This regards the design of a top bar hive, but my question is probably germane to any design. If I need to put it in the top bar forum, please let me know and I'll move it.
I made my one and only hive, a top bar, following Les Crowder's design to the letter:
http://api.ning.com/files/xYXdXlUiY86DMVNVsNbVCagz1Ymhb9kD-iCz44xfdRlaBPRzFJpWlzvsoULtPCXwAy9ka6BWrV2-yoG6svviJb7EexIWW7kz/LesHiveNMBKA.pdf (http://api.ning.com/files/xYXdXlUiY86DMVNVsNbVCagz1Ymhb9kD-iCz44xfdRlaBPRzFJpWlzvsoULtPCXwAy9ka6BWrV2-yoG6svviJb7EexIWW7kz/LesHiveNMBKA.pdf)
As a result, I have a 6" x 3/8" entrance on one side. As the population and activity of the hive has increased, so has the level of congestion at the hive entrance. I expect this is compounded by bees I can't see inside the entrance fanning to regulate the hive environment, but I'm not sure its necessarily related to heat. Yesterday afternoon (when the attached photos were taken) was overcast, 82 degrees and breezy. Bees returning from foraging often have to land above/below the entrance and make their way inside, some appear to have to try more than once to enter. I'm wondering if this entrance is adequate. Certainly, colonies make due with entrances no better than this, but it may not be the best I can do for them. Does this warrant action?
(http://s23.postimg.org/vcej00fcn/hive_congestion1.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/vcej00fcn/)
(http://s23.postimg.org/m5w8cqa47/hive_congestion2.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/m5w8cqa47/)
Most of my working hives have a 2" by 3/8" opening. I did have to open up my largest (6 medium, 10 frame boxes) hive a bit more but I still do not have as much as you do. Keeping the opening small helps the bees protect the hive. I have not had the problem with the SHB with smaller openings although I think the screen top boards and screen bottom boards with oil tray did in most of them in this area. I am now leaving most of the trays dry.
Jim
Sawdstmakr, I completely agree with your comment on guarding the entrance and it would be a nice benefit if problems with SHB are mitigated (can't comment on that in my hive yet). With 2 inch entrances, do you have a lot of congestion? Especially at this time of year, I'd think bees are queuing up to get in and out.
I watched a video seminar by Thomas Seely on how bees choose their abode. Absolutely fascinating process if you haven't seen it, but one of the things he talked about was physical characteristics of an "ideal" location. One of those was a 2" or 3" opening, so at least in a "natural" environment, a large entrance isn't desired.
I use the larger opening on the reducer, 2X3/8 or so and I have the outer cover front lifted with a piece of 1/2 inch scrap which creates another larger entrance. Plus the reducer is another 3/8th or so short, so yet another entrance and they are always piled up at the first entrance cueing up to get in.
I started building some 6 frame hives with the bottom board attached to the box which is 10 1/2 inches deep.
On the front 1/2 inch up from the bottom I drill a 1 1/4 inch hole for an entrance.
The purpose of this is to try and reduce the amount of hive beetles in the hive.
Georgia Bees told me about the concept and I've got to say I haven't seen a hive beetle in the 6 frame hives.
I have beetle blasters in them and so far no beetles.
I did glue 3/8 inch spacers on top of each wall to give ventilation under the top.
So far the bees are doing good in these hives.
Quote from: duryeafarms on May 30, 2013, 01:16:21 PM
Sawdstmakr, I completely agree with your comment on guarding the entrance and it would be a nice benefit if problems with SHB are mitigated (can't comment on that in my hive yet). With 2 inch entrances, do you have a lot of congestion? Especially at this time of year, I'd think bees are queuing up to get in and out.
I watched a video seminar by Thomas Seely on how bees choose their abode. Absolutely fascinating process if you haven't seen it, but one of the things he talked about was physical characteristics of an "ideal" location. One of those was a 2" or 3" opening, so at least in a "natural" environment, a large entrance isn't desired.
Most of my hive do just fine with the 2" hole. There are 2 time where it is too small. During orientation flights and during a swarm. In the first case it just takes longer. In the latter case it helps because it gives me time to notice it and I have been able to sit in front of the hive and catch the queen as she crawls out of the small entrance. The bees seem to get in and out in a very orderly fashion.
Yea, I did see the video and it does support the small opening.
Jim
I don't have much heat (several yards are within sight of the ocean). I keep entrances (on 10 frames) reduced in the spring. In mid-summer, honey curing becomes an obsession of the hive, and at the change of behavior, fanning predominates, I then open things up.
In my observation, dilute nectar is backfilled at flow and the cure to honey starts in mid-summer when flows taper off and brood rearing/pollen collection slows. As my summers have deep drippy fog, I don't think it is temperature, so much as evaporating airflow driving the fanning I see on my hives. (Your experience may be different). I sometimes worry that the effort to evaporate honey in the deep fog is excessive drag for my hard-working bees, but I don't move them into heat.
I reduce with blocks of 2x4 about 12" long. Leaving a 2 inch entrance. I like this because: blocks can't roll over and trap bees, and the system pushes the entrance to one side or the other.
The brood nest follows the entrance, so the brood fills to the outside frames directly above the entrance. Periodically, I slide the block to the other side, and the brood focus migrates over to that side as well. This fills the bottom box with 10 frames of brood, rather than the 6-7 frame normal condition with a centered entrance.
I use center entrances of the standard design in fall/winter. I drywall screw these to keep them tight and unrolled. Winter hives will propolize the entrance to about 1 inch by 1/4 inch. It was a discovery that they prefer a lower ceiling on the entrance in winter-- making an overhead curtain clear across the entrance. No drones in winter, so the bees can squeeze through a 1/4" gap.
My nuc's have a hole of 1 3/8 diameter at the point just below where the relief starts on frame ends. On 5 frame nuc's I offset the center 3/4 to one side, so the hole is not in front of the center (of 5) frame. I move the nuc's into 10 frame deeps about the time the first cohort of brood hatches (25-30 days from queening). The initial 10 frame boxes have a center hole, with the bottom entrance completely blocked. I open the bottom entrance (with the reducer) about 2 months out. The hives generally show a preference for the round hole, often neglecting the bottom board. In winter, if I leave it open (or the tape peels off), they will propolize it completely closed, and revert to the bottom. Recently, I duck tape these round holes closed to drive the entrance down in July.