hive construction ?????

[beebalm]

     After spending some time looking through this forum, I have decided to make
some changes to my hives. I will make top entrance, SBB, medium boxes, and will
go with frames with no wire, only starter strips. So here are some questions.
     The biggest issue seems to be with amount of bees that end up flying around
when hive is being opened. If you stack honey boxes next to hive and put top back
on will bees return to it, or does 2 ft. make that much difference?  I have worked
around bees with father in law, and have not been bothered with amount of bees.
Maybe not an issue.
     SBB, would there be a reason to have an entrance that could be opened, so both
entrances could be used? Or maybe a  small opening at bottom.
     I will not be using queen excluder, but have seen some talk about slated racks???
Any good posts in forum on why, what, and size.
    A lot of good posts on frames. ok there.
   
    Thanks   beebalm     (Bill)

[Michael Bush]

>     The biggest issue seems to be with amount of bees that end up flying around
when hive is being opened. If you stack honey boxes next to hive and put top back
on will bees return to it, or does 2 ft. make that much difference?

In my experience with top or bottom entrances if you take a bunch of boxes off of the hive it confuses the returning bees.  That's just the way it is.  If you you change the height of only one hive it can confuse them (even with a bottom entrance) as their landmarks change.  If you change them all about the same amount they don't seem to notice.

>     SBB, would there be a reason to have an entrance that could be opened, so both
entrances could be used?

IMO.  No.  Not having a bottom entrance is a blessing.  No mice.  No skunks.  No snow blocking the entrance.  No dead bees blocking the entrance.  No tall grass blocking the entrance.

> Or maybe a  small opening at bottom.

Only if you use an excluder.  Then you'll need a drone escape.

>     I will not be using queen excluder, but have seen some talk about slated racks???

Slatted racks are nice. They provide more ventilation and Brian likes them for an excluder.  I'd just as soon the queen expanded as much as she likes.

> Any good posts in forum on why, what, and size.

What size what?  Slatted rack?  Boxes?  You'll need the slatted rack to match the size of the box (eight or ten frame).  I like eight frame mediums for boxes.

[Brian D. Bray]

 After spending some time looking through this forum, I have decided to make
some changes to my hives. I will make top entrance, SBB, medium boxes, and will
go with frames with no wire, only starter strips. So here are some questions.

How about not bottom boards, I just use a slatted rack with #8 hardware cloth on the bottom side of it.  You will never regret going with mediums only.

The biggest issue seems to be with amount of bees that end up flying around
when hive is being opened. If you stack honey boxes next to hive and put top back
on will bees return to it, or does 2 ft. make that much difference?  I have worked
around bees with father in law, and have not been bothered with amount of bees.
Maybe not an issue.

If you move the hive just its own width you'll see the returing bees flying to the space the hive was, circle in confusion, and then after several minutes locate the hive by its pheromones.

SBB, would there be a reason to have an entrance that could be opened, so both
entrances could be used? Or maybe a  small opening at bottom.

Old forages will go to the bottom entrance, new ones will go to the new top entrance.  Use both for about 10 days to 2 weeks, by then all the bees will be coming and going by the top entrance.  BTW, even the old bees will land on the face of the hive then walk up to the new entrance.

I will not be using queen excluder, but have seen some talk about slated racks???
Any good posts in forum on why, what, and size.
    A lot of good posts on frames. ok there.
   
    Thanks   beebalm     (Bill)

I have done a lot of posts in reference to slatted racks, including describing the type I designed myself as the commercial ones work but not as well as they could.  Like I said above--I use slatted racks with screen on the bottom side in place of SBB.  Do a forum search on slatted racks and my name.

[beebalm]

     Thanks for imfo. I will check out Brians posts on slated racks.
     This area of New York is a prime spot for top entrance. I run the
     maintenance department for a small bible school, about 100 miles
     east of lake ontario. All I seem to do is plow snow. I do not think you
     would see a hive with 5 boxes, med. or deep. and more is on the way.
     I do have a question on pollen. The area here has a lot of large pine.
     Hard wood mixed in.  In may the pine trees release clouds of pollen.
     Is this a good mix with bees. I might also have to move bees after this
     as this is mostly mature forest. Pollen last about 2 weeks. Could forest
     area support 4 hives?

     Thanks    beebalm   (bill)

[Michael Bush]

Hardwood trees tend to provide a lot of early pollen of good quality.  Especially maples and elms.  Some of them even provide nectar (tulip poplar, gum, basswood, black locust etc.)