How do you take out hive entrance blocks?

[SafetyThird]

Ok, now I know that sounds like a stupid question but bear with me as I'm going to rely on the idea that the only stupid question is the one you don't ask.

I'm a new beekeeper in my first season. Just in the process of sorting out the hives for the winter. They've been fed and are about ready to be left alone. Went to put the mouseguards on and that meant taking out the entrance blocks and turning them round to keep the bees in as one of my two hives are really quite aggressive and I wanted to fit the sliding guards which meant glueing some wooden strip and block to the front of the hive around the entrance.

So, last night when they were all back in the hive, I figured I'd shut the bees inside and fix everything in the morning. I managed to get the blocks out and after a bit of a struggle got them back in and closed. In the morning I'd have an easier time getting the mounts all sorted without the hassle of being attacked by bees.

This morning I went up and sorted the sliding mounts out for the mouse guards then went to take the entrance blocks back out. They're quite tight so I needed to lift the hive to take the tension off them. This gave just enough room for a flood of angry bees to come pouring out of the side of the hive and have a go at me.

5 stings through my trousers and gloves later and I manage to get the blocks out and beat a hasty retreat, followed by a crowd of still angry bees. I'm sure there's a few squished bees along that side of the hive where I had to put it down but the longer I held it and tried to get them back in, the more they came out and attacked.

I'm now loaded up with antihistamines and have managed to get rid of the last few bees that chased me all the way back to the house.

So, questions:

Do you lift the whole hive off to get at the entrance block? If so, when the hive is full, do you just lift the whole thing and put it down and what do you do about all the bees flying around.

I could sand down the entrance block so it's not as tight but then wouldn't things be able to get in simply by pushing at it.

Do you leave the entrance block out once you put a mouse guard on or leave it in?

Thanks.

 

[Wingy]

If the entrance block has an opening either small or large and is a tight fit just put something like a piece of wire coat hanger in, bent slightly to use as a hook and just pull it out. If your putting a block in with no entrance (this would not be done often or for long periods of time) wrap a piece of thin wire like wax frame wire, round one end and leave a piece exposed so you can just pull it and out come the block.
I'm sure 100 others will have another 100 ways of doing it but why have such angry bees? If mine behaved like that they would not be long for this world.
Wingy

 

[Heather]

My normally gentle bees are being defensive at the moment. Don't want stores raided, do they?. Really think you assess behaviour when under Spring developing timing. IMO.

 

[SafetyThird]

why have such angry bees? If mine behaved like that they would not be long for this world.
Wingy

These are my first bees. I have two colonies, one are like a bunch of stoner hippies they're so laid back and peaceful. The other lot are like a glaswegian pub at kicking out time

Next spring, if they're still like this, I'll requeen them. It's been an interesting learning process. I'm so glad I listened to people saying 'get two colonies and you'll be able to compare them'. A single hive of angry bees could put you off beekeeping for life.

Thanks for the ideas on entrance blocks. I found it difficult to lever out the block even with the entrance open. I think they're slightly too big and the weight of a full hive pressing down on them makes it difficult to move.

 

[nightshade]

Another kindly poster on here recommended a wee ring screw into the entrance block..

 

[Wingy]

Another kindly poster on here recommended a wee ring screw into the entrance block..

Might be mistaken but was that not to stop the entrance block being pushed too far in? It would work but would mean that the entrance block could not be rotated through 90 degrees to change hole size.

Re angry bees. I'm in my first year started with a small cast swarm that was re queened and now in a strong 5 frame langstroth nuc. My mentor has many hives and I've spent this season with lots of hands on. I've been stung once and on that occasion I had no suit, gloves or veil. As said by my mentor I have been spoiled by how placid his bees are and that's all 60+ hives without exception. He won't make exceptions for angry bees and that's the way I have been taught. I understand this time of year they can be defensive but I've not noticed it with mine
Wingy

 

[Swarm]

There's a time to judge character and Autumn certainly isn't the time.

