Hello,
We have 2 Flowhive 2+ and this will be our first winter with bees. I am wondering about the metal screen that is part of the base over the winter. Do people leave the base and metal screen with plastic tray as is over cold winters? We can get temperatures of -25 C (-13 F) over the winter. It seems the metal screen and plastic tray could be quite drafty. Do people replace these or add a full bottom board in the winter?
Thanks in advance
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Hi Karlyn and welcome! I would replace those with solid bottoms in your climate, and provide insulation & wind protection too. You may already realize this, but also remove the honey super.
I’ve replaced all the screened bottom boards I started with on my Flow classics and regular Lang setups with solids, year-round. The bees have more control over internal temps and keeping debris out of the hive this way.
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