Entrance preference

[Barry n Abbie]

:   I have a strong overwintered hive who have decided that the upper entrance is better than the main lower one. Last year it was reverse, so thoughts and or suggestion?


All the brood and food have been consolidated in the lower box

[vvand111]

Barry,

I can only say that I leave both open and it has never been a problem.

[tedh]

Most of our hives have been using the upper entrance exclusivly this year, with the exception of hauling dead bees and trash out of the bottom entrances.  Whatever floats their boat is okay by me butit is interesting. Ted

[blueblood]

Whatever floats their boat.

[40 Acre Bees]

After four years this is the first year that the bees have almost exclusively been using the top entrance.  Always used to be 99 % using the bottom but this year something had them change their ways.   As long as they are strong and happy they can use whatever door they want......

[Nugget Shooter]

Are you folks with upper entrances using a shim with hole or just the small notch in the inner cover. Haven't been offering mine an option, is there an advantage to doing so?

[Barry n Abbie]

Standard bottom entrance that is reduced to 3 inches and a 3/8 × 2 1/2 hole in the inner cover. 

I definately think an upper and lower hole year round goes the distance for proper ventilation.  I just never seen them do this.

[Perry]

I use the notch in the inner cover year round, not so much as an entrance, but more to help with ventilation, especially in the winter. It's just that at this time of year all the bees are up top and use the upper "entrance" because it's handy. They eventually start using the bottom more as the traffic builds up. I removed all my lower entrance reducers yesterday, as bees were balling up at the top and falling down to the bottom board in baseball size clusters.