Alternative Varroa Floor

When I first started beekeeping I bought two colonies from an old beekeeper who was cutting down his numbers. They came in his homemade hives. Below are some pics of the floors he had made for them.

I haven't used the floors for a number of years but I'm just about to start making my own hives and I dug one out of the garage to look at his design. I like the design it must be said. It closes very easily which facilitates moving hives (eg. to the heather or OSR). Plus the drawer can be slid in for winter to make more or less a solid floor but with a little ventilation as well. Not as with the Thornes floors either open mesh or completely closed. The only thing which perplexes me is that there is a gap for the bees of about 5 inches under the frames at the front of the hive to allow them access. I would be inclined to close that to maybe a cm or so.

Here are the pics -

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4114/hive5.jpg
Front view of the floor with entrance slot at the bottom



http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/2483/hive4.jpg
Sorry about the clarity of this but it shows the wing nut which, when tightened, closes the entrance


http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/2232/hive1.jpg
A view of the underside showing the wingnut and the upholstery webbing which the entrance board hinges on


http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4886/hive2b.jpg
A wider view of the underside of the floor


http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/9353/hive3.jpg
This shows the drawer which can be used to monitor varroa or to close the floor against the elements

I'd be interested to know if anyone else has a floor like this, whether it's a recognised design or just something the old beekeeper came up with. In any case I like it and am going to build a few!

Gerry

Hi Gerry

It looks to me like a typical heather floor with a rim built up all round to hold the tray (and the rim at the back of the heather floor missing to allow the tray in). Plus that mesh and the baffle.

I have a heather floor that looks just like the bottom half but it is in use at the moment so not so easy to photograph.

One concern - is there enough clearance above the mesh? Even with bottom bee space there are often lumps and bumps under the frame bottom bars to catch the unwary worker (or even queen).

Presumably at least some of the 5cm is needed for clearance for the tray? Looks good though. I should add that I like my heather floor and might have gone over to them if I hadn't invested in some of Thorne's budget mesh floors.

all the best

Gavin

Gavin - I'll try to take a picture of it with a brood box on top so that the clearance can be seen. But there's a bee space between the frame bottom bars and the black varroa mesh. Where the frames are over the front space (over the circular holes with zinc mesh on top) there's a clearance of about 6cm. The space over the circular holes is about 5 inches wide (sorry about the mixed measurements!). Can't think for the life of me what reason there would be for that. Like I said when I make them myself I'll be reducing that from the 5" down to 1cm or so.

Gerry

Ah .. penny drops (I think!). Isn't the 5" so that the jointed part of the floor can pivot nicely? If the flap is a lot shorter then the butterfly nut thing will not work well?

G.

Hehe - my descriptions are not up to much I know! But the 1st and the 5th pictures show the floor as it is in use. All it needs is a brood box on top to give you the proper idea. I'll rectify that tomorrow and upload another pic. The space which concerns me doesn't affect the floor pivoting at all. To make it more acceptable all that would have to be done would be to continue the black mesh until it's about 1cm short of the front wall of the floor or make a solid panel to fill that gap. Hopefully I'm making this clear but no matter - a picture will paint a thousand words (tomorrow!)

Gerry

Not sure if this'll make it much clearer but here are the pics as promised.

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/897/hive6.jpg
Here it is with brood box and frame (only had a Smith frame and it's a Nat BB). You'll have to take my word for it that there's a gap under the frame of 6cm or so as it's not very clear from the pic


http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/4489/hive7.jpg
Here it is with the frame orientated the other way.

Gerry

What is a "Heather Floor?" Is it just a ventillated floor for moving purposes or is it something else (I don't do heather here).

Yep, a floor with some mesh in which is great for quick closing by holding the flap up to shut the entrance and twirling the butterfly nut.

The bottom half of Gerry's floor looks exactly like a heather floor I inherited.