I'm building a few nucs to start some splits in next spring. All of the plans I have found show the bottom board being solid. Being a new beek and fearing the dreaded mite, do I need to worry about creating a screened bottom board for them or will the solid board be fine?
All my nucs are on solid bottom boards and they seem to do just fine. Not sure which plans you are looking at, but these are the ones I'm using now. Wouldnt be too hard to modify the bottoms on these to a screen if thats what you wanted.
http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,27006.0.html (http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,27006.0.html)
I use coates nucs on all my newer nucs now. I don't think I would worry about a screen bottom, but if you want them, they are no problem to cut in.
Thanks for the replies, looks like SBB is no problem.
Thanks again
I use sbb on all my colonies - and nucs. I feel this help the girls, when I put them in a 10 frame brood box they don't go into shock since they are used to the sbb. Also this lets me monitor them by being able to use a mite count board. lee...
I just realized the Solid bottom board and screen bottom board are the same acronym. So what I should have said was looks like solid bottom board is no problem.
Thanks again everyone
Nucs are small colonies and maintaining heat in the brood area can be a problem if given to much ventilation. You'll get a cold night and end up with chill brood.
Exactly what Danno said. Keep in mind the purpose of a nuc.
None of my nucs have SBB, for the reason given in the last two posts. You normally do not have mite issues till later in the year, well past any nuc building period. In building nucs, you are many times raising queens, putting the bees through broodless cycles, etc. Mites are handled by good genetics and if you do have mite issues, it will be from August on. Not in April, May, June, which is nuc building time for most.