living in northwest Ga. where our summers are very hot and humid but our winters can get pretty cold for several weeks at a time, i was wondering what type of bottom would be recommended for this area.
I'm south of you and run solid bottoms but I'm old school. Many in the state and across the country run screened year round, even a lot of yankees in the great white north. I can't advise open or closed but I will be getting some freeman beetle trap bottoms here shortly. I do highly recommend finding a method of shb control and the freeman looks like a worthwhile effort.
I like solid as I can make them into feeders. I like screened as I can control the ventilation and they stay dry. Most of mine are solid.
Quote from: David McLeod on November 02, 2011, 08:31:29 AM
I can't advise open or closed but I will be getting some freeman beetle trap bottoms here shortly. I do highly recommend finding a method of shb control and the freeman looks like a worthwhile effort.
The solution for the small hive beetles is to put your hives in all day sunlight. I still get a few but I kill them when I do my hive inspections.
A lot of beeks here in Florida have lost hives to the shb, but I have never lost one to them.
Larry
Quote from: Larry Bees on November 02, 2011, 12:38:46 PM
The solution for the small hive beetles is to put your hives in all day sunlight. I still get a few but I kill them when I do my hive inspections.
Yep I did that as well. When I moved them to full sun, only see a few SHB compared to the 30-50 when removing the top cover in the shade.
...DOUG
KD4MOJ
Full sun here but still need some control. Any beetle seen pee'd me off, I want none because of what I kn9ow came happen.
I prefer screened for ventilation and ease of cleaning (no more spring scraping of the bottom boards) I leave mine open year round. What I hate about them.....painting them!