bees not reading the manual again!

[milkermel]

Made my first visit of the year to the hive I look after for someone else. Had regular updates that they were seeing bees flying and I knew that they defiantely had enough feed in the hive to not need to go whilst the weather was still damp and cold.

This hive is the one I moved last october and as a show of our appreciation for the girls I persuaded the owners to buy a new OMF floor for the wbc hive. It looked sooo much better than the cranky old thing that was there before, lovely clean landing board etc etc.

HOWEVER upon my visit today, the girls have obviously decided they dont like the front door and instead have found a crack by the pull out mesh floor and are using this instead to go in and out of the hive!

SO as this isnt a hive that I can keep and eye on all day I left them to it and decided to come back and pick your brains! I was going to close the gap that they are using, but concerned that this may cause problems, will they figure out how to go around and use other enterance? didnt want to seal it up and then have all the bees on the outside and cold tonight. Owner is away at the mo so they cant keep an eye on it for me.

Other option Ican think of is to turn the floor around to face other way, not really something i want to do as i would prefer them facing into the hedge not straight across the garden.

SUGESTIONS PLEASE

 

[Poly Hive]

Wait for a good flying warm day and put a bit of sponge rubber in the hole they are using and they will soon sus it all out.

PH

 

[milkermel]

all it will need is a match stick to push the omf floor up against the wood. Nearly did it, but was worried that my common sense wouldnt be the same as theirs!

Might pop over there first thing friday before they start out for the day.

Didnt think to ask the owners if the bees were going in and out properly! just presummed!! silly me!

Thanks PH

 

[Mike a]

I would opt to block up the hole first thing in the morning or late in the day when they aren't flying.

 

[thedeaddiplomat]

I had a similar problem last year.

I just followed the advice in the NIKE advertisement. It worked fine.

 

[barratt_sab]

We had exactly the same problem last year, but the gap was caused by my having put one side of the pull out mesh floor in the wrong slot in the stand.

I suspect I am the only person dim enough to have done this but just in case I'm not, it might be worth checking that you've got both sides of the mesh in the upper slots.

We re-seated the floor in the correct slot and there was confusion for a day or two, with bees clustering aroung the back of the hive, but they all made their way round to the front eventually.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Me guilty too, failing to push a pin in the right place. Wasps found it a very handy direct entry, luckily I saw one of them breaking in before things got out of hand.

 

[milkermel]

I had a similar problem last year.

I just followed the advice in the NIKE advertisement. It worked fine.

ok dd remember some of us dont have telly! so what was the ad?

Hoping to pop back down on fri am to lift floor up with a bit of cane

 

[taff..]

ok dd remember some of us dont have telly! so what was the ad?

Hoping to pop back down on fri am to lift floor up with a bit of cane

 

[Skyhook]

Shouldn't be happening. If you have a spare floor (the old one?) I would swap it out and try to see what's going on. I suspect something more technical than a poke with a cane might be in order.

 

[Hombre]

Hey Taff, the movie doesn't work . . .

 

[LauraB]

I had this the other day - I'd put the mesh floor back in upside down so there was a big enough gap for them to get through, put it back in the right way and after a few confused visits they seemed to get the idea to use the front door!