 

[SafetyThird]

I'd thought of putting a screw in to make it easy to remove the block but then couldn't rotate it for the different sized opening. I guess I could get two blocks but think I'll just plane the current ones down so they're a slightly less tight fit.

Any thoughts on whether you leave the block in once the mouse guards are on? Not sure there's much point as the arches limit the size of the entrance.

 

[enrico]

Get a new entrance block and shave a bit off two sides, you can afford to have them fairly loose and wedge them in with one of the famous matchsticks ( not the only use for them!!!)
If you don't wedge them in they can get blown out by the wind
E

 

[MuswellMetro]

if you have a stuck entrance block, use a hive tool to split the box off the floor then use a wedge ( rubber door wedge or wood) to hold the brood box a 1/4" up

But i never remove or change my entrance block from medium entrance, if i need to close or reduce it for wasps i pin a piece of corrrex plastic card to it to reduce to one bee space

i have only removed entranace blocks when i have used solid floors to increase bottom ventalition , hence why mouse guards were invented, but with an open OMF floor i find the ventilation is adequate with a medium block and no mouseguard

 

[Swarm]

Make them a nice UFE (underfloor entrance) and forget about mouse guards and entrance reducing altogether.

 

[peterbees]

I use two hive tools, one to crack the brood box/floor propolis seal, and one to prise out the entrance block. I like Taylor's Eye Witness scraper type hive tools.

 

[SafetyThird]

Make them a nice UFE (underfloor entrance) and forget about mouse guards and entrance reducing altogether.

I will do a bit of googling on that, thank you.

 

[SafetyThird]

Get a new entrance block and shave a bit off two sides, you can afford to have them fairly loose and wedge them in with one of the famous matchsticks ( not the only use for them!!!)
If you don't wedge them in they can get blown out by the wind
E

Thanks, that sounds useful

 

[SafetyThird]

if you have a stuck entrance block, use a hive tool to split the box off the floor then use a wedge ( rubber door wedge or wood) to hold the brood box a 1/4" up

But i never remove or change my entrance block from medium entrance, if i need to close or reduce it for wasps i pin a piece of corrrex plastic card to it to reduce to one bee space

i have only removed entranace blocks when i have used solid floors to increase bottom ventalition , hence why mouse guards were invented, but with an open OMF floor i find the ventilation is adequate with a medium block and no mouseguard

So with the medium entrance of the block you don't get mice in? I thought that's why we put mouseguards up, because they could get through a medium entrance

 

[Quevy]

Get a new entrance block and shave a bit off two sides, you can afford to have them fairly loose and wedge them in with one of the famous matchsticks ( not the only use for them!!!)
If you don't wedge them in they can get blown out by the wind
E

Hi

instead of a matchstick, I have a screw in the side of the hive. Its pushing the block and locks it in place

Plane the block reasonably loose, I presume that if bees dont like a looose block, they will propolise it stuck.
But they seem not to mind

The above allowed me to experiment with different hive entrances.

My bees seem to like a triple opening block, with 8mm high and 15mm width openings. I understand that is mouse proof

My 2 cent

 

[Finman]

.
Is it still there?

.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Give your entrance reducers a dual function by banging in pins at distances wide enough for a bee or two, but too narrow for mice. Halves the amount of times you have to disturb the bees.

 

[Millet]

This is a easy fix 8mm high 100mm wide and 100 mm into the hive when pushed in, it is my home made jobby that is left in on one hive all year long, it helps them defend against wasps and robbing and a mouse would need to be driven over by a car too fit through that slot,where my hives are positioned they is a large number of mice/voles and shrews but to date no mice etc have ever made entry.

 

[SafetyThird]

This is a easy fix 8mm high 100mm wide and 100 mm into the hive when pushed in, it is my home made jobby that is left in on one hive all year long, it helps them defend against wasps and robbing and a mouse would need to be driven over by a car too fit through that slot,where my hives are positioned they is a large number of mice/voles and shrews but to date no mice etc have ever made entry.

That's very handy