Product Overview
5 Frame Double Wax Dipped Screened Bottom Board with Entrance Reducer & Drawer - Assembled
Give your nuc hive a durable, ventilated foundation with the 5 Frame Double Wax Dipped Screened Bottom Board with Entrance Reducer & Drawer from Lappe’s Bee Supply. This fully assembled screened bottom board is designed for compatible 5-frame bee hives and nuc-style hive setups, giving your colony a stable base with added airflow, entrance control, and convenient debris monitoring.
The screened bottom board sits beneath the hive body and helps support the hive stack while allowing airflow through the lower portion of the hive. This added ventilation can be useful during warmer weather and active colony periods, especially when managing nucs, splits, swarms, and compact 5-frame colonies.
This bottom board includes a pull-out drawer with debris board, making it easier to monitor hive debris, small hive beetles, Varroa mites, and other material that falls through the screen. The drawer can be used dry for routine debris checks or coated with petroleum jelly as part of your pest monitoring routine. During warm weather, the drawer can also be removed to increase lower hive ventilation.
A Double Wax Dipped entrance reducer is also included, giving you a simple way to reduce the hive opening for nucs, smaller colonies, swarm setups, robbing pressure, and cooler weather preparation.
Each wooden component is professionally Double Wax Dipped for long-lasting protection against moisture, weather exposure, swelling, warping, and decay. Unlike unfinished woodenware, this screened bottom board requires no painting or staining before use.
Whether you are building a new 5-frame nuc, replacing worn equipment, making splits, catching swarms, or upgrading to Double Wax Dipped woodenware, this assembled screened bottom board is built for practical use in the bee yard.
Why Beekeepers Choose This 5 Frame Screened Bottom Board
This screened bottom board gives compact colonies a dependable hive base while adding ventilation, entrance control, and debris monitoring.
Benefits Include
- Fully assembled and ready to use
- Professionally Double Wax Dipped woodenware
- Includes Double Wax Dipped entrance reducer
- Includes pull-out drawer with debris board
- Designed for compatible 5-frame bee hives and nuc setups
- Screened bottom board design supports airflow
- Helps support ventilation during warm weather
- Useful for debris checks and pest monitoring
- Drawer can be removed for added lower hive ventilation
- Entrance reducer helps with seasonal entrance control
- No painting or staining required
- Durable, low-maintenance hive equipment
- Pairs with other 5-frame Double Wax Dipped hive components
Premium Double Wax Dipped Protection
Every wooden component in this bottom board set is protected using Lappe’s premium Double Wax Dipping Process. During this process, the woodenware is submerged in hot wax so the wax can penetrate deep into the wood fibers.
This helps defend the bottom board and entrance reducer against:
- Moisture
- Weather exposure
- Rot and decay
- Swelling
- Warping
- Long-term outdoor wear
Unlike paint, which mainly protects the outside surface, wax becomes part of the wood itself. This creates durable, low-maintenance woodenware that is ready for outdoor use without painting.
Over time, the exterior wax color may naturally lighten from sun and weather exposure. This is cosmetic only. The wax absorbed into the wood continues helping protect the equipment for years of use.
Built by Beekeepers in East Peru, Iowa
Our double wax dipped bee hive equipment is built in East Peru, Iowa, by beekeepers who have been working with honey bees since 1978. Every piece is made with real-world beekeeping experience behind it, so it's designed for durability, protection, and practical use in the bee yard.
At Lappe’s Bee Supply, our wax dipped woodenware is more than just hive equipment. It is built by people who understand what beekeepers need season after season: equipment that holds up outdoors, fits properly, protects the colony, and is easy to use during regular hive inspections.
Whether you are building nucs, making splits, replacing a bottom board, or upgrading to Double Wax Dipped woodenware, this 5-frame screened bottom board with entrance reducer and drawer is made with practical beekeeping use in mind.
Why Buy From Lappe’s Bee Supply?
When you buy from Lappe’s Bee Supply, you are buying hive equipment from beekeepers who understand how it will be used in the bee yard. Our double wax dipped woodenware is built in East Peru, Iowa, with practical beekeeping experience behind every piece.
We have been working with honey bees since 1978, and that experience shapes how our equipment is built, protected, and assembled. From the fit of the woodenware to the durability of the wax dipped finish, our goal is to provide equipment that helps beekeepers spend less time preparing boxes and more time managing healthy colonies.
