bottomless hive

Pond Creek Farm · October 19, 2008, 12:44:46 AM

I have read a few posts about bottomless hives with tope entrances. I am curious, about the set up. Is it simply a hive body on blocks? Is there a SBB, slatted rack? Do packages start on this type of set up? How high off the ground would such a hive optimally be? How and why is this a method to cut down on SHB and varroa? Are winter precautions necessary to preserve hive heat?

Robo · October 19, 2008, 08:49:12 AM

This doesn't answer all your questions, but here is an experiment I tried a few years back, it basically turned into a bottomless hive.
http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,528.0.html

In it's simplest form, a bottomless hive would be to just set the bottom brood box on some blocks. I think you want to get it high enough off the ground to prevent rodents from getting access to it. Winter precautions depend on your weather. I have since gone to all closed bottoms to retain heat and humidity, so I can't provide much more insight.

Rob...

Brian D. Bray · October 23, 2008, 02:06:10 AM

On my bottomless hives I use stands that put the hives about 10 inches off the ground. I use slatted racks as a barrier (guard) on the underside of the hive and also to rise it a little further above the ground. IMO, putting the hive body directly on the stand without some barrier is asking for trouble. I make my stands so I can slide a 1/4 inch thick piece of plywood under it to close it up, regulate the size of the entrance, and monitor varroa mites (which I can't find any evidence of).

Ross · October 23, 2008, 08:42:23 AM

Around here they get robbed out.

wisconsin_cur · July 17, 2009, 12:44:02 PM

bump

I am going to experiment with this and just looking for any additional feedback any one might have.

annette · July 17, 2009, 01:15:30 PM

Seems like a SBB would be a better idea than to leave them open to anything that might want to come inside the hive.

wisconsin_cur · July 17, 2009, 04:11:42 PM

I think I will keep the sbb and after a day or two cover up the bottom entrance. My thought is that in the future it is cheaper and easier to build a screened bottom w/o an entrance than with and it is easier/cheaper to build a top exit cover than a standard one. Both of those I think I can do with lumber just laying around here minus (maybe) some hardwire cloth and plywood. Then I am left just purchasing boxes and frames.

NasalSponge · July 17, 2009, 11:53:54 PM

In everything I have read they put 1/4 hardware on the bottom to keep the rodents out.

Brian D. Bray · July 22, 2009, 10:53:07 PM

Quote from: NasalSponge on July 17, 2009, 11:53:54 PM
In everything I have read they put 1/4 hardware on the bottom to keep the rodents out.

But those who use the hardware cloth are not using slatted racks. A slatted rack puts over an inch of distance from the hive body and the stand, just like a SBB would. It also puts bars on the window to keep skunks, etc, from getting into the hive from below. I have not found any noticable downsides to bottomless hives the way I am currently doing them.