Okay, after all the debates and ongoing reading, I still haven't decided if I want to modify my equipment for top entrances. Then, two weeks ago, I found this:
(http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/3236/topentrance.th.jpg) (http://img580.imageshack.us/i/topentrance.jpg/)
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I guess I'll definately be modifying this hive for a top entrance, since they were motivated enought to reconstruct my top feeder to get one. It seems to make them happy, and as we all know, happy bees makes for a happy beekeeper!
For a quick try using top entrances grab a couple of Goble Inner Covers from Brushy. They have a notch for a top entrance built in. If you don't care for them just flip them over and slide top to rear to cover notch up.
Good idea! Luckily, though, I am blessed with a husband who has a sizable woodshop! :-D We will be experimenting with a couple of options this summer. Especially since bee-modifed top feeders were not on my acquisition list for this year! ;) Creative little buggers, though!
Was the box modified by your bees or by robbers trying to get inside to the syrup? I have seen the wood chewed away when the boxes did not join together well and had an opening for the bees to start enlarging.
I don't know why, it's not like I don't have other hives just looking for the opportunity, but oddly enough this small hive has been amazingly robber-free.
Not to say that it's not a possibity, though. Could be I missed that session.
What's funny is this hive hasn't been taking syrup at all. In fact, I just pulled that feeder because it was useless and the syrup was getting moldy. Maybe they just got together one day and said, "Hey, what else can we use it for?"
I second AR Beek concern. I use foam nucs and if there is syrup in them and robbers around; the robbers have chewed right thru my foam cracks to get to the syrup faster. Not saying that is always the case, but it happens. That said, I see nothing wrong with top entrances, I usually use them.
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It is better now that you repair your "top entrance" with polyurethane clue 8-)
If mine didn't like a top entrance they would've blocked it up long ago.
thomas
i have one with a crack near the top and they use it. if that's what they have chosen, it's ok with me. it's the whole ventilation thing that i think messes things up. where they come and go doesn't really matter.
I have bottom entrances and inner covers that allow egress and my Bees use both.
On my ventilated inner covers with the notch, it seems they propalize about half the width. They just kinda hang out up there, don't see any bees actually using it as an entrance.
...DOUG
KD4MOJ
Would any of yal consider using another bottom board with the center removed, placed immediatly above the queen excluder as a top entrance? I've felt for sime time that this would make for higher honey production while keeping the queen out of the supers. I tried not using a queen excluder last year and I won't do that agin. Brad
Brad, during honey production you can make an entrance above the excluder using 3/4 in wide strips of wood 3/8 in deep on 3 sides of the excluder. Also if you add supers in pairs you can slide one of them to the rear 1/4 to 3/8 in to give the workers access directly to the honey supers. I made wooden frameworks and attached them to the excluders using dabs of construction adhesive so they don't slide around. The bees seldom use much burr comb from the excluder to the frames above.