Conventional bottom boards stick out at the front, exposing the colony to bad weather, robbing bees, and thieving predators. The Fortress Bottom Board™ entrance turns inward, not out, which makes it less weather prone, less conspicuous, and naturally much more defensible. This is the Langstroth equivalent to the holes and slit entries found in log hives.
Robbing Protection: The entrance design drastically improves hive defense in several ways: First, its recessed landing board reduces the bees' exposure to invaders. Second, robbing yellow jackets and bees must enter through a tunnel of decreasing height which terminates in a sharp upward right angle that forces them to invade the hive uphill. Third, the deep entrance reducer narrows this tunnel, which greatly increases defensibility. Fourth, thieving birds simply have no place to land.
Weather Protection: The recessed landing board inherently reduces rain intrusion and snow accumulation. Additionally, wind protection is excellent because the wind is buffered by a 90 degree turn before it reaches the internal entrance. (An will add even more weather protection.)
Buffer Zone: Conventional bottom boards typically provide 3/4” of protection on three sides immediately below the brood nest, but the fourth (landing board) side is open, exposing it to drafts and light. In contrast, the Fortress Bottom Board™ protects all four sides, creating a darker, dead air space below the frames. This effectively extends the brood nest, providing some of the benefits of a slatted rack.
Auxiliary Rear Entry: If you need to do an oxalic vapor treatment or just peek into the hive bottom, just open the rear entrance. This is also a great tool if you are doing colony splits but don't want to bother reversing the hive to reduce forager drift.
Winter Insulation: Some northern beekeepers like to insulate the bottom board in winter. The Fortress Bottom Board™ will fit a 1' insulation board under the mite inspection tray. This also darkens the lower brood nest, making a more natural environment for the colony.
Easier Transportation. The flush profile of the Fortress Bottom Board™ makes it much easier to fit multiple hives on a truck.
Quality: This product is made with high quality pine and stainless-steel mesh screen. It is double walled, giving it extraordinary strength and extra insulation compared to other screened bottom boards on the market. All joints are glued and stapled. Made at our wood shops in Oregon and Virginia.
