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ventilation screen failure

2K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  Gypsi 
#1 ·
I read somewhere that over heating of hives could be a problem, that can be solved by putting a screen along the bottom of the hive, which would allow better air circulation, reduction of moisture buildup, and the mites that fall off the bees would fall through the screen.

I tried it and was met with my bees swarming and leaving the hive en masse about a month later. It occurred to me that perhaps I went about it all wrong. I didn't put anything below the screen to block off the light. Since hives are mostly dark inside, whether in trees or boxes, I am thinking this was an error.

It seems to me, if you block off the light, you also block off the ventilation you are trying to achieve. How would one construct a hive with a screen that blocks off the light, or should I ditch the idea and get rid of the screen altogether? G
 
#3 ·
I hadn't checked it, because the bees which previously had been gentle, now were pissed off every time I looked in the hive. I have only had them for a few months, they were living in the wall of my house unknown to me, so I moved them into a hive and fed them in hopes they would survive (this was in december) they built a bunch of comb and had a lot of brood, so I cut back on the syruip, thinking they were doing well enough.

I didn't see any mites on the comb the last time I looked, so I have no good answer for you. They were very active - then the next time I checked, they had bailed.

I live in Los Angeles which gets toasty in the summer which is why I thought to try the screened hive.
G
 
#5 ·
There are many reports of packages absconding with screened bottom boards. I tried them once, didn't like them and went back to solid boards. Never have regretted it. I've never had a hive abscond. Bees also abscond when loaded with mites. You will never see them on the comb, you have to do a sugar shake or an alcohol wash [my preference and much more accurate]. That's the only way to know what the mite population is.
 
#6 ·
I use screened bottom boards and don't have a problem with absconding, but my first hive, over a solid bottom board, took off probably due to mites.

I do keep a sticky board ( rigid plastic sheet) in under my screen to make the bees feel secure and allow ventilation without creating a drafty broodnest. Also lets me monitor what is going on in the hive without taking the lid off.
 
#8 ·
Like politics, all beekeeping is local. You don't tell us where you are.

I tend to use my older, bought screened bottom boards in hot, dry locations; solids in dappled, woods, or wetter locations. As I expand, solid bottoms are easy to make and I feel better about over-wintering.

I have not personally experienced a correlation between screens and hive loss, but "I've heard tell of...". Beekeepers are a superstitious bunch and assign causations quickly and erroneously as we're dumber than a bunch of bugs.
 
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