Natural Beekeeping in the North

[Eric Bosworth]

If I have top entrances I don't need mouse guards. I don't like bottom entrances for several reasons. When my parents kept bees my father used to get stung at his feet and lower legs because they are right by the door. Dad used to have mom customize his bee suit to cinch down a the ankles. I have never been stung below my waist. The day my dad said he got stung the worst was when they had propolized the boxes together and he thought he had them broken apart and he lifted and they were still stuck and he dropped the bottom box. That didn't make the bees happy. With top entrances I may still have the boxes stick together but they won't be rushing to sting my feet. The rodents and skunks are not as big a problem either. When we have a spell of drastically cold weather I do plan to put something by the hives as a heater.

[derekm]

If I have top entrances I don't need mouse guards. I don't like bottom entrances for several reasons. When my parents kept bees my father used to get stung at his feet and lower legs because they are right by the door. Dad used to have mom customize his bee suit to cinch down a the ankles. I have never been stung below my waist. The day my dad said he got stung the worst was when they had propolized the boxes together and he thought he had them broken apart and he lifted and they were still stuck and he dropped the bottom box. That didn't make the bees happy. With top entrances I may still have the boxes stick together but they won't be rushing to sting my feet. The rodents and skunks are not as big a problem either. When we have a spell of drastically cold weather I do plan to put something by the hives as a heater.

put the hives on a stand...

stand ,bottom entrance, no top vent, insulation  they are all part of the system.



Stands keep the critters out and the snow out
bottom entrance and no top vent keep the hot air in.
insulation puts the condensation to the side and below and makes both the bees and the condensation warm

 
let me guess you dont want to put the hives on a stand

[Robo]

The bears would really make a mess of Styrofoam. At least I was able to put the frames back in and start over with wood.

Actually it is quite the opposite.   When bears hit my poly hives they usually break in half corner to corner and the frames spill out. They are easily glued back together.  When bears hit my wooden hives there is just a splintered mess left that is usually unsalvageable.

[Eric Bosworth]

Hummmm..... I do have my hives on a stand. I don't like bending over to work on them.

The bear that got some of my bees took a nuc. It ripped off the hinge and damaged the top but didn't do to much damage... Except for the bees... Nothing left of the bees.

[OldMech]

You should also work your hives from the back, otherwise you will have upset foragers running into you, as well as alarming the entrance guard bees. Always work hives from the back, or at least the sides.

[Eric Bosworth]

I put my bees in long hives during the summer so that I don't have to bend over and lift much. I have to work from the side. In the winter I take 8 frame boxes and put a divider board in them and put 1 colony in each side to help them keep warm. Next year I am thinking about doing something with split frames so I can divide each box in quarters and put a colony in each corner.