An entrance reducer is simply a barrier placed at the entrance to a beehive that reduces the size of the opening. They are usually made of wood, but can also be made from metal or plastic.
Adding an entrance reducer is a good idea to help the bees in a hive protect itself from robbing honey bees or from other pests entering the hive (like a mouse). The smaller entrance makes guarding easier and gives a smaller or weak hive a fighting chance. It is generally recommended to add an entrance reducer when a nuc or package of bees is installed as they are in a weakened state.
However, when should the entrance reducer be removed?
Until nectar is plentiful keep the entrance reducers on the weaker hives and fully open for only those hives you know to be strong and populous. When nectar becomes more available weaker colonies expand quickly and soon are able to defend their hives. At that point, you can enlarge their entrances or remove the reducers altogether. There are many reasons to use an entrance reducer, although they are almost never used at the height of a nectar flow.
The Langstroth is a vertical hive consisting of modular boxes that can be added to as the colony expands. Each box contains frames on which bees build comb to store brood, honey, and other food supplies. Additional features of the Langstroth include a front entrance, bottom board, inner cover, and top cover.
The term wooden ware refers to the individual components of a bee hive. While these have traditionally been made from wood, today a variety of bee hives are available made from plastic and even polystyrene foam. Treated lumber should never be used to make bee hives. Always paint your hives with an exterior grade paint to protect your equipment from the elements, unless hives are constructed from cypress, cedar or some other weather-resistant material.
A winter bee is a worker (female) bee that is a bridge from one generation of the queen’s offspring to another. Her reward for seeing the queen through this challenging period is the potential to live from early winter to spring. The approach of winter creates so-called fat bees. Fat bees are winter bees – bees much better suited to get through the winter. Winter bees have:
Increased levels of a compound called vitellogenin which helps bees store food reserves in their body. This is less necessary in the summer, when they can freely move to and consume food.
Lower levels of juvenile hormones, since there is less brood to take care in the winter.
Enlarged food glands, to store more food.
Higher level of sugars and fats in their blood
The end result is indeed a fatter bee, but also one better able to tolerate and survive the cold weather
An entrance reducer is a thin strip installed in the entrance of a bee hive. It is typically made of wood, but it can also be made of metal or plastic, with a notch, or sometimes two. The main purpose of a reducer is to restrict or reduce the size of the entrance to a size that is easier for the bees to defend against raiding bees, pests and rodents. In the winter months it aids the bees in temperature regulation of the hive.
A cleansing flight is the polite term for a flight specifically for pooping. It’s usually noticeable when the bees have been stuck in the hive for a while (days, weeks or even months in the winter), all that time holding in it. Then a warm day comes along and they rush outside to let it all out as quick as they can. Hence, they cleanse themselves of all the poop.
Not Africanized! Seriously, you won’t want so-called “killer bees”. There are a number of good choices. Italian, Russian and Carniolan are common choices for first time beekeepers. Refer to the chart below.
Yes, you should. Be sure you know how to recognize and avoid swarms. The fact that a colony is about to swarm is generally an indication that it is healthy and growing. But as beekeepers, we don’t want to see our bees swarm. In fact, the potential for a swarm is an opportunity to start another hive.
The impact of a swarm varies depending on the location but in urban situations, for example, it behooves the beekeeper to take all steps to avoid them. A swarm in the wrong place at the wrong times is one of the most effective ways to drum up anti-bee sentiment!
None. Zip. Zero. You may find many a beekeeper who tells you loudly that he or she has taken many jars of beautiful honey from first-year bees. Good for that beekeeper, but…. A true statement of success isn’t merely how much honey the beekeeper has gathered. Every beekeeper – experienced or new – can take honey from a first-year beehive. That’s the easy and, dare we say, selfish part.
No, the REAL measure of success is whether your bees come through the winter with the honey reserves you have left them. A beekeeper who takes honey from a hive and then fails to see bees in the spring really isn’t achieving anything significant. Just some honey, which your local supermarket sells…without all the work!
On a more serious note, we do suggest that from day one you just accept that the first year is ALL about your bees establishing themselves. Is honey really THAT important to you? Just let your bees use it to themselves. After all, they are working far, far harder for it than you ever will! As to the second year of a mature, established hive…. prepare for some of the best honey you have ever tasted!
Each inspection will teach you more! No two inspections are the same and you will learn over time to go into an inspection with a plan – including perhaps something to check from the last inspection – but also to have an open mind to the unexpected. Despite the fascinating array of situations you might uncover, there are a few basics you should check at each inspection:
Is there evidence of a queen (you do not need to physically see the queen every time)?
If so, do the signs point towards a productive queen?
Are there signs that the bees may be planning to swarm?
Is the capacity of the hive appropriate, in terms of the boxes you have added?
Any unusual or worrying signs, particularly related to pests or mites?
Are you leaving the hive in an orderly, clean manner?
