Inspected hives, pulled supers, put on reducers, drones being kicked out!

[harvey]

Checked hives today,  Three of them are just starting to cap the honey in the supers.  I pulled all the other supers,  I am paranoid that they will not have enough in the bottom two deeps and I am not going to feed.  The drones were really being kicked out hard today.  Little girls were being just down right mean to them,  noticed a lot of drones seemed like they could not fly either?  I put entrance reducers on the hives with about a three inch opening.  I can turnem down smaller later.  Created a bad backup at the entrances though.  Think that will be alright?  Funny the three hives I left supers on to get them capped are all this years swarms,  the two packages I started this year didn't produce any extra.  All the other swarms look really good for first year hives and they are really putting away stores right now and finishing drawing comb in the bottom deeps.  Last time I checked there were three or four frames in each bottom deep not drawn out, today all frames had comb on them to some extent and I believe they will have them all drawn in a week or two and then should still be able to fill them.  Buckwheat and goldenrod still looking real good and being worked hard.

[gardeningfireman]

Sounds like you are having a pretty good fall. We have no nectar here; its just too dry. See my post "No honey this fall" to see how my fall is going. Good luck this winter!
Alan

[danno]

Harvey
you should put mouse guards of some type on them.  The ones I use leave 1/2 of the bottom enterance open so no conjestion.  I made the with a hinged flip out board that with allow the whole enterance to be open but still protected from mice. 

[harvey]

Danno,  you don't think the regular entrance reducers will suffice?   it only leave 3/8 inch by 3 inches?

[tefer2]

Any hole bigger than a dime will let smaller mice into your hives.

[danno]

Danno,  you don't think the regular entrance reducers will suffice?   it only leave 3/8 inch by 3 inches?

As stated they squeeze in very small holes.  If there skull fits through they are in.   if your reduce is wood they will chew the hole to fit them.   I use a 3/4 X3/4 pc of wood 16" wide. To this I take a 2" X 16" of 1/2" wire mesh or number 2 wire.  I fold the length of wire in half so the holes are 1/4 high X 1/2 long.  I staple this to the pc of wood and drill a screw hole in each end.   1 1/4 screws through the wood into the hive front with keep them out.  Just make sure the wire is a tight fit to the rails on your botton board.    You can leave your reducer in