The core function of a Screen Bottom Board (SBB) is to act as a physical filter that permanently separates fallen Varroa mites from the honeybee colony. By replacing a solid hive floor with a mesh structure, the SBB ensures that mites dislodged during bee grooming or natural movement fall through the screen and cannot crawl back up to re-infect the host bees.
The Screen Bottom Board functions as a passive mechanical control that interrupts the Varroa mite life cycle by utilizing gravity and mesh geometry. It serves a dual purpose: significantly slowing mite population growth by preventing re-entry and enabling precise, non-destructive monitoring of infestation levels.
The Mechanics of Physical Control
Interrupting the Re-Infection Cycle
The primary value of the SBB lies in its ability to break the loop of re-infection. In a standard hive with a solid bottom, a mite that falls off a bee can easily crawl back onto a passing host.
The SBB changes the hive architecture so that falling mites drop through the mesh and onto the ground or a sticky board. Once they pass through this barrier, they are physically unable to return to the bee cluster, effectively removing them from the colony's ecosystem.
Slowing Population Growth
By constantly filtering out fallen mites, the SBB acts as a continuous, passive management tool. This mechanism does not eliminate the mite population entirely but serves to slow the growth rate of the infestation.
This reduction in population pressure helps the colony maintain health longer between more aggressive interventions.
The Role in Monitoring and Assessment
Preventing Hygienic Removal
Beyond control, the SBB is critical for accurate data collection. Honeybees are naturally hygienic and will attempt to clean debris, including dead or fallen mites, from the bottom of the hive.
The mesh screen acts as a physical barrier against the bees themselves, preventing them from reaching the collection tray below. This ensures that the debris represents an undisturbed record of the mite drop.
Evaluating Treatment Efficacy
To manage mites effectively, you must know if your treatments are working. The SBB facilitates this by allowing beekeepers to catch and count mites killed by acaricides (chemical treatments).
Because the bees cannot remove these dead mites, the count on the collection tray provides a precise, quantitative evaluation of how effective a specific treatment was.
Understanding the Trade-offs
Suppression vs. Eradication
It is vital to understand that a Screen Bottom Board is a tool for suppression, not eradication. While it successfully interrupts the life cycle of fallen mites, it does not actively kill mites remaining on the bees or in the brood.
Data Dependency
The utility of the SBB for monitoring relies on the correct interpretation of "mite drop" data. While it provides an accurate count of fallen mites, beekeepers must correlate this data with established thresholds to make informed decisions about chemical interventions.
Making the Right Choice for Your Goal
To maximize the utility of a Screen Bottom Board, align its use with your specific management objectives:
- If your primary focus is Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Use the SBB as a permanent fixture to passively lower the overall mite pressure and reduce the frequency of chemical treatments needed.
- If your primary focus is Treatment Assessment: Install a sticky board below the screen immediately following chemical application to verify that the mite load is actually dropping.
The Screen Bottom Board is the foundational hardware for a data-driven, non-invasive approach to colony health.
Summary Table:
| Feature | Mechanism | Primary Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Mesh Architecture | Physical barrier using gravity | Prevents dislodged mites from re-infecting bees |
| Population Suppression | Passive mechanical control | Slows mite growth rate without chemicals |
| Data Collection | Debris separation from bees | Enables accurate mite counts for treatment evaluation |
| Hygienic Barrier | Mesh separation | Prevents bees from removing fallen mites before counting |
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References
- Fang Liu, Zhi Huang. A Meta-Analysis Shows That Screen Bottom Boards Can Significantly Reduce Varroa destructor Population. DOI: 10.3390/insects11090624
This article is also based on technical information from HonestBee Knowledge Base .
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