Blocking UFE for transport

[MrMouse]

Hi all,
Happy New Year!

I have 3 colonies on DIY Under Floor Entrances (black mountain honey style).

Do you all just jam foam into the ~8mm gap with a hive tool?

Is there a non-bee-shop place that people buy foam from for this purpose?

Thanks

 

[Anduril]

Better to place it in the horizontal front entrance instead of fiddling with the 8mm vertical opening. Upholstery foam or rolled up bubble wrap.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

it depends what type of entrance you made, mine have a 3 inch 'lobby' leading to the 8mm entrance slot:


so I just have 4 inch square in section strips 2 foot long to stuff into the lobby - job done. Ask your local furniture restorer or similar to get some made up - mine just came from old furniture cushions

 

[MrMouse]

Thanks folks.

I made them rather quickly/cheaply to give them a go and therefore therefore the back of the landing board bit (if you see what I mean) isn’t entirely bee proof. Therefore blocking the front won’t necessarily work

 

[Anduril]

So basically they fly under the mesh and their only entrance is vertical!

 

[MrMouse]

They’re identical to the ones in the photos above, just with far less finesse and made out of pallet wood (I’ll make some smarter ones later in the winter).

I’ll have a fiddle with some foam and duct tape to hold it in place for the 20 minute journey to the new sight.

Fortunately in the back of a pick up so if all goes wrong I’ll be ok in the cab.

 

[Paulypaul]

They’re identical to the ones in the photos above, just with far less finesse and made out of pallet wood (I’ll make some smarter ones later in the winter).

I’ll have a fiddle with some foam and duct tape to hold it in place for the 20 minute journey to the new sight.

Fortunately in the back of a pick up so if all goes wrong I’ll be ok in the cab.

Your description sounds just like mine, LOL.
If all else fails, you can pallet wrap the floor. Pallet wrap has got me out of a few awkward situations. It cover 1000 sins.
You could bodge-wrap it around/under the floor. Perhaps stuff some foam or whatever you have in 1st.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

now that it's daylight, I've slipped up to where I store my spare floors awaiting repair/repainting and done some testing.
if you cut a big/thick enough piece of foam and push it right in to the back of the lobby, that should make sure that the bees can't get further than the foam which will block the slot even though it won't fill it.

 

[ericbeaumont]

bees can't get further than the foam which will block the slot

I'd imagine it would be preferable to block at the 8mm slot rather than just the front entrance, otherwise bees will cram the lobby in an effort to escape, and overheat. Is that a problem in practice?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I'd imagine it would be preferable to block at the 8mm slot rather than just the front entrance, otherwise bees will cram the lobby in an effort to escape, and overheat. Is that a problem in practice?

I always push the foam right in to the back of the lobby, never had any issues, to be honest, trying to stuff a narrow slip of foam into the slot is an idiocy - once you start on one end, the whole colony will just spill out of the other to defend it

 

[simonwig]

I just screw a suitably sized scrap of wood over the entrance, "instant" closure, no chance of dislodging, perfect seal.
Simon

 

[JamezF]

I just screw a suitably sized scrap of wood over the entrance, "instant" closure, no chance of dislodging, perfect seal.

I've done that when I've not had a suitable piece of foam to hand. Works fine.

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

unless, as the OP stated - the rear panels is not very beeproof

 

[JamezF]

unless, as the OP stated - the rear panels is not very beeproof

Ah, yes. In that case I'd make it bee-proof as soon as the opportunity arose

James