How do you take out hive entrance blocks?

[Beefriendly]

It's been mentioned on this forum several times. Particularly in reference to ventilated bee suits for hot weather.

 

[Swarm]

First time I have heard of this oz armour stuff. Looked it up, quite interesting, when my bee suit eventually wears out in 25 years time I might consider one! That's if I am still keeping bees when I am 88!!

I'm going to get one of these for christmas with a bit of luck. I can't fault my BB wear suits but I am totally drenched after inspections so I need to find a cooler option.

 

[einsteinagogo]

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.

I feel your pain, my bees are little devils, and glue the entrance blocks in place with propolis, and no matter how hard I pulled and pushed could not free it without removing the bb from the based, and onto new base without entrance block, that was in the past!

My entrance blocks are now linseed oiled, waxed, and soaked in petroleum jelly but after all that I don't remove them now! (right or wrong I leave them in all year and it works for me!).

I've also got those type of mouse excluders and I don't bother with the stupid wooden bits, I use drawing pins to to secure the mouse excluder onto the bb, if you use enough drawing pins, they are stuck all winter with no problems.

I secure them early morning, or late evening, if you are quick you can get 2-3 pins in before they notice.

I also use a the late "Doug Snowy" drawing pin inserter... which is a magnet on a trowel handle, Doug showed me years ago, when he was alive!

Fantastic gadget which allows easy drawing pin insertion, when you've got gloves on!

 

[Hivemaker.]

I need to find a cooler option.

T shirt and jeans.

 

[Beefriendly]

T shirt and jeans.

Nah.... Ozarmour wearing only speedos underneath.
Now that is cool!
Speedos only would be even cooler.

Both are made in Australia.....

 

[peterbees]

I also use a Snowley mouseguard magnet for inserting drawing pins. It's a great idea, especially on a freezing cold morning, the best time to fit mouseguards. Wynne Jones introduced me to them.

 

[Swarm]

T shirt and jeans.