Can not find quality metal hardware cloth anywhere in the Philippines that is of suitable quality. No. 8 ( 8 squares in a linear inch ) ha...
Can not find quality metal hardware cloth anywhere in the Philippines that is of suitable quality.
No. 8 ( 8 squares in a linear inch ) hardware cloth (metal mesh) being the standard for screened top and bottoms necessary in the tropical climate.
All the metal hardware cloth I can find is Chinese made with rectangles as a way of using less wire then the stated size. It will be 8 in one direction but more like 6 or 4 in the other and inconsistent. Some of holes are way too big. The edges are also sharp and the joins clumsy so I figure it will damage bees. The little welds seem jagged and sharp.
My solution has been to use No. 6 nylon anti bird netting / shade cloth. While there are 6 squares per inch which would make it queen excluder dimensions if it was wire, I am not having a problem. Each individual thread is a multiple threads braided together. The actual internal size of the cloth is probably close to an equivalent No.7 in wire. Only noticed one bee squeeze through in a couple of weeks of using it. Bees are walking on it and not getting caught. Seems to be the perfect solution.
No. 8 ( 8 squares in a linear inch ) hardware cloth (metal mesh) being the standard for screened top and bottoms necessary in the tropical climate.
All the metal hardware cloth I can find is Chinese made with rectangles as a way of using less wire then the stated size. It will be 8 in one direction but more like 6 or 4 in the other and inconsistent. Some of holes are way too big. The edges are also sharp and the joins clumsy so I figure it will damage bees. The little welds seem jagged and sharp.
My solution has been to use No. 6 nylon anti bird netting / shade cloth. While there are 6 squares per inch which would make it queen excluder dimensions if it was wire, I am not having a problem. Each individual thread is a multiple threads braided together. The actual internal size of the cloth is probably close to an equivalent No.7 in wire. Only noticed one bee squeeze through in a couple of weeks of using it. Bees are walking on it and not getting caught. Seems to be the perfect solution.
6 squares to an inch
What hardware cloth to use
- #8 - no bee can pass. pollen gets stuck.
- #7 - as long as there are no bent wires, no bee can pass. Pollen falls through. Good for the bottom of a pollen trap to let the pollen fall into the tray.
- #6 - worker bees can squeeze through (and will) but they have to wiggle and squirm a lot. Drones and queens cannot.
- #5 - worker bees can squeeze through easily but lose some of their pollen. Queens and drones cannot. Good for a pollen trap to force the workers through.
- #4 - all bees can pass (workers, drones and queens). The workers sometimes lose some of their pollen when they catch their basket on the wire. (mice cannot and this makes a nice mouse guard)
