odd effects of entrance reducer on new hive?

[eri]

Hi --

I've noticed something peculiar about my new hive (package bees installed April 20). I placed a 1" x 1" wood strip in the entrance between the Boardman feeder on the right side, which left about a 2-inch opening on the left side. I removed the reducer after a couple of weeks.

I placed another hive body on top of the first one (10 frame deep supers) last week. The odd thing is that the 2 frames on the right side where the Boardman feeder is are virtually untouched. Even though I moved one of the frames toward the center, the 2 outside frames remain pretty clean, and the bees have moved up into the second body (baited in the center with a partially drawn frame). Most of the brood seems to be centered towards the left side. The bees ALWAYS enter on the far left within approximately the 2-inch space originally created by the reducer and they ALWAYS exit to the right of their self-declared entrance.

I'm assuming that the new bees somehow 'learned' the entrance from the original package bees and are avoiding the frames closest to the Boardman for ease of entry (or something). Or perhaps they prefer the left because it is warmer on that west side. They are still taking a cup or so of 1:1 sugar water daily, so the Boardman is still in place.

My question is: did I create this situation with the original entrance configuration? Do I need to try to correct it?

Thanks

[Bennettoid]

I've got one hive that seems to refuse to live on the right side of the hive. there are 2 and a half undrawn frames in the first brood box on the right side and two on the right in the second brood box and this is their second year.

[Bee-Bop]

Ok;
So maybe you'ns just have all left handed bees !!  :-D

You aren't perhaps left handed by chance ?  :?

Bee-Bop

[Moonshae]

I find my bees tend to prefer the warmer side in the spring.

[Brian D. Bray]

I have found that the queen seems to prefer a particular part of the hive over the others to the extent that if you locate the queen on a frame, mark the frame, and go back later you are apt to find the queen on that same frame.
The bees also seem to be right or left handed in how they orient themselves within the hive.  If the swam crowds to the right side of the hive, looking at it from the front, the queen will always be found on the 3rd or 4th in on that side.  The same can be said for those swarms that seem to prefer clustering at the rear or front of the hive.  In foundationless hives bees will drawn that part of the frame they favor and leave the opposite end unfinished. In hives with foundation the faoundation will be left undrawn on one end.

In such situations you need to help the bees re-orientate more to the center of the hive though the orientation perference will persist as they move into new supers.  To re-orientate take 1 of the empty frames and place it next to the storage frame on the side of the hive they favor.  The bees will draw out that frame and you have widened their home by that much.  Continue to move the frames until all frames are drawn out--the original frames will now be more centered in the hive.
For the hives that orientate on 1 end or the other simply reverse all the frames at the same time so their relationship to each other stays the same. 

This is one of those areas where the vast majority of beekeepers I've encountered tell me I'm crazy but those that do what I recommend always come back and say it cured their problem.

[eri]

Brian --

Yes, I saw the queen (I think) on the 3rd frame. Glad to know I probably didn't cause the leftie shift! When I check next week, if they haven't started frames 9 and 10 I'll try your suggestion for re-orientation. And maybe help dispel your "crazy" reputation :-)

  -- eri