My first beehive! FH2

Nah, you are just cute, and doing the right thing! :rofl:

:blush:

:innocent:

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:flushed: I didn’t use an entrance reducer. Should I? They have been in hive for 22 days. :man_facepalming::see_no_evil:

I went ahead and put it on. 🧙‍♂️🤪 when should I remove it?

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It’s too bad that the FH2+ reduce doesn’t have an additional half open setting… once you have bees covering all the combs in your box(es) you can probably open it up to half way, many never open it up all the way. You’ll want it closed up like this again over the winter and during dearths.

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I agree with @chau06 and would like to add some background. There is a very well-known bee researcher by the name of Thomas Seeley. He did some beautiful work where he gave swarms hive boxes to explore with a variety of different entrance sizes. The bees consistently showed a preference for hives with an entrance of 15 square cm. For a Flow hive, that would mean reducing the entrance width to about 6 inches or 15cm, as the entrance is approximately 1cm tall.

I leave my hive entrances at this size all year round, and the bees do just fine with it. :wink:

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I had reduced the entrance down to about 1.5” over winter with two little pieces of wood that I cut to wedge into the FH2 entrance. After things warmed up, I took out one of the pieces and centered the other so there was about 3.5” on either side (like @JeffH recommends).

The bees have managed to push it out and drag it off the landing board twice now… I thought for sure that a skunk or something had dislodged it but I put a camera up and it was the bees that did it again…

When I wedge it back in they are constantly chewing it and eventually it pops free and somehow they manage to drag it out. I guess they want it open right now…

So, I am planning to let them have it until the nectar flow slows down a bit. Hive is gaining 3-5lbs per day currently.

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That is probably very sensible for your climate. I am lucky that it doesn’t get very cold here, and my queens lay brood all year round.

I have had that too, but I have found ways to overcome it. With the wood entrance reducers, I just make them slightly too tall (maybe 0.5mm too big), then they wedge in very tightly with the brood box weight. With other reducers, they get nailed in place, and I haven’t seen a bee able to pull nails out yet… With robbing screens, they don’t seem to be able to move that much weight, and they generally stay put. :blush:

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Just got home from working and noticed 3 bees outside the entrance flapping vigorously to keep the hive temperature regulated. Anything to be concerned about?

Hi Alok, if the bees keep forcing the entrance reducer out, I’d leave it out for the time being. The flow2 entrance isn’t full width, plus it’s quite shallow, so therefore I would leave it like that until the cold weather starts.

cheers

@Wizard , Hi Freddie, you’ll see a lot more fanning inside the hive, which is normal bee behavior to regulate the hive’s temp. & nothing to worry about. The only thing you could do is make it easier on the bees by doing things to keep the hive cool during hot weather.

cheers

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I live in the UK and I don’t decrease the entrance all year on my flowhives. The rear vent block or removing the pest management tray in hot weather seems to work for me.

We get long cold winters but my flow hives have so far came through the British climate all year without many issues.

Love your garden.

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Looks like the first flight orientation. Must mean some of the brood has emerged. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Inspected the ladies yesterday. They are looking healthy and growing fast.

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oh wow, your pond and yard looks very nice. I can’t wait to see pics when all your seeded flowers bloom.

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Beautiful! Be ready for a sudden population explosion. Have your second set of frames on the ready. Beautiful yard.

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Flowers are coming in. Only seen bumble bees and butterflies so far. Wonder if my ladies will find it. :grin:

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Thanks for sharing pics! Beautiful color, you yard looks amazing. I bet it won’t take long for the girls to find all these beauties. :grinning:

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Anyone know what kinda bee this is?

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Looks like a drone honey bee to me :blush:

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Was it foraging or just resting? If it was foraging then it’s not a drone honeybee… but otherwise I agree with @Dawn_SD

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I was going to say a hover fly :thinking:

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