Polystyrene Beehive Bottom - Mesh Floor & Ventilation Board

A Hive Floor That Opens for Summer, Closes for Winter and Counts Mites in Between

The floor is the part of the hive most people never think about, and the part with the most say over how a colony copes with weather. A thin timber board leaks heat all winter and offers nothing in a heatwave. A mesh floor helps in summer but leaves the cluster sitting over an open screen when the cold arrives. What you actually want is a floor that does both and switches between them in a few seconds.

This polystyrene hive bottom does exactly that. It is moulded from expanded polystyrene at 100kg per cubic metre, dense enough to carry a full hive and shrug off knocks, and it insulates far better than timber. The base is mesh, with a slot beneath it. Slide the polystyrene ventilation board in and the floor is sealed and insulated. Slide it out and the whole base breathes. It fits standard 10-frame Langstroth boxes, poly or timber.

Open in Summer, Closed in Winter

On a 40 degree afternoon a colony burns a lot of energy fanning. With the board out, air moves up through the mesh and the bees can stop fanning and go back to foraging. When the nights turn cold, slide the board back in and the cluster sits over an insulated floor instead of a draught. It is one part, two settings, no tools.

Mite Counts Without Opening the Hive

The same slot takes a varroa tray. Slide in a tray with a smear of petroleum jelly or a film of oil, leave it for 24 to 48 hours and count the mites that have dropped through the mesh. It is the least disruptive way to monitor a colony, and it tells you more than a visual inspection will.

Why Polystyrene

Dense EPS does not rot, swell or split, and it never needs wax-dipping or repainting to stay sound. It weighs a fraction of a timber floor, which you will appreciate the first time you move a hive on your own. Two honest caveats. Like any poly hive part it lasts longest with a coat of water-based exterior paint on the outside to keep the sun off it. And it cannot be flame-sterilised the way timber can, so cleaning is a scrub with hot water and washing soda rather than a blowtorch.

Which Hives It Fits

It is made for 10-frame Langstroth boxes. If you run 8-frame boxes, the wax-dipped mesh bottom board in the range is the one to look at instead. For beekeepers who want the whole hive insulated rather than just the floor, the Parker insulated beehive is the full step up.

Specifications

• Material: expanded polystyrene, 100kg/m³
• Floor: mesh base with a slot beneath it for the ventilation board or a tray
• Ventilation board: polystyrene, slide-in, fully open or fully closed
• Fits: 10-frame Langstroth boxes, poly or timber
• Compatible: varroa tray (slides into the board slot)
• Finish: recommend a coat of water-based exterior paint on the outside

How does the ventilation board work?

Slide the polystyrene board in and the floor is sealed and insulated. Slide it out and the whole mesh base breathes.

What hives does it fit?

Standard 10-frame Langstroth boxes, poly or timber. For 8-frame boxes, choose the wax-dipped mesh bottom board instead.

When should I open the board?

In summer, especially before a heatwave. Air moves up through the mesh so the bees can stop fanning and go back to foraging.

When should I close it?

When the nights turn cold, so the cluster sits over an insulated floor instead of a draught.

Can I use it for varroa monitoring?

Yes. The slot takes a varroa tray. Smear it with petroleum jelly or oil, leave it 24 to 48 hours and count the mites that drop.

Is a varroa tray included?

The floor is compatible with a varroa tray, which slides into the board slot. The tray is not listed as included.

What density is the polystyrene?

100kg per cubic metre, dense enough to carry a full hive and shrug off knocks.

Does it need painting?

A coat of water-based exterior paint on the outside is recommended to keep the sun off it and extend its life.

How do I clean it?

Scrub with hot water and washing soda. It cannot be flame-sterilised the way timber can.

Is it lighter than a timber floor?

Yes. It weighs a fraction of a timber floor, which helps when moving a hive on your own.