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dubluvva Nurse Bee
Joined: 06 Nov 2011 Posts: 28 Location: England, West Yorkshire, Huddersfield
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 10:31 am Post subject: Opening up entrances. |
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I closed my three entrances down to a half for the winter, and recently removed the half cork as there was a real bottleneck. My question is when do I open the other two and do I open them both at once or stagger it? |
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catchercradle Golden Bee

Joined: 31 May 2010 Posts: 1551 Location: Cambridge, UK
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 10:34 am Post subject: |
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Unless there is a bottleneck, I would leave it. Of course if you do open up a second one you can label them, "Entrance" and, "Exit" - problem solved!  |
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dubluvva Nurse Bee
Joined: 06 Nov 2011 Posts: 28 Location: England, West Yorkshire, Huddersfield
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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 11:26 pm Post subject: Opening up entrances. |
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Well I tried that, but I clearly have a mutinous strain of bees! Seriously though, surely there is a 'right' time to open the entrances?
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Kdxzoom House Bee
Joined: 15 Jun 2012 Posts: 12 Location: USA, Yakima, WA
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Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 2:08 am Post subject: |
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Our dandelions just started blooming, so I am going to do some work in my hive this week (remove cross comb, add bars and such). I plan to open the entrance then. I believe they will close it off with propolis if they want it smaller and open it as needed also. Just make sure your hive is strong and able to defend itself, watching for robbing if you have honey still in your hive. |
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rmcpb Scout Bee

Joined: 17 Jul 2011 Posts: 447 Location: Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia
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Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 9:51 pm Post subject: |
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When you have a traffic jam then open another entrance. There is no real time as each location will be different so observe your hive and respond to the need when its needed would be my advice.
Cheers
Rob. |
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dubluvva Nurse Bee
Joined: 06 Nov 2011 Posts: 28 Location: England, West Yorkshire, Huddersfield
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Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 10:09 pm Post subject: Opening up entrances. |
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Thanks for the advice, I have two open now and will open the third when they are clambering over each other! |
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Quality Top Bar Hives by Andrew Vidler
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Conserving wild bees
Research suggests that bumble bee boxes have a very low success rate in actually attracting bees into them. We find that if you create an environment where first of all you can attract mice inside, such as a pile of stones, a drystone wall, paving slabs with intentionally made cavities underneath, this will increase the success rate.
Most bumble bee species need a dry space about the size a football, with a narrow entrance tunnel approximately 2cm in diameter and 20 cm long. Most species nest underground along the base of a linear feature such as a hedge or wall. Sites need to be sheltered and out of direct sunlight.
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Information about the Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)
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