Why Beekeepers Choose Lappe’s
- Built by experienced beekeepers
- Double wax dipped for long-lasting outdoor protection
- No painting or staining required
- Designed for practical use in real apiaries
- Made for standard Langstroth-style compatibility
- Built to help protect your bees and your investment
- Shipped ready to use whenever possible
Whether you are setting up nuc equipment, replacing an older bottom board, or matching your hive with durable wax dipped components, Lappe’s Bee Supply gives you dependable bee hive equipment backed by decades of hands-on beekeeping experience.
Screened Bottom Board for Added Airflow
A screened bottom board forms the base of your 5-frame hive while allowing air to move through the lower portion of the hive. This added airflow can help support ventilation during warm weather, active colony periods, and seasonal hive management.
Many beekeepers prefer screened bottom boards for nucs and smaller hive setups because they provide a more open lower hive design while still giving the colony a stable base. When used with proper hive placement and regular management, the screened design can help support airflow and moisture control.
The 5-frame size makes this bottom board a practical choice for nucs, splits, swarm setups, resource colonies, and other compact colony systems.
Pull-Out Drawer for Debris and Pest Monitoring
This screened bottom board includes a pull-out drawer with an integrated debris board. The drawer allows beekeepers to check what falls through the screen without opening the hive or disturbing the colony.
The drawer can be used for:
- Routine debris collection
- Monitoring wax cappings and hive debris
- Checking for small hive beetles
- Monitoring Varroa mite drop
- General colony observation
- Easier cleaning and maintenance
For pest monitoring, the debris board can be left dry or coated with petroleum jelly depending on your management plan. Always follow your normal mite monitoring and pest management practices when evaluating colony health.
Removable Drawer for Warm-Weather Ventilation
During warmer weather, the drawer can be removed to allow more airflow through the screened bottom board. This can help support lower hive ventilation when colonies are active and temperatures rise.
When the weather cools or when you want to monitor debris, the drawer can be reinserted. This gives you more flexibility than a basic screened bottom board without a drawer.
Use the drawer position based on your climate, colony strength, hive location, and seasonal management style.
Entrance Reducer for Seasonal Hive Management
The included entrance reducer gives you a simple way to reduce the hive entrance when needed. Smaller colonies have fewer guard bees, so reducing the entrance can make it easier for them to defend the hive.
A smaller entrance can help when:
- Starting a nuc
- Making a split
- Managing a smaller colony
- Catching or holding a small swarm
- Reducing robbing pressure
- Helping bees defend the entrance
- Preparing hives for cooler weather
- Managing backup or resource colonies
As colony strength and seasonal conditions change, the entrance reducer can be removed or adjusted based on your beekeeping plan.
Designed for 5 Frame Nucs, Splits & Swarms
This 5-frame screened bottom board is a practical component for compact hive setups. It works well for beekeepers managing smaller colonies or temporary colony systems before bees are moved into larger equipment.
Use this bottom board for:
- Nucleus colonies
- Hive splits
- Small swarm setups
- Backup colonies
- Queen management setups
- Resource colonies
- Overwintering smaller colonies when properly managed
- Replacing worn 5-frame bottom-board equipment
The 5-frame size keeps equipment compact and manageable while still supporting standard nuc-style colony management.
Easy to Use with Compatible 5 Frame Equipment
This assembled bottom board is designed to work with compatible 5-frame Langstroth-style equipment. Place the screened bottom board on a level hive stand, then place your 5-frame hive body directly on top.
It pairs well with:
- 5-frame deep hive bodies
- 5-frame nuc boxes
- 5-frame swarm catching hives
- 5-frame telescoping lids and inner covers
- 5-frame hive top feeders
- Other compatible 5-frame Double Wax Dipped components
What’s Included
Your purchase includes:
- (1) Double Wax Dipped 5 Frame Screened Bottom Board
- (1) Pull-Out Drawer / Debris Board
- (1) Double Wax Dipped Entrance Reducer
Everything arrives assembled and ready to use with compatible 5-frame hive equipment.
Product Specifications
- Hive size: 5 Frame
- Product type: Screened bottom board with entrance reducer and drawer
- Assembly: Fully assembled
- Woodenware finish: Double Wax Dipped
- Bottom board style: Screened bottom board
- Drawer included: Yes, pull-out drawer / debris board
- Entrance reducer included: Yes
- Compatibility: Compatible 5-frame bee hives and nuc-style Langstroth equipment
- Use: Hive foundation, ventilation support, debris monitoring, pest monitoring, entrance control, replacement equipment
- Painting required: No
- Brand: Lappe’s Bee Supply
- SKU: WXDP-2955
Ideal For
This 5-frame screened bottom board is perfect for:
- Building a new 5-frame nuc hive
- Replacing a worn or damaged bottom board
- Upgrading to Double Wax Dipped hive equipment
- Adding lower hive ventilation
- Monitoring hive debris
- Monitoring small hive beetles and Varroa mite drop
- Matching other 5-frame Double Wax Dipped woodenware
- Making hive splits
- Catching small swarms
- Managing backup colonies
- Queen rearing and resource colony setups
- Seasonal entrance control
- Smaller or weaker colonies
- Hobby beekeepers
- Sideline beekeepers
- Beekeepers who prefer compact 5-frame equipment
How This Screened Bottom Board Fits Into Your Hive
Place the screened bottom board on your hive stand as the first piece of equipment in the hive stack. The 5-frame hive body sits directly on top of the bottom board, creating the lower entrance for the colony.
