I think its good to have your entrances open, however, the reason your colonies r “bustin out” is because of the above average spring we r having along with a mild winter, not the fact that u have no entrance reducers. Very respectfully
This is my 2nd year of beekeeping.. I had 1 hive only last year. Earlier this year they EXPLODED, and I split them, plus they swarmed TWICE. totally my fault I should have been on top of it but it all caught me off guard. Now I'm at 7 hives lmao. Next year is going to be fun!
I concur that this has been an exceptional year for the bees, at least here in Fairfield County, Connecticut. I expect to extract honey sooner than usual.
I found by pure accident years ago that running a medium super for a hive body with a open entrance is much more productive here in Kentucky than when I run a deep body.
The only deeps I use are with the long hive. It’s been an experiment for me. I decided in the second year having to restart from all dead outs, that I only wanted medium bodies so I only had one size to deal with and could swap them around anytime if I needed.
Also, the nectar flow has been CRAZY strong. I’m at the border of NC and VA, and we have privet and blackberry now, and I’m piling on the supers weekly!
Hey you bring up a fascinating topic, that of variables! Like entrance reducer size, and there could be other things too like distance between hives, distance from trees or other buildings, maybe distance from roads or highways for car exhaust emissions. I guess thats what makes beekeeping so fascinating is the mystery of it all. Thanks so much for this vid. I’m gonna sub. Keep up the good work.
It’s because it’s also a swarm, the other hives are not swarms. The bees that swarm are triggered to start a new hive and draw comb like crazy, when I do splits I move the queen and give them half foundation and some comb, they grow fast too.
Looking good. I am thinking of doing that to my large colonies. The hive beetles are a big headache and the bees get nasty if too many get in the hive. I have oil traps but they are dangerous too if the get stuck on the bottom of a frame while lifting the box above. Charlotte NC
I use unscented swiffer sheets in the hive for SHB. I cut them into 2” strips and place them in the corners on top of the frames. I doe this under the inner cover and the next box down also. SHB get their legs stuck in the fibers and can’t get out. It has helped me in the at department the last few years.
Subbed neighbor. I’m a new beekeeper in the Piedmont Triad. Only one hive so far but hoping to expand in the near future. I appreciate the time you put into this video as I need all the info I can get. I would also like to catch swarms at some point.
@@Primal_Tao welcome to beekeeping. I am always learning something new and better ways of doing things. The one thing I wish someone would have told me when I first started was to make sure you are feeding during the dearth at the end of July or around that time and to make sure you treat for mites by the end of September. I lost my first two hives that first year and started making sure I kept up on those two things and I have only lost one hive due to it being very small going into the winter.
@@roosterpighoneybees Thank you sir! I have been feeding the girls religiously on the advice of the folks at Beez Needz where I got the nuc. They added an apivar strip before I picked it up but I will research the mite problem on my own as well.
Good flow in NC also. I’m up the road from you in foothills. I’ve always taking reducers out during flow. I knew you were from NC before you said so. We got that accent.
I have in the past. I decided not to this year. I have talked to several people and the feelings were mixed on queen excluders. I figure a queen can only lay so many eggs so I decided to go without. I know the boxes are filling fast.
You just have a super flow going on aparently here in Mo. we have it going on but not like i have seen it in the past, opening the entrances helps them get air flow to dehydrate the nectar too, on those big hives watch for a lot of drone activity, that happens a week to 10 days before they swarm, . A super flow is a comb building machine ............😋
My hives were definitely growing earlier. I kept them with space and frames to work with. Our flow slowed and we will pick back up for sourwood any time.
Possibly try running a couple of cheap digital thermometers with its probe on a wire in a hive with a reducer and without one, the extra wide entrance may allow more wider airflow in helping to keep hive conditions more ideal, could also just be a bigger hole and landing area allows more bee's in and out. the thermometers may help indicate the difference.
@@weegaz22 I have run thermometers during the winter in the past just to see how warm the bees kept the hive. But, that’s a good idea about different entrance sizes and the temp inside. I might try that. Thanks.
