New to beekeeping with a FlowHive2 (6 frame) in Michigan, USA. My question for your bee gurus is “When do I use an entrance reducer?” I know if I want to move the hive, I can close them in. I know if the hive is struggling, I can reduce to help them protect. What other uses are there for the entrance reduce? Would I ever use it when the hive is healthy in the summer? I see photos on the Flow web page with the hive reducer on but not sure when to do that.
I use entrance reducers year round.
Langstroth hives come with an entrance that is at least 12-14 inches wide, and about 1/2 inch tall. Thomas Seeley is a famous bee researcher, who has found that if you let bees choose their own homes, they prefer an entrance which is about 15 square centimeters. That means reducing the entrance of an 8 frame Langstroth hive to about half of its normal width, or leaving an entrance about 6 inches wide. The bees still cool and fan the hive beautifully and they don’t beard any more than with a bigger entrance. I have been doing this for years with no problems.
Sometimes you need a smaller entrance if there is a severe nectar dearth and a risk of robbing. Local knowledge is good for the timing of this problem.
One other thing to consider is that rodents like to make nests in hives in the fall. You might therefore want to put a mouse guard/entrance reducer on the hive in late summer or early fall (about September in the northern hemisphere) to keep them out.
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What entrance reducer do you use for your regular half Lang width distance? I’d love to see a photo 
This is mine @Bianca. My friend Gerald Nickel made one for me some years ago. I modified it a bit to fit, and I am still very happy with it:
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I have several of these:
They work great but prevent using an entrance feeder.
i also have the standard reducer from Flow but it seems to have a really small entrance hole.
That is a very good thing! Entrance feeders are the pathway to a world of hurt for your bees - they encourage robbing in a big way!! 