I'm about to do my first check on my new package (7 days since they were introduced into my top bar hive).
So far I still have the winter cover on my bottom screen as the weather can't make up it's mind what it's doing, and we were getting the occasional 50mph wind gust.
Now the winds have stopped and we are seeing daytime temperatures in the mid 80's, dropping to about 45 at night.
Can anyone suggest a good safe day/night temperature range before I remove the bottom screen cover?
I think you can remove them now. I had a screened bottom all winter on one hive and it is stronger than the one that was closed. Remember warm air rises. High winds might be a problem, but if they are protected at all fron the direct wind, you should be fine.
There may be contrary opinions, but I guess that's what they all are: opinions, including mine.
Keep it off anytime it is warm enough for wax moths and SHB to multiply between it and the screen.
It may be a moot point. It looks like the mesh spacing is too large as the bees were exiting through the screen during my inspection.
To add to my dismay they have only drawn a very small amount of comb on 4 bars, and I can't see the queen anywhere :cry:
The mesh should be 1/8 in. The bees can easily go through 1/4 in. mesh.
7 days should only look for eggs. Don't worry about finding the queen. If no eggs, wait a week and look again. Then worry if you don't find eggs.
Thanks.
I'll still worry, but hope next weekend will bring good news
>Can anyone suggest a good safe day/night temperature range before I remove the bottom screen cover?
I would leave it in 365 days a year...
Michael - would you mind explaining your thinking on leaving the bottom boards in all the time [or post a link where you've explained it elsewhere, as you probably have...]
Thanks -
R
I am unconvinced that imposing the amount of ventilation the "provide" on the bees is helpful at any time. In the winter the hive is drafty. In the summer they are trying to cool the hive and the "door" is wide open. Huber's research on ventilation showed that there was less ventilation with more openings meaning we make the bees work harder when we provide more openings. They need to CONTROL the ventilation in order to cool the hive and they need to control the ventilation to maintain the right temperature and humidity in the brood nest. Beekeepers think more ventilation is good. I think bee controlled ventilation is good... anything else may just be making them work much harder and may even make what they need to do impossible.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beestopbarhives.htm#ventilation
Thank you, Michael - very helpful.
R
Michael, would you then do away with the screen entirely, in order to avoid giving small hive beetles a place to hide? In other words, stick with solid bottom? (I think NeiltheCop's original question begs for clarification of that point.)
I agree with MB 100% on ventilation, but if there is a space between the screen and the cover, you will want to remove one of them in summer. As Dallasbeek hinted, it is the perfect space to raise SHB and wax moth. I tried screen bottoms for about 5 years and then went back to solids. I found no advantage to screen, but did find several disadvantages.
After have read a couple of different research reports on screen bottom boards vs. solid bottom boards they have very little effect on varroa mites one was written by Dennis VanEngelsdop of http://beeinformed.org/ the other was written by Thomas Rinderer of http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=2747. They both came to the same conclusion the difference between screen bottom boards vs. solid bottom boards is about 3% one way or the other. In varroa mite counts.To little difference for any solid conclusion. Both these studies were done over a two to three year span with hundreds of colonies.You can make your own conclusion. Thomas Rinderer study was done on Russians vs Italian also Russians did much better.
BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :smile:
>Michael, would you then do away with the screen entirely, in order to avoid giving small hive beetles a place to hide? In other words, stick with solid bottom? (I think NeiltheCop's original question begs for clarification of that point.)
I still use the screened bottom boards I have, but I stopped buying them about a decade ago. I couldn't see any difference as far as Varroa and I can use a solid bottom for a feeder. As Jim pointed out, some of the recent research came to the same conclusion. I'm not throwing mine away, but I'm not buying anymore of them.