Bee Hive Floors

All of our bee hive floors are Varroa Open Mesh Floors.
Before the advent of the Varroa mite to the U.K. in the 1990's, bee hive floors were usually made of solid timber.
Experiments for the control of Varroa mites revealed that a number of mites are dislodged by the bees and fall to the floor.
With a solid floor, the mites were easily able to re-infest the colony but with a mesh floor, the mites fell to the ground so reducing the mite population.

A positive side effect of an open mesh floor is improved ventilation and reduction of damp within the hive.
Of course, honey bees in a natural nest in a hollow tree would not have a solid floor beneath them.

Our Varroa Open Mesh Floors are supplied with a removable Varroa Inspection Trays.
They are designed to be only used whilst monitoring Varroa mite drops or as a block whilst using some Varroa treatments.
They should otherwise be removed or else the benefits of an open mesh floor are lost.

It is recommended to 'oil' the inspection tray and runners with petroleum jelly.
This will not only help prevent the ingress of damp but also ease sliding the tray in and out.
When used to monitor mite drops, the surface of the tray should have a liberal application of petroleum jelly so fallen mites will stick to it ensuring an accurate mite count.