It sounds like I live south of you. I have always run entrances reducers thru the winter and in a dearth from robbing but in the spring I have always opened the colonies wide open . I have Italian bee an I have had to do splits I think it was the second week of February before. Thanks
I have always made entrance reducers with openings that are about 8” wide and 1/2” high. In my mind I was hoping to keep SHB populations down and intruders out. The past several years the bees make a cloud outside waiting to get in and I always say I need to open up the entrance. This year I did and it has made a big difference in my hives. I reduce the entrances to about 3” wide with 3/8” screen in front to keep mice out in the winter or when it drops down below and stays below freezing at night. I take that off when spring comes. Guess I will be taking off all reducers from now on. TY
I have been able to stand, walk, and mow in front of the hives without any issues. I think the bees have to work harder to keep the entrance guarded with it all the way open. But I think I’ve helped the flow of bees in and out by opening it.
I used reducers all year last year. So this year I was going without. I started noticing that a huge cloud of bees would wait to get in the hive. As soon as the reducers were removed the cloud went away and all the bees could land and take off. I have a lot more honey this year so far. I’m going to sling a couple of supers this weekend and put them back on wet.
I have noticed that I don’t have the back up of in coming and outgoing traffic. Seems that the bees can move more freely and don’t impede the flow of workers. If anything it keeps the bees out of my way instead of hovering outside the hive waiting for a place to land.
I think its good to have your entrances open, however, the reason your colonies r “bustin out” is because of the above average spring we r having along with a mild winter, not the fact that u have no entrance reducers.
Very respectfully
This is my 2nd year of beekeeping.. I had 1 hive only last year. Earlier this year they EXPLODED, and I split them, plus they swarmed TWICE. totally my fault I should have been on top of it but it all caught me off guard. Now I'm at 7 hives lmao. Next year is going to be fun!
I concur that this has been an exceptional year for the bees, at least here in Fairfield County, Connecticut. I expect to extract honey sooner than usual.
I found by pure accident years ago that running a medium super for a hive body with a open entrance is much more productive here in Kentucky than when I run a deep body.
The only deeps I use are with the long hive. It’s been an experiment for me. I decided in the second year having to restart from all dead outs, that I only wanted medium bodies so I only had one size to deal with and could swap them around anytime if I needed.
Also, the nectar flow has been CRAZY strong. I’m at the border of NC and VA, and we have privet and blackberry now, and I’m piling on the supers weekly!
I have two suppers on one, and three on another. I checked today and they are almost finished capping it all.
Hey you bring up a fascinating topic, that of variables! Like entrance reducer size, and there could be other things too like distance between hives, distance from trees or other buildings, maybe distance from roads or highways for car exhaust emissions. I guess thats what makes beekeeping so fascinating is the mystery of it all. Thanks so much for this vid. I’m gonna sub. Keep up the good work.
It’s because it’s also a swarm, the other hives are not swarms. The bees that swarm are triggered to start a new hive and draw comb like crazy, when I do splits I move the queen and give them half foundation and some comb, they grow fast too.
Looking good. I am thinking of doing that to my large colonies. The hive beetles are a big headache and the bees get nasty if too many get in the hive. I have oil traps but they are dangerous too if the get stuck on the bottom of a frame while lifting the box above. Charlotte NC
I use unscented swiffer sheets in the hive for SHB. I cut them into 2” strips and place them in the corners on top of the frames. I doe this under the inner cover and the next box down also. SHB get their legs stuck in the fibers and can’t get out. It has helped me in the at department the last few years.
Good advice neighbor. Been thinking My entrance is too small as well, even though my hives are small. maybe that is why., :) Thanks bro! :)
Subbed neighbor. I’m a new beekeeper in the Piedmont Triad. Only one hive so far but hoping to expand in the near future. I appreciate the time you put into this video as I need all the info I can get. I would also like to catch swarms at some point.
