Do under floor entrances need any additional robbing protection?

[itsbruce]

Late the the party compared to many on here, I know, but last year I experimented with an under floor entrance (bought from Thorne) under one National hive; was happy enough with the result to start converting the rest. It's not hard to convert an existing National stand and floor (and saves the £65 or more the retails charge for them).

Whether or not the new floor was a factor, last year that hive started aggressively robbing from its nearby neighbour and I had to put a robbing screen on the victim. So, question for the experienced under floor users: is an under floor entrance a good enough anti-robbing device that you don't need extra defenses (beyond sticking in a simple entrance narrower at the most dangerous times) or would it be wise to have a robbing screen in place on the newly converted hive?

 

[Amari]

Late the the party compared to many on here, I know, but last year I experimented with an under floor entrance (bought from Thorne) under one National hive; was happy enough with the result to start converting the rest. It's not hard to convert an existing National stand and floor (and saves the £65 or more the retails charge for them).

Whether or not the new floor was a factor, last year that hive started aggressively robbing from its nearby neighbour and I had to put a robbing screen on the victim. So, question for the experienced under floor users: is an under floor entrance a good enough anti-robbing device that you don't need extra defenses (beyond sticking in a simple entrance narrower at the most dangerous times) or would it be wise to have a robbing screen in place on the newly converted hive?

Sadly an UFE is probably not wasp proof. I made my own to JBM's design 4-5 years ago with one difference: I reduced the length of the 8mm entrance slit to about half the hive width.
I had my worst-ever wasp year in 2020 and latterly wasps were entering some colonies. In retrospect it may have been due to those colonies being weaker than I'd thought (I don't go opening my hives much in autumn). I'm confident that the UFE is mouse proof.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

conversely - I have never had an issue with wasps robbing with an UFE (and all my hives have them) even though there's always wasps and wasp nests in the vicinity of all apiaries, but in the case where the hive is inundated by wasps then no modified entrance or gadget is going to save then

 

[Erichalfbee]

All mine are on UFE including the nucs and I have the entrance slot half way back.
I do reduce the porch in nucs as a precaution
Never have a wasp problem though they do try.

 

[itsbruce]

Been fortunate enough never to have a wasp problem (as opposed to the usual minor wasp predation outside the hives). It's the honey bee neighbours I'm worried about ;-)

 

[Hachi]

When I used UFE it is a straight forward adaptation to slide in a entrance reducer. I made them from off cuts of sofits that dbl glazing firms use.

 

[sean-a]

Would some ducting offer the same effect?
Slip a 25cm length under the hive so the bees have to walk down it

 

[madasafish]

I have a mix. Strong hives survive wasps - usually with or without a UFE.

But nucs? UFE for anything weak. (I chop and change floors.)

Sadly last year we had so many wasps ,anything remotely weak was a gonner.

(And this year I keep finding Queen Wasps in our house.. )

 

[Amari]

I have a mix. Strong hives survive wasps - usually with or without a UFE.
But nucs? UFE for anything weak. (I chop and change floors.)
Sadly last year we had so many wasps ,anything remotely weak was a gonner.
(And this year I keep finding Queen Wasps in our house.. )

 

[Sayle]

Whether or not the new floor was a factor, last year that hive started aggressively robbing from its nearby neighbour and I had to put a robbing screen on the victim. So, question for the experienced under floor users: is an under floor entrance a good enough anti-robbing device that you don't need extra defenses (beyond sticking in a simple entrance narrower at the most dangerous times) or would it be wise to have a robbing screen in place on the newly converted hive?

Bees can build thriving hives with an entrance the length of your finger, let alone the width of the entire box. My (purely theoretical) advice is give them an entrance the size that Seeley demonstrated the swarms preferred and is easier to defend: 15cm squared or less. For an 8mm high underfloor entrance, that comes out to about 18cm wide. They'll need half as many guards to keep out intruders as they would with a whole-width entrance, and any would-be-robbers will be more likely to have to try and merge into existing traffic and get into fights.