Top Entrance and Vent Holes?

[mtnb]

Hi guys. I've built a basket to contain my Mt. Camp (as per tjc1 on the mt. Basket thread) and made a quilt pillow and styrofoam wedge. Please look at my picture. The yellow box is where I have the basket and drilled that round upper entrance hole. The pillow covers that and the sugar. Then there's the inner cover with notch down for ventilation, then the styrofoam wedge and top cover. Is that entrance placed correctly? They're definitely reducing it down to a size they like. Do I need to drill a few more holes in the top of the yellow box above the pillow? How much ventilation is needed exactly and what's too much? (The bees are in the white and blue boxes)

http://s284.photobucket.com/user/MTBeeGirl/library/Wintering%202015?sort=3&page=1

This weekend will be my last chance to open the top, add my sugar, and do any necessary adjustments, so please, if you all could advice me before Saturday, I'd appreciate it. :)

[iddee]

If the bees are reducing it down, you have excess vents now. They know how much they need better than me or anyone else on any forum. If they need more, they will remove propolis until it is right again.

[HillBilly2]

Maybe reduce the lower opening to the one inch size. But is that a slatted bottom? Might be different for those.

[mtnb]

Iddee, that is the best advice I've been given yet. So since they're reducing it, I can take that as a sign that they have enough ventilation as is and they're making it hiw they want. Perfect. Thank you! It is very confusing when you see so many posts on fb, etc where people are drilling like 4-god-knows-how-many-holes for vents. Maybe they're needed in so e places, but I've been sceptical about here in MT.

HillBilly2, I do want to reduce the bottom, and I tried over the weekend, but it seems the wood swelled and no matter how hard I pounded(which, btw, the bees did not appreciate), I could not fit it in the smaller way. I was thinking of cutting a piece down to fit into the bigger opening. lol ?

[splitrock]

I had a hive a couple years ago that I thought was dead. The boxes were not in the best shape, and there a couple pretty good size holes in them. I didn't bother to reduce the entrance, insulate the lid, or wrap them up with the usual black felt paper like I did the rest of the hives when I got them ready for winter.

Well, I had been mistaken. As it turned out, it wasn't a dead hive after all. Unprotected, and facing north where our winter winds come from,  they made it through a very harsh south dakota winter with more ventilation that I  would have ever imagined.

I think sometimes we worry way to much about things we don't need to.

[mtnb]

Thank you splitrock. In my mind I know I'm worrying too much. Honestly I feel a little silly at how my hive looks now with all those straw bales. lol My neighbor laughs at me and my hubby says I have the most well-cared-for bees ever. lol I feel confident that they're doing well. I just really really want them to survive the winter, this being my only hive. I'm hoping the sugar and the wood chip pillow will help a lot.