Is it time to remove Entrance Block

[john1]

Hi,
I have still the entrance block on the hive.
Should I remove the entrance block now and when should I put it back?
Thanks,

 

[Curly green finger's]

Hi,
I have still the entrance block on the hive.
Should I remove the entrance block now and when should I put it back?
Thanks,

I run all my colony’s with them in all year no real need to remove them

 

[Garry R]

Bees in the wild I guess don't have entrances nearly 18" wide and about 1/2" high. Mine are about 3-4" wide and 9mm high all year round. Never see them queueing up and with mesh floor plenty of air to get the honey dried down. Easily defended against wasps too although a wasp guard is used on my hives too.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

all the solid floors I use have the entrance permanently nailed in with the 2/3" entrance in use

 

[blackcloud]

Mine are all roughly one inch wide and kept in all year.Zero issues

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

When I was out in Lesotho (it was autumn, so a chilly 32°C all the hives I saw were Langstroths, solid floors with with the entrance blocks nailed in place with 1" entrances. each hive protected from the sun with a sheet of corrugated iron.

 

[Fellstoflats]

When I was out in Lesotho (it was autumn, so a chilly 32°C all the hives I saw were Langstroths, solid floors with with the entrance blocks nailed in place with 1" entrances. each hive protected from the sun with a sheet of corrugated iron.

Off topic a bit, but would be fascinated to hear more about your time in Lesotho - did you ever write a thread on it?

I spent a year delivering an agricultural aid program in the North. Fantastic country, fantastic people.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Off topic a bit, but would be fascinated to hear more about your time in Lesotho - did you ever write a thread on it?

I spent a year delivering an agricultural aid program in the North. Fantastic country, fantastic people.

I'm not sure whether I did, not on here anyway - I did write one in the Welsh Government 'Bridges and links' website
I was in Ha Makate, Leribe district, a few miles from London (Pitseng) right on the Nelson Mandela highway helping the Phelisanong orphanage with their bees and other smallholder projects.

 

[polymath]

Funnily enough the only time i remove entrance blocks totally is in the winter, mouse guard on as you do not want dead bees blocking the entrance. Now i do sometimes put a second entrance in below the supers using a combined QE/Entrance but that is different and only on really strong colonies.

 

[john1]

Thanks everyone, it looks like I do not need to remove the entrance block completely.
I will make it wider to help them to enter easily and avoid any queue.
Thanks