Entrance reducers

Seeb · May 06, 2020, 08:20:26 AM

My new colony of bees has been hived now for 6 weeks, and are continuing to take the syrup I'm feeding them. This past week, a beek placed 10 hives of bees on the horse farm behind my property. I give you this information in preface of my question about entrance reducers.

I still have the entrance reducer on the smallest opening, and it's a tight fit, but for the past few days, the bees are pushing the reducer out to gain more access, and I've been tapping the reducer back in. Is it too early to give them more of an opening, and if so, I assume I should stop feeding them.

Acebird · May 06, 2020, 08:41:31 AM

Quote from: Seeb on May 06, 2020, 08:20:26 AM
the bees are pushing the reducer out to gain more access, and I've been tapping the reducer back in.

What makes you think you know best?
I am not in favor of feeding anyway so you can make your own choice on that. The initial stage of robbing is hard to tell. It is just a few bees. When they go back and tell their friends where the honey pot is it is hard to stop.

BeeMaster2 · May 06, 2020, 09:43:14 AM

The bees may not bee trying to open it up. If a bunch of bees try to clean under the reducer, they will move it. If your entrance is not tight enough to hold it in place either put screws in from the sides or add wood or cardboard to make it tighter. How full is the hive. If it a full 10 frame hive, I would open it to the larger opening and leave it that way all year long.
Jim Altmiller

Seeb · May 06, 2020, 12:11:16 PM

Thanks for the thoughts. I have 9 frame medium super-sized brood boxes. One is all pulled with capped and open brood, the other has just begun to be drawn. The bees are quite active outside the hive, bringing in lots of pollen

iddee · May 06, 2020, 01:03:25 PM

I would open it enough to eliminate any traffic jam as they go in and out. That may be the next size opening, or full width open, depending on the amount of traffic. I would continue feeding, if you aren't using entrance feeders, until the brood boxes are fully drawn and you are ready to add honey supers.

JurassicApiary · May 06, 2020, 01:34:06 PM

Quote from: Seeb on May 06, 2020, 08:20:26 AM
My new colony of bees has been hived now for 6 weeks, and are continuing to take the syrup I'm feeding them. This past week, a beek placed 10 hives of bees on the horse farm behind my property. I give you this information in preface of my question about entrance reducers.

I still have the entrance reducer on the smallest opening, and it's a tight fit, but for the past few days, the bees are pushing the reducer out to gain more access, and I've been tapping the reducer back in. Is it too early to give them more of an opening, and if so, I assume I should stop feeding them.

I'm not sure where you're located as it's not in your profile, but so long as you've got flowers with nectar flowing in your area, it should be safe to remove the reducer at this time, especially if you haven't seen any fighting on the landing board as of this time. As you said that foragers are returning with lots of pollen, there's likely lots of nectar as well. I agree with Jim that once removed, I would leave it off unless there's a significant reason for placing it back in.

It is my experience that they will feed on syrup as long as it's available. Patties not so much. Just be sure to remove it before adding honey supers and don't move up any honey frames from the brood box into the supers since they've been made with syrup.

Best of luck with them!

Seeb · May 06, 2020, 02:56:19 PM

Thanks everyone - I appreciate the input. I have a guardian reducer for SHB so think I will put that on.

Seeb · May 07, 2020, 10:02:58 AM

just following up - I did put on the guardian reducer and the extra opening width has made a difference.