KTBH construction plans that I've seen call for 2 follower boards, yet I haven't found any explanation of how follower boards are used. One board would seem logical, to limit the bees' working space, but two?
Any suggestions where to look for follower board info?
You need at least one to delimit the hive, and make it easier for the bees to ventilate/heat by not giving them access to a lot of empty space.
The second one is helpful if you need to split or hive a swarm in the opposite end of the hive. A nice long TBH can hold two colonies long enough for you to construct more equipment if you're caught short. Or you can house two smaller colonies next to each other during the winter so they help keep each other warm.
I suppose it depends on the place the entrances are. With one board, you're limited to the volume to one side. With two boards, you can regulate from two sides relative to the entrance(s).
Thanks both.
A follow-up question: how tight does the follower have to be? Obviously, a tight fit is best, but I have one follower with a quarter inch gap on the bottom (the other I can be proud of). Before I go fixing it, is it a problem?
Two follower boards can be used in 10 frame equipment to make it lighter to lift with 8 frames of use. The follower boards also make it much easier to full frames after the FB is removed without rolling bees. If you maintain bee space between them and the adjacent frames the space between them and the sides of the box can vary a bit with no problems and it provides a place for bees to hang out.
Yah! Bee space is .25 to .375 inches, 6mm to 9mm. This would just give them access the rest of the hive.
It's definitely best to have a tight fit, but having a small gap at the bottom I have found does not make much difference. You will lose a few bees (a few dozen a year) that crawl under the FB and then can't find their way back under and die. The bigger the gap, the more bees lost, until it gets big enough, at which point it's not very useful as a follower.
I try to get mine to fit within 1/8".
Thanks CapnChkn, caticind and Sparky. That's just what I needed.
here's my take on two FB
One is for the very front of the hive
If the bees decide to build their first comb attached
to the front of their hive Bingo you have it
on a removable board.The second one
is as all the above said to adjust given space.
JMHO
Tommyt