IPK Screened Bottom Board & Small Hive Beetle Trap by GreenBeehives.com

Did the job. I have got to have the worst shb assault anywhere here in S. Louisiana wooded area. Tried traps, swiffer towels and even shop vac the little b#$#rds, but over a hundred a day kept coming. When I finally got this board the hive was in swarm mode. During the swarm I had just put the board under the hive, and collected over 200 shbs in about 4 hours of chaos, and 170 shbs the next 20 hours using lime dust in the tray. Swiffers got 90, my shop vac sucked up 70, and the beetle trap got 27 in same time period. I may still have to relocate the hive just because of the extreme volume of shbs here, but so far this is gonna be my go-to for shb problems. Update: I still use the same screend bottom board and drawer 1-1/2 years later, holding up just fine, although i did finish painting the parts that weren't painted. I did change from lime dust to putting mineral oil instead, just enough to cover the bottom is all you need, and my shb problem is relatively solved, as tons of them have fallen in, and I don't see the large infestations in the hive I did before. I am now trying cheap flypaper in the lower drawer, just because mineral oil gets a little messy to change out, but I'll go back to it no problem if I have to, because it works. Flypaper seems easier to just toss in the trash, so I'll see how that works next spring. 2nd update: back to mineral oil, it's far more effective.

This bottom board is truly a must-have for beekeepers who have issues controlling the SHB population. This is our first year using this hive accessory. We painted the inner tray with a product called Never Wet (refer to the internet for great how-to videos) that prevents beetles and other pests from climbing out of the tray. We also installed beetle jails in conjunction with the bottom board.Just in the first 24 hours, we had nearly 3 dozen dead or dying hive beetles in the tray. Then we started seeing all the dying larvae as well. This continued for the first few weeks, and then naturally tapered off as the SHB population dwindled. As of today, it's been weeks since we've seen a SHB corpse. It's utterly amazing!!We've not experienced any issues with shoddy workmanship. The tray is a bit flimsy, but it's a non-issue. It's supposed to be a thin material. The wood tends to swell some, making it hard to pull the tray out by just the screw. But just tie a string around the screw and voila, problem solved.It has really afforded us the time and resources to focus on other needs of the hives. And who wouldn't appreciate that?! Highly recommend this to beekeepers of all experience levels.

I bought these expecting professional quality - these are made by a hobbyist. I would have made them myself if I knew what I was buying. Some of the frame pieces are cockeyed where the wood meets the screen. There are splits in the wood where the screws were installed. The paint job is sub par. This is basically the quality I would have expected if I had built them myself. They’ll hold up, but the bees are going to have some propolis work to do to make these acceptable.I would take this critique and the ones from other buyers to improve the product if I were the seller. I would use a smaller gauge wire, finishing nails with some wood glue, and be more attentive to the paint job to resolve these complaints.They are a good design - they just need better craftsmanship for the price.

As a longtime beekeeper, this type of screened bottom board is what works best for me and my 15 hives of honeybees. It allows me to check for mites, ants and other invaders without disturbing the bees, since there is a slide-out tray that collects all the debris. And when propolis, pollen, wax and other debris fall through the screen instead of lying at the bottom of the beehive entrance, I feel it helps for a healthier hive. Adding a sticky board allows for mite counts, I just slip it into the drawer--again, without the hassle of opening the hive during busy bee time.

I completely eliminated SHB in two hives using this product. Construction is not fantastic...but it absolutely functions perfectly, and it's not that expensive.Here is how I did it...1. In spring I switched to migratory top, no inner cover. (I switch back to telescoping in winter.)2. Installed beetle baffle around lower perimeter of brood box.3. Installed screened bottom board with oil tray.Immediately nearly all remaining beetles are chased out of hive into oil. Any remaining beetles find their way into the oil over the next few weeks.

I will say this first . . . it works. I probably had 100+ dead beetles in both of my hives within 24 hrs of installing them. Once installed, I took the time to fully work each hive, top-down, pulling and inspecting all the frames in an effort to drive the beetles down. It seems to have paid off so far, remains to be seen how efficient the bees are at driving the rest of the infested beetles down to the screen. Hopefully it's as effective at stopping newly arrived beetles in the future.I knocked off a star for the same issue many other commentators have noted, the build quality is pretty shoddy. It seems solid enough, but the joints in the top rails have big gaps I needed to caulk. The big wood screws holding it together split the wood and need to be sunk in further. The paint was just globbed on haphazardly, missing in some areas, and required sanding, scraping and repainting just to give the hive body a tight seal. The door/seal on the tray barely fits in the opening, and the little screw provided for a pull isn't enough to get it out. I have to pry it open with the hive tool.Another reviewer noted, if you can, you'd be fine downloading the free plans for the board and building one yourself with better materials and joinery. Having said that, the thing does appear to work well. I removed my Beetle Shims to give the bees a better chance to drive the beetles into the oil quickly. But once it cools down a bit, I'll probably reinstall them and see if we can wipe these buggers out for good.