It’s winter in Colorado and when I checked the hive there is a block of ice blocking the entrance.
Should I chip it away? Or wait for it to melt in a week?
If it’s completely blocked, then I would break it away to make sure they have an exit. If there is at least a bee sized exit hole then you can probably leave it alone. A pretty minimal awning can help prevent snow and ice from completely blocking the entrance in the future. @frederickdunn has some commentary…
1 Like
If that entrance ice blockage has been there for a while, there is a chance that there is a layer of dead bees on the bottom board also. This accumulation of dead bees in itself may or may not continue to block the hives ventilation. If possible these should be removed.
An alternate option is to take a drill and bore a 3/4" hole in the handle groove on the same side of the hive as the entrance. Seeing that it’s February now, the bees will start using that entrance for cleansing flights etc. and when it is convenient for them, they will reactivate the bottom entrance. Many commercial beekeepers in my cold climate put holes in the brood box handle holes as a routine measure to deal with your problem.
Here’s a photo posted on an Alaskan Bee Forum recently…that bee exit (small square piece of plywood) sometimes is located over the handle grooves that have those holes bored in them…doesn’t matter how deep the snow gets over the bottom entrance.
2 Likes
Thank you both so much for the quick and helpful advice. This is my first winter with my first hive. Fingers crossed!
1 Like