No need for mesh floors in Warres.
Arguably useul for really big colonies in big hives like American
Langstroths, where the colony produces lots of condensation (breath) which
condenses on cold walls in winter, leading to mould. American beekeepers
seem to feed their colonies unbelievable amounts of sugar syrup - many
gallons - to fuel them and keep them warm in winter. They also believe in
additional top ventilation, creating a chimney. Obviously the bees need to
actively work to keep warm over winter, which may contribute to their
massive winter losses.
Mesh floors above an inspection tray can provide a breeding ground for
parasites which the bees can't clean. Swarms almost never spontaneously
move into hives with mesh floors. Filipe says African bees abscond from
hives with mesh floors, all African hives have solud ones despite the heat!
About a year ago, Gino circulated a good photo of a TBH mesh floor the
bees had propolised shut.
I can go on if you wish, but basically for Warres, no need for a mesh floor
except in special circumstances like moving a hive a long distance.
Paul
On Mon, 16 May 2022, 09:11 Gareth John, <gj.garethjohn@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
This question seems to be asked a lot due to the use of mesh floors by
conventional beekeepers who say that mesh floors control varroa. They don’t.
In our part of the world bees have evolved to live in tree cavities. Tree
cavities do not have mesh floors and bees living in log hives that mimic
tree cavities are remarkably healthy and varroa-free. Mesh floors chill the
hive, which requires more nectar to be collected to maintain hive
temperature. This places stress on the bees and also on other pollinators
because there is less nectar to go round.
Imitating natural tree cavities with plenty of insulation and small round
entrances allows healthy hives. I see it in my hives and Matt Somerville
sees it in the hundreds of log hives that he has installed around the
country. Moreover, if a hive is damp, the answer is not a mesh floor but
more insulation.
Gareth
Sent from my iPad
On 16 May 2022, at 08:56, K LA <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:floors for hives, in my case a warre. Can the bees thrive with an open
Hi everyone, I wanted to ask what opinions there are about using mesh
space beneath them or is it good hygiene practice?
Many thanks!
Mariella
Sent from my iPhone
