The Hive Mat
Session 3
Hive Components
The Hive Mat
The hive mat plays a vital role in a beehive.
It is placed on top of the frames in the top box and covers all frames, leaving a gap of 10-15mm all around between the mat and the hive box ends and side walls.
It is a "building stopper" so that bees don't extend the comb from the frames to the lid.
It assists the bees in regulating the brood nest temperature and humidity.
It prevents condensation, building up under the lid, dripping down onto the brood and chilling it.
Materials used: plywood, floor vinyl, carpet, hessian and other similar materials.
Positioning the Hive Mat
Centered positioning of frames and hive mat is important to achieve good air ventilation.
Our material preference for the hive mat is vinyl.
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