NICOT® plastic bottom board, rear ventilation

01 · THE PARTIAL VENTILATION

For where the problem is cold, not heat

It shares its structure with the brand's ventilated screened floor, but changes the essential part: here the grille is partial and sits at the back. That gives enough air change to stop condensation inside without chilling the brood chamber the way a full mesh floor would. It is the floor for damp regions, long winters and early flows, where you want the colony to hold its heat while it builds. And it answers a question we get: it does not convert into a fully ventilated floor by removing anything — the fully screened floor is a different item.

02 · THE COMPATIBILITY

Dadant Blatt and Langstroth, in plastic or wood

It suits both ten-frame sizes. Dadant Blatt is the French and Italian size, the one with a 47 cm top bar; Langstroth is somewhat longer. With Langstroth bodies a small ledge is left at the front which, far from being a nuisance, acts as a drip edge in wet climates. It has a front slot for an entrance — sold separately — and side holes to fix it with clips or screws.

03 · THE PLASTIC

It hoses clean and does not hold propolis

Recyclable food-grade plastic has smooth surfaces: propolis and debris do not grip the way they do on timber, and the floor washes down with a pressure hose in seconds. Nor does it rot from ground damp or need going over with oil every season. It is the part of the hive that takes the worst punishment and the one you least want to be scraping in January.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

The closed bottom panel insulates well, but check in spring that the rear grille has not been blinded with propolis or wax.