Drilling holes in supers

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beesrus

New Bee
Joined
Nov 17, 2009
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Location
Stockport
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
2 Main, 3 Nucs
Hi,
My book (David Cramp) says that you can increase honey stores by drilling a 10mm hole in each of your supers to allow easy coming and going by the bees? Is this something anyone does and are there potential drawbacks to this?

Thanks

Marc
 
No and robbing.

It is not a common practice in the UK though it is used in the States. However lets consider my ever present drum here namely climate.

PH
 
David Cramp is a commercial beekeeper (4000 hives) and lives in New Zealand. Maybe his suggestion should be viewed in that perspective. I've certainly never come across anyone in the UK who does it. I guess it would work, but as the post above says, it would make the colony more vulnerable to robbing, with more than one entrance to guard.
 
I have a few supers that have holes in either due to woodpecks or knots falling out or just crap joints, the bee's use them like crazy during a flow, but in a couple of weeks all the holes will be taped up before the wasps start and before the robbing season starts.

Please note these are 'naturally occuring holes' not ones i purposfully put in.

I wouldn't recommend drilling any holes in supers for the reasons already stated above.

And yes duck tape is my friend i carry it everywhere and in a few weeks my hive will look a complete mess with bits stuck all over them, but better that than loosing bees and honey to wasps and robbing.


C B
 
Excellent, thanks all - that clears that up.

BTW - not overly impressed with the book either.
 
This is something we are actualy considering doing.
The plan being to make the hole the same size as a cork
so we can open or close it as the situation arises.
 

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