What’s in my Bottom board?

Hey guys! I’m trying to get better at reading what’s at the bottom of my hive. Can anyone tell me what this indicates? Thanks!

Hi and welcome to the Flow forum! :blush:

Wax cappings, crud and diatomaceous earth (DE)? i.e. pretty normal stuff, except for the DE, which you (or another human) must have put there…

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:blush: yes the builders lime my husband put there. Okay thank you for your reply!! Does the wax capping indicate anything bad? I have identified Small Hive beetle and wax moth in the tray before before.

I think large bits of wax can be a concern. To me it indicates that hive beetles have done some damage & the bees are rectifying it, which will be evident by discarded bits of wax.

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Hmmm that’s a concern. First time I have spotted this and it’s Torrential rain here at the moment, so I can’t open the hive up to see. Bummer.

Hi Tara. If the bits of discarded wax is a result of hive beetle damage, that could mean that the bees are getting on top of it. Therefore hopefully when you can do an inspection, you’ll only find a gap in the comb where beetles got started before the bees overwhelmed them & cleaned it out. Those spots are easy to recognize because the area will be chewed out, however clean & void of any bee activity because of the leftover beetle slime that bees leave alone until the odor passes.

Likely places for that damage is on drone comb, based on personal observations.

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So much to learn! Thanks so much.

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