Beespace is between 1/4" and 3/8" (6mm and 9.5mm). Bees will have no trouble getting in and out of that much space. 5/16" is right in the middle of that.
Thanks for the info on that Michael! I plan to do the 2in wide gap off to one side of the Inner. Everyone only said 3/8" so I was worried.
@JeffH - so far I havenāt seen any rats, but we have small to medium mice and kangaroo mice too. I honestly have seen a small mouse go through a metal opening (feed tray) that was maybe 3/8" of an opening (just big enough for a egg layer pellet to go through when shook), but it took them a LOT of effort (trying to escape me).
Iāve seen that trap recently (wife showed me - thanks for another link though!) and I plan to set some up around our place and hopefully save on the endless need of poison.
Let me know how you like it. Iām still debating between that with the Hat Veil or a Ultra Breeze (some of the debate depends on how much $$ I can afford as the time gets closer to getting my bees).
Wilco. @Anon said that he loved the Brushy ventilated suit more than the Ultrabreeze, and he has both. Other people I have heard from only had the Ultrabreeze and offered no comparison. I decided to test āRHCāsā opinion first, especially as the Brushy is a lot cheaper.
I have not tried all the suits out there, but I have seen most of them which was why I didnāt buy themā¦ The workmanship and materials on the Ultra Breeze are as good as it gets. I canāt say how well the Brushy Mt one or the other vendorās offerings will last, but they probably work fine. The Ultra Breeze has heavy duty brass zippers and really strong material.
I picked this one up a little over a week ago at their store so obviously I havenāt got a ton of experience with it yet, but I like it a lot.
Iāve only worn it 2 times so far.
Itās a great discussion to have. I have decided on doing and maybe when/if I am lucky enough to split a hive Iāll try going with a bottom and see if I notice any difference. For me itās all about the hopes to keep other critters out.
I have made these before and they work very well. We used these inside camps over the winter. We put antifreeze in the bottom. This would keep them from stinking up the place plus it would not freeze where water would.
Hi everyone! My first bees are coming tomorrow. So, obviously I am in the overthinking phase. Please bear with me, any comments & opinions are appreciated. Was also wondering about creating a top entrance for the Flow setup & have two questions:
Can I drill a bee-sized hole at the top instead of shimming up an opening & where would that be placed best? ā¦a natural beek had a vid online that showed all his hives (standard langstroth) w/thisā¦sorry no memory of who/where to include a link
And, how about under-supering (sillyā¦but ānadiringā isnāt much better!) the Flow box, in general & for top vs bottom entrance?
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Thanks jape, every bit of info helps
Pollen is often in the bottom box.
@Michael_Bush @Dawn_SD
I got my hive all ready for the bees Iām getting this next Saturday. I put an old 1x1 down to fit pretty well into the old bottom entrance (I figure the bees will fill the little gaps that are left) and then cut a 2" wide opening for a top entrance into the Flow Inner. For now I have the roof turned around backwards otherwise I only have about 1/4" (if I shim it!)between the lip of the roof and the Inner. I have plans of what to do when I get the Flow Frame Super on (not expecting that until 2017).
Just thought Iād share for everyone wanting to see what I ended up doing!
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