Second hive entrance

I notice on the some YouTube videos that some apiarists have a second entrance to the hive on the super. They reason that this saves the bees having to enter through the brood box and climb up through the excluder to deposit their nectar.
Now I was to believe that the foraging bees are met at the hive entrance by worker bees who receive the nectar and process it before depositing it in the super frames.
A little clarification on this issue would be appreciated.

I’m a big fan of a single entrance. You’ll see that illustrated in the video “City Of Bees”.

2 Likes

That is indeed true but that will happen at the top entrance too and save the receiving bee some time.
Pollen on the other hand is squashed into cells by the bees that collect it.

I’m with Jeff. I don’t like top entrances either.
I had a knot fall out of one of my supers and the bees were happily using it, though

1 Like

Dee,

Oooooh those knottie little bugger ! I’m
With ya so far on the single entrances. We are in a fair dreath over on the West Coast of the US in Puget Sound. We’ve just setting a new record of no RAIN here in the usually damp Evergreen State. Old record was 51 days without measurable rain set back in 1951. We are now moving thru day 52 with NO Rain forecast in the next 5 to 7 days. That’s putting stress on my colonies currently. Almost all field n forest flowers are done n dried up :exclamation:

Yesterday I saw n wrongly interpreted Robbing for Observation flights. This morning I was suspicious as the exact mass buzzing n flights were again happening. A lỉght :bulb:suddenly dawned on me … This was ROBBING !

I headed for the house :house_with_garden: to find a new bee toy I bought during one of my shopping sprees… I had bought one Robbing Screen n now was the time to test .

An hour after adding the Robbing Screen all that buzzing n mass of extra bees had left for sweeter pastures. I’ve reduced all my other hive entrances some n the other two weaker ones down to a 4" reducer opening giving my colonies less entrance to defend.

Here’s a few pixs.

. The last pix was after a hour with the screen on n no more … Bees robbing !!

Going watch for few days for more issues. Might have to add my top feeders on the two smaller hives so they don’t go downhill too much …

Got to boogie,

Gerald

1 Like

Well done, Jerry. Looks like you averted a possible disaster! :wink:

Yes well done. Bees are not pretty little furry creatures. They are ruthless robbers given half a chance. Bees are busy eating their stores here too because they are confined to barracks by rain for weeks. What a world! It’s not like I remember it from my youth. In those days the Jet Stream did what it was suppose to do.

1 Like

@ Dee n @Dawn_SD n @JeffH,

I’m ready ! I think I see :honeybee: n sunspots !

IMG_2631

Wish you could come up n watch the Solar Eclipse from Jerry’s Bee yard ! We could do a little hive inspection afterwards !!

Cheers :beers: Everyone,

Jerry

3 Likes

Yay have a good one. I have seen two total eclipses and really wish I could join you for a third. Post more pictures please

Tell us what the bees do