bee entry holes

hvac professor · August 21, 2011, 12:34:23 PM

I am a new bee keeper and although have a veteren beekeeper neighbor it is nice to get outside advice.
I have 5 deep supers on a new hive, added 5th a month ago because 4th one was very busy, and only the top (5th) super does not have a 1" entry hole.
My neighbor says it is better for the bees to have quicker access to the super but because of this the bottom entry is not full at all times and I worry @ proper guarding of the hive.

I posted a couple of days ago that I observed some type of bumble or carpenter bees (3 of them) enter the bottom super without being attacked by guard bees, any advice would help. We are going to extract this coming Saturday. Just started goldenrod flow last couple of weks.

Sundog · August 21, 2011, 01:00:08 PM

I put a screened vent section on top of my hive with a hole in it. The bees don't use it very much. Every now and then I see one leave, but I have not seen one enter. The hive doesn't seem to have any issues at the moment.

Have fun!

BlueBee · August 21, 2011, 04:04:36 PM

I don't like the idea of multiple entrances myself, but that a personal preference on my part. I like to have the guard bees all concentrated and protecting one entrance against robbers, moths, and whatever else may be trying to get in.

If you want to give the bees easier access to the supers, you could try Michael Bush's approach of a single top entrance. Then all the foragers enter at the top of the supers which isn't going to be congested with brood bees.

AllenF · August 21, 2011, 05:16:34 PM

With open unguarded openings, you invite beetles and moths into your hive. I would not worry a bit if you have a box without a hole in it.

BlueBee · August 21, 2011, 10:18:46 PM

You've got to be a pretty brave bumble bee or moth to try to get through this :)

Finski · August 21, 2011, 11:31:10 PM

.
Nothing wrong with upper entrances.

If strange animals or robber bees clear hem sleves alive from bee hive, the hive has too much room for bees. There are empty places.

You should check thé the need of soace for bees and the brood, how big it is and how situated.

Drop brood franes down, extract honey and less space to use.

Set up ventilation and entrance size.

uglyfrozenfish · August 22, 2011, 01:04:46 AM

Hi hvac professor,
I am a new beek also so take my two cents with a few grains of salt. And if I am wrong I am sure someone will quickly correct/rebuke me :-D

I would agree that it seems to have so many openings is diluting your gaurd bees and thereby weakening the defenses of your hive.
One thing you might do is to put a piece or two of duct tape over the holes on the deeps except for the one they are working. For example if they are working on bringing in nectar in the top deep then tape all the other deeps so that they have to use the bottom board or the top hole. I used duct tape over one of my deeps and I just doubled it up sticky side to sticky side where it covered the hole to prevent one of the girls from getting stuck.

Hope this helps,
Lee

Finski · August 22, 2011, 01:41:12 AM

Quote from: uglyfrozenfish on August 22, 2011, 01:04:46 AM

I would agree that it seems to have so many openings is diluting your gaurd bees and thereby weakening the defenses of your hive.

in practice, it is not so.
Bees have their last defence frontier on the combs. They kill all strangers on combs.

If the hive is too cold, bees shrink together to take care of brood. No gards are on entrances.

If you make robbing to happen, nothing saves 3 frame mating nuc. But if the nuc has time to kill enemies one by one, nothing happens.

I have in some 3 frames mating nucs 2-3 entrances, and they are nt robbed. They chew themselves extra holes to styro hives.'

/quote]

hvac professor · August 22, 2011, 09:54:33 PM

Thank you everyone who has given their thoughts and ideas and years of experience.
I have learned alot from beemaster.com in a short time

It is appreciated that folks take the time to help :bee:

BlueBee · August 23, 2011, 12:23:35 AM

Hvac professor, let us know what you find.

You've had an amazing start for a 1st year bee keeper to have a hive with 5 deeps!

Michael Bush · August 23, 2011, 12:43:44 AM

>I worry @ proper guarding of the hive.

This doesn't seem to be a problem on a strong hive, but I have seen it be a problem on a weak one. The easier solution is to take out the excluder if your using one...

hvac professor · August 23, 2011, 09:05:51 AM

Micheal, I am not using an excluder. I observe the hive frequently and have thoughts of covering the four 1" entry holes on the bottom 4 deeps to see if this improves the guarding of the hive. My concern is it has been the way it is for many weeks and I am extracting this weekend.
I have been eager to open the hive as I have not done so since May.

BjornBee · August 23, 2011, 09:18:35 AM

If you got 5 supers on the hive, you got enough bees to guard a few openings.

And pests don't just walk in the hive in the middle of the afternoon. They hang around until dark and the guard bees pull back. Then they walk right in.

If you want to get a feel for how smart pests are, go out after dark on a cool night. You can see (with a flashlight) all kinds of moths and pests on the outside of the hive. Moths fly great at night.

When we keep unnatural hives with something like 5 supers and populations of up to 60,000 bees (rarely seen in nature) then a few upper entrances can be helpful.

While I do use upper entrances, I do not promote "top entrances" which I think are promoted junk science and fluff.

It's real simple....you got supers on....then you should have the bees to defend a few openings. If you don't, pest will get in anyways and your setting yourself up for other bigger problems.

hvac professor · August 23, 2011, 01:48:35 PM

Thank you very much Bjornbee for your input, I will use your advice