Hive entrance block

[MandF]

How do you manage your hive entrances on your hives?

 

[oliver90owner]

Flawed. As usual, a poorly conceived poll, not taking into account anything about the actual entrance arrangement on any particular hive type.

So no vote from me.

 

[MandF]

I have voted myself - I only ever have the entrance fully open for a few hours on a nice day, early in the year, to make it easier for house bees to clean the hive floor of dead bees following winter.

I used to have the entrance wide open during the summer, but decided that this allows/encourages robbing, plus makes it more difficult for the bees to regulate a constant temp.

 

[MandF]

Flawed. As usual, a poorly conceived poll, not taking into account anything about the actual entrance arrangement on any particular hive type.

So no vote from me.

No more flawed than the open feed hole poll. But anyway, thanks for your input.

 

[psafloyd]

Mine are all relatively strong and large colonies, so have their entrance fully open for now, but I will block it before long.

But poll being flawed is right as there are other factors to consider, such as strength of colony, potential for robbing, etc.

 

[MandF]

Yeah, I used to use the small entrances and gradually widen them as the colony got bigger, then left them wide open during the summer, and only reduced again towards the end of the season when wasps started being a problem.

But now the entrances are left small all year round unless I have a specific reason to open them - ie to allow the house bees to clean up easier.

 

[tonybloke]

pointless poll?
types of floor vs door arrangements not an option?

 

[MandF]

pointless poll?
types of floor vs door arrangements not an option?

Not really.

If you have solid floors and have totally open entrance, vote open entrance and say so in the thread?

I think it is interesting because there has been a lot said about the potential "chimney" effect of an open feed hole, too much ventilation, not what the bees want etc etc, and yet the entrance is another potential "gaping hole" in the equation. Ditto for warmth/insulation. And a fully open entrance is not "what the bees want", if one's beekeeping is dictated by that.

It would be interesting to see how most of us configure our hives... and also, most of us are on OMF aren't we, given the disdain towards matchsticks?

 

[victor meldrew]

I'm going to start a Poll police force .Any volunteers?
VM

 

[MandF]

I'm going to start a Poll police force .Any volunteers?
VM

Start a poll.

 

[victor meldrew]

 

[tonybloke]

just to put a spanner in the works,
solid floors, with reduced entrances all year.
insulated in spring - autumn
top ventilated in winter.

 

[REDWOOD]

None of the options given the bees will tell you

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

None of the options given the bees will tell you

 

[Luminos]

None of the options given the bees will tell you

Me too

 

[MandF]

So now Im curious, what would the bees tell you they want for their entrance?

 

[tonybloke]

So now Im curious, what would the bees tell you they want for their entrance?

have you actually seen many feral colonies?

 

[REDWOOD]

there are many situations that influence the size of the entrance of a colony, if you see bees fighting at an entrance, congestion just a few

 

[MandF]

have you actually seen many feral colonies?

No, but I dont see how that is necessarily relevant?

We know that swarms will go to the best overall option available to them.

The only entrance selection experiments I know of was the guy who was experimenting with bait hives, which is more representative for us anyway, and he concluded that a smaller entrance was preferred.

Is there another piece of research or experiment I missed?

 

[MandF]

there are many situations that influence the size of the entrance of a colony

Again, I dont understand. The only influence in the size of a entrance as I am aware are the initial choice a swarm makes? Once it is in its new home the colony do not materially change the size of the entrance one way or the other?