Hi,
I am wondering if anyone is using the Blue bee bottoms boards in the base of their flow hive ?And if so, how did you modify your base to allow them to fit?
I am new to beekeeping and a local bee keeper put me onto this invention and given our coastal/subtropical climate we are in I thought it was worth a shot. From reading up on this invention, it is thought to be superior to screened bottom boards?
TIA
Suzzanna
The reviews I have read have been negative. A Google search will save you some 
For your climate at Port Macquarie I would opt for a screened bottom board, the tray can be cleaned and checked for any issues. I haven’t had any experience with that particular product but I fail to see how it is superior to a basic bottom board.
I have both screened and solid bottom boards in my apiary and my preference now is the screened bottom board to help the bees with more air flown in hot and humid weather.
Regards
Hi Suzzanna, although the flowhive has the screened bottom board many an experience beekeeper will tell you dont need it. The bees will control the temperature and the pests as long as the hive is strong and healthy.
We are in Brisbane so plenty of small hive beetles around, so we just added a timber surround to the corflute under the flow hive and then added lime or you can use DE also but more expensive.
This does two things, closes off most of the ventilation and allows beetles and moths to get trapped either from entering though the remaining gap or being driven down by the bees.
The new flow hive has this type of base with trays and ventilation control.
Search this forum for flow hive modifications including ours.
Good luck.
You have probably solved this by now, but I have 6 hives with FlowHive supers and have now fitted all with BlueBee bottom boards. After fitting the first, I paid a bit extra and bought the rest already fitted to a bottom board by Bee Sustainable in Melbourne. Anyway, I think they are brilliant. My SHB problem has gone despite what the sceptics say and there is no moisture issue in winter. All in all I now think every hive should have these.
Brad Collis
Good to hear Brad, I have a number of these and the only downside is that the beetle fall out the bottom and then re-enter the hive via the entrance. I realise the purpose is reduce moisture in the hive through ventilation but I do also like the screened bottom boards with a removable tray so that when I inspect I insert the tray with oil or DE and then remove after I have finished. Dozens of beetles scuttle down away from the light and into the tray. One big advantage is price, $22 for the BlueBees + $15 of parts to build my own bottom board OR $80 for the ready made Screened BB.
Hi Rod, I just put a tray of garden lime underneath and that captures and kills both the beetles and larvae pushed out by the bees. I used this in conjunction with a couple of these:
https://hornsby-beekeeping.com/beetle-tk-frame/
But mostly the lime did the trick. For a while I was changing the lime every few days and seeing dead or struggling beetles and larvae but now haven’t seen any signs of SHB since before last winter and that has included several frame-by-frame inspections.
Cheers
Brad