@@Primal_Tao welcome to beekeeping. I am always learning something new and better ways of doing things. The one thing I wish someone would have told me when I first started was to make sure you are feeding during the dearth at the end of July or around that time and to make sure you treat for mites by the end of September. I lost my first two hives that first year and started making sure I kept up on those two things and I have only lost one hive due to it being very small going into the winter.
@@roosterpighoneybees Thank you sir! I have been feeding the girls religiously on the advice of the folks at Beez Needz where I got the nuc. They added an apivar strip before I picked it up but I will research the mite problem on my own as well.
Good flow in NC also. I’m up the road from you in foothills. I’ve always taking reducers out during flow. I knew you were from NC before you said so. We got that accent.
I’ve been trying different things to see what works best.
I have in the past. I decided not to this year. I have talked to several people and the feelings were mixed on queen excluders. I figure a queen can only lay so many eggs so I decided to go without. I know the boxes are filling fast.
You just have a super flow going on aparently here in Mo. we have it going on but not like i have seen it in the past, opening the entrances helps them get air flow to dehydrate the nectar too, on those big hives watch for a lot of drone activity, that happens a week to 10 days before they swarm, . A super flow is a comb building machine ............😋
My hives were definitely growing earlier. I kept them with space and frames to work with. Our flow slowed and we will pick back up for sourwood any time.
Possibly try running a couple of cheap digital thermometers with its probe on a wire in a hive with a reducer and without one, the extra wide entrance may allow more wider airflow in helping to keep hive conditions more ideal, could also just be a bigger hole and landing area allows more bee's in and out. the thermometers may help indicate the difference.
@@weegaz22 I have run thermometers during the winter in the past just to see how warm the bees kept the hive. But, that’s a good idea about different entrance sizes and the temp inside. I might try that. Thanks.
It sounds like I live south of you. I have always run entrances reducers thru the winter and in a dearth from robbing but in the spring I have always opened the colonies wide open . I have Italian bee an I have had to do splits I think it was the second week of February before. Thanks
I have always made entrance reducers with openings that are about 8” wide and 1/2” high. In my mind I was hoping to keep SHB populations down and intruders out. The past several years the bees make a cloud outside waiting to get in and I always say I need to open up the entrance. This year I did and it has made a big difference in my hives. I reduce the entrances to about 3” wide with 3/8” screen in front to keep mice out in the winter or when it drops down below and stays below freezing at night. I take that off when spring comes. Guess I will be taking off all reducers from now on. TY
having an entrance reducer actually made my bees much calmer than having it open. I can stand in front of the hive 10 ft away and not get attacked
I have been able to stand, walk, and mow in front of the hives without any issues. I think the bees have to work harder to keep the entrance guarded with it all the way open. But I think I’ve helped the flow of bees in and out by opening it.
Nice ❤
I don't use any entrance reducers at all not even winter specially winter here in southern pa central
The only need for a reducer is to protect a small hive during a dearth .
Even the hives off and you can use the same opening on all your hives
This was my first year to open the entrances all the way. It has seemed to make the flow of bees a lot better.
Where are you in NC? New beekeeper in Snow Camp(near Burlington)
Clemmons. Just the other side of Winston Salem from you.
I run my entrances wide open exsept for winter
Depends on your climate.
Interesting. It's a shame you didn't leave reducers on a coupla stong colonies to test. Good luck with your season. I just subbed.
I used reducers all year last year. So this year I was going without. I started noticing that a huge cloud of bees would wait to get in the hive. As soon as the reducers were removed the cloud went away and all the bees could land and take off. I have a lot more honey this year so far. I’m going to sling a couple of supers this weekend and put them back on wet.
We shop at the same place tried bee supply.
great bideo😊
Thank you
Do you use queen excluders when you add supers?
Entrance is not very important
I have noticed that I don’t have the back up of in coming and outgoing traffic. Seems that the bees can move more freely and don’t impede the flow of workers. If anything it keeps the bees out of my way instead of hovering outside the hive waiting for a place to land.