granules, if I just wipe it down onto the grass I wonder if other bees may start robbing.
Lastly, when I remove my hivetop feeder when I hit the nectar flow, what do I do with the excess syrup? Just pour it out onto the grass? I can't see that being good.
Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks!
First, remove the tray and only insert it when making a check. Then check and clean it daily for 3 days, counting 3... 1 day mite drops. Then put the tray in the garage or somewhere until the next mite check.
Pour the excess sugar water in a jar and refrigerate it until it is needed again.
You're saying that tray needs to be removed and only used when I'm checking?
Won't that cause a HUGE ventilation issue?
In essence shouldn't that tray make it to where I'm getting just as much standard ventaliation as a standard bottom board?
Doesn't make much sense.
One of the main reasons for having a Screened Bottom board is to increase ventilation. With good ventilation in warm weather the bees will beard less & work more. I leave them open until late fall when it gets cold again. However, some beeks leave them open the entire year. In Spring once the night time temps get back above 60 degrees I open them back up and leave them open.
Mine are still closed, it was well below freezing last night. Just wipe it off with a rag or something. I wouldn't worry about the vasoline, that sounds like a mess. When I am doing a mite check, I sometimes give it a light spray with some Pam non stick cooking oil, or a light wipe with vegitable oil.