How to Use Double Screen Board in Beekeeping

Image by Leung Kwok Tung Ktleung via Pexels

The Double Screen Board An Indespensible Tool

A double screen board (or Snelgrove board) is a versatile beekeeping tool used for advanced techniques like, swarm control, splitting hives, introducing new queens, and more. Here’s a step-by-step explanation of its primary uses and setup.

Basic Concept

Purpose: The board separates two bee colonies (or sub-colonies) stacked vertically in the same hive, allowing heat and scents to pass but preventing direct contact between bees^[1]^[2].
Entrances: Double screen boards have entrances on their sides, which can be opened or closed to control bee movement.

General Method for Swarm Control or Splitting

Prepare Two Boxes:
1. Have a lower box (often the main colony with the queen).
1. Prepare an upper box with brood frames, nurse bees, and food, but no queen^[1]^[2]^[3].
Insert the Double Screen Board:
1. Place the double screen board directly above the bottom box, ensuring screens are aligned parallel with the hive bodies.
1. The upper box is set on top of the double screen board.
Set Entrances:
1. Open an entrance on the upper box (typically facing a different direction from the lower entrance).
1. Bees in the top box will use this entrance.
Normal Bee Behavior:
1. Foraging bees in the upper box will exit and return to the lower entrance (their original orientation), leaving young nurse bees in the upper box.
1. The upper colony can now raise its own queen from eggs or queen cells^[1]^[3]^[4].

Queen Introduction

Place a caged queen or a frame with young brood and nurse bees in the upper box (no queen present).
Allow the young bees to get used to the new queen for several days, then release her. You may gradually open entrances to encourage bee mixing before finally uniting the two sides^[2].

Combining Hives Safely

Temporarily separate a queenright (with queen) and queenless colony using the board.
Allow several days for scents to mix through the screen, then open entrances to allow bees to mingle before removing the board completely.

Snelgrove Method (Swarm Control)

Start With a Filling Hive:
1. Move brood and the queen to the upper box (or leave queen below).
Set Entrances Sequentially:
1. Open specific entrances at the right times (usually side or rear), then close and alternate others every 4–5 days. This manipulates bee movement and prevents swarm build-up by continually re-orienting flying bees back to the original entrance and balancing colony strength^[3]^[4].

Tips for Success

Monitor both colonies for adequate food and queen cells/health.
Keep the upper box strong and warm by leveraging rising heat from the lower colony^[5].
When splits are established, you can move the new colony or remove the board to recombine bees.

Common Uses Table

Purpose	Board Placement & Entrances	Notes
Swarm control/splitting	Screen board between two boxes	Open upper entrance, set brood above
Queen introduction	Screen between queenless/queenright	Add caged queen to upper box
Combining hives	Screen between two boxes	Wait before gradually opening entrances

Double screen boards are flexible, but their core use is to separate colonies while sharing warmth and scent—allowing controlled splits, merges, and requeening with reduced risk and stress for the bees ^[1]^[2]^[3].

⁂

Ad – Amazon Associate Store