Hive entrance block in or out

[King Scavenger]

Hi all. Should I remove all hive entrance blocks in this hot weather?

 

[Stevie Day]

I leave mine the same all year round, which is about 5ins across.

This is based on an item I read in a discussion on here. That the bees in the wild don't change the diameter of their entrance. Also its easier for them to defend against wasps, hornets & robber bees, especially as we go into late summer.

What I've done is to add a 2nd entrance between the supers. I've put mine between the 2nd & 3rd super with an entrance width of 3 inches.

Regards,
Steve.

 

[masterBK]

If you are using open mesh floors then leave it in. On solid floors they may need the extra ventilation during the heat of the summer so leave it out. When honey flow stops put it back in to alow bees to defend against robbing by wasps and other bees

I often use an addtiional upper entrance for foragers to go into/out of supers. However one of my new queens returning from mating flight may possibly have entered via the upper entrance and laid up the middle of three supers before I discovered it

 

[King Scavenger]

If you are using open mesh floors then leave it in. On solid floors they may need the extra ventilation during the heat of the summer so leave it out. When honey flow stops put it back in to alow bees to defend against robbing by wasps and other bees

I often use an addtiional upper entrance for foragers to go into/out of supers. However one of my new queens returning from mating flight may possibly have entered via the upper entrance and laid up the middle of three supers before I discovered it

I have open mesh floors so, many thanks to you both, I will leave them in.

 

[Stevie Day]

Hi all. Should I remove all hive entrance blocks in this hot weather?

Drama Queens lol

Damn things are turning me into one lol.

Oh the worry, panic, cold sweats, clammy palms & stamping of feet

 

[BeeJayBee]

That the bees in the wild don't change the diameter of their entrance.

They might!

They might chew the entrance to make it larger in the summer and then seal it almost closed with propolis in the winter.

 

[Hawklord]

They might!

They might chew the entrance to make it larger in the summer and then seal it almost closed with propolis in the winter.

They might also do that to an entrance block, so it might be best left in.

 

[jonnybeegood]

I don't use them at all. I like to give my bees easy access in & out. I used one last year when there were one or two wasps about in late Aug/sep. I don't see why they need to be in unless theres a problem.

 

[BeeJayBee]

They might chew the entrance to make it larger in the summer and then seal it almost closed with propolis in the winter.

They might also do that to an entrance block, so it might be best left in.

Yes, otherwise they might decide they have to do all this work when they could be doing something more useful

 

[Hawklord]

Yes, otherwise they might decide they have to do all this work when they could be doing something more useful

The same could be applied to the amount of guards needed when the entrance block is out.

 

[wessexmario]

Yes, otherwise they might decide they have to do all this work when they could be doing something more useful

I put a new OMF floor on one hive today, it was the swarm hive I caught last month which had been thrown together using old kit.
The previous floor was an traditional one, and they'd started to build a curtain of propolis across it, even though it was restricted to a third of the width anyway.

All my floors have periscope entrances that are 150mm wide by 9mm deep, it doesn't restrict them even in the heaviest flows, they soon get organised into 'up one side, down the other'.
It stays the same all year round, with the vertical entrance they can defend it at the top and bottom, and it makes it more difficult for wasps to dash in and out like they do on the standard horizontal entrance.
Also don't need to change it in winter as 9mm is too small for mice,
I like having an entrance that doesn't need changing, otherwise, by the time you discover something like a flow or robbing merits a change to the entrance, it's already a bit late.

 

[jonnybeegood]

Do you have landing boards? I built some onto my poly hives, it really helps the bees, especially when its windy, & i always notice guard bees out on the board meeting & greeting every bee that lands to check them out.