Porter bee escapes - cover or not?

[MandF]

Note that anything that we regard as being part of the hive but is above the crown board is regarded as being outside by the bees."

I have had bees with comb and brood in "outside" the hive on several occasions. Sometimes just honey stores and no brood.

I havent had this issue on my hives, and I have the holes open, however I have noticed it on some hives down the association apiary. Perhaps this is due to a large colony, or perhaps a new queen, so there is a level of pheramones above the crown board that the bees consider it as "inside"?

And actually, thinking about it, I am not sure that this comb was above a crown board.. I think it was above an eke but on the (now closed) crown board, which makes sense.

On yours, was it with a new queen?

(edited to add: I have a QE, and at least 1 super most of the time, so the queen herself cannot get anywhere near the roof space - you mentioned you have had brood, presumably if the queen is able to move up to and through the crown board, the pheramones would also be strong up there and might explain it?)

 

[Hivemaker.]

Any age queen really,mainly in the five frame nuc's as they have three two inch staggered holes in the crown boards.
With regards the bees blocking a piece of mesh placed over the feed hole with propolis,well they also stick everything else up in the hive with propolis,why don't they fill a hole in the crown board with wax if left open? instead of moving up into the roof space,also if a plastic mesh is placed under the crown board,ie propolis mesh,why do they fill that with propolis....not to stop a draught from above thats for sure if there is no hole.

 

[MandF]

So in your situation the queen is adjacent (or able to get next to) the crown board?

I agree about them not wanting to prevent draughts per se, I personally think it makes more sense that they are trying to retain as much pheramone within the colony as possible, or to stop water ingress.

When I was thinking about this yesterday, I figured it would make more sense to block the holes, simply because it then means I dont have any bees wasting effort above the crown board (exploring/defending/propolising/cleaning - whatever). I have open mesh floors so that should give them enough ventilation. The only downside I see is that I have more propolis to deal with when I want to feed or use the board as a clearer, but I am starting to collect my propolis scrapings to do something with

 

[Hivemaker.]

Try putting a piece of cardboard over the feedhole.....if the bees don't like top ventilation, why don't they simply glue the cardboard around the edges and leave it in place, instead of completely removing it.

So in your situation the queen is adjacent (or able to get next to) the crown board?

Yes, i don't use supers or queen excluders on the five frame nuc's at any time,or any other hive during winter.

 

[MandF]

Try putting a piece of cardboard over the feedhole.....if the bees don't like top ventilation, why don't they simply glue the cardboard around the edges and leave it in place, instead of completely removing it.

So in your situation the queen is adjacent (or able to get next to) the crown board?

Yes, i don't use supers or queen excluders on the five frame nuc's at any time,or any other hive during winter.

Thats a good point, I always assumed they love chewing things that are chewable, but if their instinct was to close up, they would leave it.

Now I am inclined to leave them open again

Re your nucs, that may be why they sometimes go above the crown board and treat as the hive, because the pheramones are concentrated enough that it still smells like home above the crown board?