Nicot bottom board for 6 frames nucs

01 · THE FULL MESH

What falls out, stays out

The mesh takes up the middle of the floor and has nothing underneath it. That does two things: it renews the air and draws damp out of the nuc — which tells in a small, crowded box — and it lets dislodged mites fall to the ground without being able to climb back. Mind what this is not: the floor kills no mites and replaces no treatment — it improves the result of the one you do. And if you want to count the drop, you need to put a sheet or a tray smeared with thick vaseline underneath, because there is no drawer here to collect it.

02 · WHICH NUCS IT TAKES

Six frames, in all three formats

It works for 6-frame nucs in Dadant US, Dadant Blatt and Langstroth, which is what makes it useful if you run more than one format. It measures 540 × 282 × 45 mm and the box centres itself: there are guides at the corners so it seats where it should and pre-drilled holes to screw it to the body if you are going to move it loaded. The base is non-slip, which is what keeps it still on uneven ground.

03 · THE ENTRANCE GOES SEPARATELY

And there is nothing left to cut

The floor comes without an entrance. For a while the answer was to buy the ten-frame entrance and trim it; today there is one made to measure for nuc floors, which slots into the side grooves without tools and is reversible: one face with a clear 8.5 mm gap and the other a ventilated closure for transport or wintering. If you move nucs about, it is the piece you will miss on day one.

04 · CLEANING

Smooth plastic: brush, water and chemistry

HDPE is not porous, so dirt does not take hold: a brush, a scraper and pressure water sort out the routine. For a thorough disinfection it goes into hot water at 60 °C with bleach or caustic soda. What you never do with a plastic floor is take a blowtorch to it, obvious as that sounds when you have come from wood.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

No entrance and no counting tray included. It is coloured right through, so a scratch leaves no white mark.