When/ how to install a hive entrance reducer

Beekeeping - Basics
21

I also have big issues with ants and have tried the moat . They don’t work
Dust or leaves soon build up and the ants get in. Rain fills them up as well, and bees die.
I’ve put shields and grease from underneath. Kinda like an upside down moat. If it rains no problem . I’ve got a few hives in different locations and that’s good for at least 6 weeks.

I swear by slatted racks and have made all mine from scrap timber. My slats run opposite to the frames. Great for ventilation and easier for the bees to guard the entrance. No more moth issues either.
My hives are now all very healthy full depth 2-3 boxes high.

2 Likes
22

How about this type of moat? Two cans of different diameters and some spacer between them. Filled with oil. Gap between can walls must be sufficiently wide to avoid bridging.

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1 Like
23

It’s good.

Even on mine I have to cut dead grass or the odd stick.
Ants will use anything to climb.
Amazing creatures, they scour the planet and consume more meat than all the world’s carnivores combined.