Use the included entrance reducer at the front entrance when the colony needs a smaller opening. This can help smaller colonies guard the entrance, reduce robbing pressure, manage traffic flow, and prepare for cooler weather.
Use the pull-out drawer when you want to monitor debris or check for pest activity. Remove the drawer during warmer weather when you want more airflow through the screened bottom board.
This bottom board is designed to work with compatible 5-frame hive bodies, inner covers, telescoping lids, feeders, frames, and other 5-frame Langstroth-style hive components.
Product Notes
This bottom board is assembled using commercial-grade woodenware. Some knots, cracks, surface variations, and natural wood characteristics may be visible and do not affect normal use.
Some areas of the wax dipped woodenware may appear lighter or less coated than others because wax can absorb into the wood differently from piece to piece. The equipment is still wax dipped and protected.
Over time, sun and weather exposure may lighten the outer wax appearance. This is cosmetic only and does not mean the wax protection is gone.
This product includes the screened bottom board, pull-out drawer, and entrance reducer only. Hive bodies, frames, foundation, inner covers, telescoping lids, feeders, bees, and additional hive equipment are sold separately unless included with another kit or combo.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this screened bottom board come assembled?
Yes. This 5-frame screened bottom board arrives assembled and ready to use.
What is included with this product?
This product includes one 5-frame Double Wax Dipped screened bottom board, one pull-out drawer / debris board, and one Double Wax Dipped entrance reducer.
What size hive does this bottom board fit?
This bottom board is designed for compatible 5-frame bee hives and nuc-style Langstroth equipment.
Does this include an entrance reducer?
Yes. This product includes a Double Wax Dipped entrance reducer.
Does this include a drawer?
Yes. This screened bottom board includes a pull-out drawer with a debris board.
What is the drawer used for?
The drawer can be used for routine debris collection, pest monitoring, mite drop checks, and easier bottom-board maintenance without opening the hive.
Can the drawer be removed?
Yes. The drawer can be removed during warm weather to allow more airflow through the screened bottom board.
What is a screened bottom board used for?
A screened bottom board forms the base of the hive while allowing airflow through the lower portion of the hive. It supports the hive body, provides the lower entrance, and can help with ventilation and monitoring.
Can this help with Varroa mite monitoring?
Yes. The pull-out drawer can be used to monitor mite drop as part of your regular Varroa monitoring plan. It should be used along with your preferred mite testing and management methods.
Can this help with small hive beetle monitoring?
Yes. The drawer can help collect debris and can be used as part of your small hive beetle monitoring routine.
Why use an entrance reducer?
An entrance reducer allows you to reduce the size of the hive entrance. This can help smaller colonies defend the entrance, reduce robbing pressure, conserve warmth in cooler weather, and manage traffic flow during different seasons.
Is this bottom board Double Wax Dipped?
Yes. The wooden components are Double Wax Dipped for added durability and moisture resistance.
Does this bottom board need to be painted?
No. The Double Wax Dipped finish protects the woodenware and eliminates the need for painting before use.
Can this be used for nuc colonies?
Yes. This 5-frame screened bottom board is a practical choice for nuc colonies, splits, small swarms, backup colonies, and compatible 5-frame hive setups.
Is this a solid bottom board?
No. This product is a screened bottom board with a pull-out drawer. A solid bottom board is a different bottom board style.
Are hive bodies or frames included?
No. This product includes the screened bottom board, pull-out drawer, and entrance reducer only. Hive bodies, frames, foundation, inner covers, telescoping lids, feeders, and bees are sold separately unless included with another kit or combo.
Is this compatible with other 5-frame Double Wax Dipped equipment?
Yes. It is designed to pair with compatible 5-frame hive bodies, inner covers, telescoping lids, feeders, frames, and other 5-frame Langstroth-style hive components.
Will the wax color fade over time?
Yes, the outside color may naturally lighten from sun and weather exposure. This is cosmetic only; the wax absorbed into the wood continues helping protect the equipment.
