bottom types

[morganchris030778]

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.

[David McLeod]

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.

[Michael Bush]

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.

[Larry Bees]

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

[KD4MOJ]

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

[David McLeod]

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.

[NasalSponge]

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!