Is it time to open the entrance reducer?

[FlexMedia.tv]

I added a medium super to my package bees at 21 days. I checked at 28 days and both hives were doing good. Today they were flying all over the place. I even got stung for the first time just changing the outside feeders. One of my books tells me to wait until 8- 10 weeks to open the reducer. Maybe they wouldn't be so made at me if I open it up a little?




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[PhilK]

Can't hurt.. looks tiny. The more space they have to come and go the more they can work (but the more space they need to defend). I'd say if you've managed to add a super they are OK to have the entrance reducer opened, but I don't use them so take that with a grain of salt.

[Iwiegian]

Im sure I do it wrong but I usually leave it on a day or two. Ive never had any robbing but just lucky I guess. dave

[FlexMedia.tv]

I have one book that says wait until 8 weeks. I think I'm going to open it because they didn't used to have to wait on the front porch just to bring some pollen in.

[GSF]

If they are bottlenecking at the entrance it's probably a good idea to remove it. Like Phil said, more space to defend. Those entrance feeders are an invitation to robbing. I quit using mine a long time ago.

[FlexMedia.tv]

I probably will change from the entrance feeders next season. Having never done this before, they were the easiest to understand and pattern after a friend for an example. 30 days into it and I figured out I can easily build an internal one myself, maybe! :-)

[cao]

I have entrance reducers on all my hives and  have had them on for the past two years.  The opening is 3/8" x 3".  I don't have a problem leaving them on all year.  I have several hives that are 5 boxes tall right now that are packed full of bees.  They learn to work with whatever size entrance they have. 

[GSF]

They learn to work with whatever size entrance they have.

I would tend to agree with this as well. A friend of mine says he has one hole at the bottom that's 1-2 inches in diameter. He's had it like that for years.

[FlexMedia.tv]

Really? You mean that doesn't torque them off having to wait for a parking space? I know if gets me upset! LoL!

[Michael Bush]

No.  It's not time.

[FlexMedia.tv]

As an extremely new guy to bees, this is my most variable question. Half people say open the other say don't! I guess I'll leave it as it is since they look like they are doing well. I feel bad for them cuz I've made so many mistakes I'm happy they are still alive!

[Michael Bush]

I see no traffic jam.  So no reason to open them up.  In fact I probably would NEVER open it up any more than you have it already... or just take the feeders out.  Why are you feeding?  Is there are dearth?

[Rurification]

I'm in the 'keep it closed' camp.  My entrances are half the width cao uses.   When they get really busy, I put on a little top entrance, too.    Why so small?   Because robbing is a serious issue in my little hollow and I'm not good at crystal balling when the dearth starts and robbing commences.   Much easier to keep it small and easily defensible for the bees.  [Also, I quit using my boardman feeders and started feeding with inverted jars on top of the frames, surrounded by an empty super.  Works great. No robbing.]

[GSF]

X2 on the feeding Robin

[FlexMedia.tv]

* I had to look up dearth.
I'm only feeding because they keep eating. I thought I read somewhere that they would stop eating the sugar water when they had better resources. Should I stop? Both hives go through those entrance feeders every 4 days. Something goes through them..Next year I'll go with a top feeder. I've heard a lot of stories about these entrance feeders, but they are pretty easy for somebody who doesn't know what he's doing.

Art

[Rurification]

Art -   Those feeders are easy.   I used them, too at the beginning [until the big-time robbing happened].   

If you have extra boxes [at least medium or bigger] you might try putting the jars inside and see if they go through the feed as fast.   If they want the feed, then by all means, do keep feeding them [but not the ants/robbers, etc.]

I like to change jars without opening the tops of the hives all the way.  Here's my set up from the top down:

telescoping cover
empty medium  with jars upside inside it
inner cover with round cutouts that a narrow mouth jar will fit in upside down.  The holes are screened.
brood/supers boxes full of bees
solid bottom board with small entrance.


This allows me to pop the tops and switch jars out without bees coming after me.    If you don't have an inner cover with a hole, you can use a piece of screen and either just lay on the top of the brood/supers under your empty, or you can staple it to the bottom of your empty.  Then you can put as many jars in there as will fit if you want.

There is no 'best' way.   There's just the way that allows you to keep bees comfortably.  Take our suggestions, tweak them and do what works for you.   Try stuff.  Then tell us how it works.

[FlexMedia.tv]

Robin,
Do you have any pictures of your set up and did you buy them or build? Last year when I started studying to start my hives I read where top feeders, the bag kind could drown bees. I know 1% more now than I did last year, but I knew then that I didn't want to drown any bees! I do have 2 more supers I can experiment with.
Thanks,
Art

[cao]

With your setup all you need to do is put some screen over the hole in your inner cover and put your jar over the screen.  The screen is there to prevent the bees from getting into the empty space of the box covering the jar.  Put an empty box above the inner cover and your top cover over that.

[Caribou]

cao, we do the same thing around here except most use nut jars.  These are plastic jars that hold about twice the volume, and are the same height, as a quart mason jar.  We get these at Costco and they come filled, surprisingly, with nuts.  Any similar container should work.

Some straighten a paperclip and melt holes, I used the smallest drill in my index.

[FlexMedia.tv]

Cao, Caribou,
Hey...I can make that!
Thanks!