Brood enlargening downward

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Propably I buy this summer excluders and put them on in the middle of main flow. It is easier get off honey and extract them in time.

Upper entrances do not go into supers. They go into brood boxes. Bees have pollen and it is better to store into brood boxes.

When I have kept entrance open in super, bees do not store honey in front of entrance. It tells that the point is too cold.

I do not believe that upper entrances add yield. Bees just have accustomed to use them in spring. But they clearly add ventilation in solid bottom.



Guys say that I should be modern and use mesh floor. Wau. How piece of mesh can make someone better beekeeper.

B+. said:

This is like the "queen trap" system that Juhani Waara of Paradise Honey (Kerkoo, Finland) sells. There was a discussion about it in one of the threads recently and most people seemed to think it was a bad idea
)

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The big idea in swarming fever is that the colony stops working when it starts to wait departure. Solution is that as fast as possible, make an AS, that queen continues laying and bees work like mad.

B+ I ment a bottom entrance with a queen excluder on top of brood boxes with entrance above it aswell with access into supers,nothing to do with swarming.
Going to go back to soild floors only too cold for open mesh were I live.

dano41 said:

B+ I ment a bottom entrance with a queen excluder on top of brood boxes with entrance above it aswell with access into supers,nothing to do with swarming.
Going to go back to soild floors only too cold for open mesh were I live.

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oic...

B+. said:

There must be something else at work here Finman. It has been very windy and we haven't had 20C yet this year (at least not in my area) and I have 4 boxes on my hives. They have lots of OSR honey. We get no crop at all from dandelions

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Yes, he has longer daylight hours.

Amari said:

Yes, he has longer daylight hours.

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.yes, 1.5 hours longer but
I think that I have 150 hectares dandelions around me in full Bloom.

dano41 said:

B+ I ment a bottom entrance with a queen excluder on top of brood boxes with entrance above it aswell with access into supers,nothing to do with swarming.
Going to go back to soild floors only too cold for open mesh were I live.

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Depending on the detail of construction and hive shelter, open mesh can be warmer than a solid floor.
It's complicated...

derekm said:

Depending on the detail of construction and hive shelter, open mesh can be warmer than a solid floor.
It's complicated...

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30 x30 cm ventilation hole is warmer than
1 x 15 cm hole?

If 15 cm² opening is enough for ventilation, why 60 fold opening is used?

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derekm said:

Depending on the detail of construction and hive shelter, open mesh can be warmer than a solid floor.
It's complicated...

Click to expand...

Finman said:

30 x30 cm ventilation hole is warmer than
1 x 15 cm hole?

If 15 cm² opening is enough for ventilation, why 60 fold opening is used?

.

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Give up while you're ahead Derek - he probably did thermodynamics in Uni as well as Biology,genetic,geography,meteorology and building.

jenkinsbrynmair said:

Give up while you're ahead Derek - he probably did thermodynamics in Uni as well as Biology,genetic,geography,meteorology and building.

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Best human resources are needed to keep hives warm. Keep it pimple.

Finman said:

.yes, 1.5 hours longer but
I think that I have 150 hectares dandelions around me in full Bloom.

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I don't think it was access to forage. My apiaries were surrounded by fields of OSR as far as the eye could see.
Perhaps it is the extra daylight. What are your daytime temperatures like at the moment?

It's not just the size of the hole that reduces temperature; the humidity and the number of air changes play a part. As heat rises by air convection, you'd be perfectly correct Finman if the different sized holes were at the side or top, as the heat would rise and warm air would be lost.
With the opening at the bottom, the actual area that is open will have far less impact on heat loss compared to other factors such as the thermal conductivity of the hive materials, and the latent heat of evaporation and condensation of water vapour in the hive.
as DerekM says, it's far more complicated than just the size of the hole.

Finman said:

30 x30 cm ventilation hole is warmer than 1 x 15 cm hole?

If 15 cm² opening is enough for ventilation, why 60 fold opening is used?

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so that varroa mites fall out and are less likely to climb back in the hive.

B+. said:

I don't think it was access to forage. My apiaries were surrounded by fields of OSR as far as the eye could see.
Perhaps it is the extra daylight. What are your daytime temperatures like at the moment?

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Extra daylight is nonsense. Our day is 1.5 hour longer than in Duplin. Shining angle is lower.

IT is 11:30 now here and temp is 15C. Quite windy. But we have much forest around here and there are calm fields where bees can forage. Then there are windy open areas where bees have no change to stay

Like my neighbour told about his balance hive, one day was very windy and temp 18C. Hive brought 0.7 kg.
Next day it was 22C and calm. Hive brought 3.0 kg.

IT has meaning, how many working hours bees have inside a day. In low temps bees have only couple if hours to work, and them temps go again too low.

In warm day working hours may be douple or even 4 fold.

Evening hours are more valuable because nectar has bigger Sugar consentration than before midday.

In low temps bees can forage only if they are in direct sunshine.

Bees work with their thin legs and wind seems to affect more to legs than flying muscles

..

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If you really want to know about foraging conditions, buy a balance where you put a hive. Then you can stop believing. My balance is still in shed.

Finman said:

Best human resources are needed to keep hives warm. Keep it pimple.

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That's Zit

wessexmario said:

so that varroa mites fall out and are less likely to climb back in the hive.

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That old knowledge carbage. How many hives mesh floor have saved from mites. ..zero.

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Now clock is 12:00 and temp is 17C. Half cloudy but sunlight is bright.
I go now to swimming hall.

wessexmario said:

as DerekM says, it's far more complicated than just the size of the hole.

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Thanks for that Wessexmario (& DerekM)...I've learned something new there

B+. said:

I don't think it was access to forage. My apiaries were surrounded by fields of OSR as far as the eye could see.
Perhaps it is the extra daylight. What are your daytime temperatures like at the moment?

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You commented earlier than finny gets larger honey crop than you from similar sized hives. What is your average honey yield?

You both seem to have hives on excellent forage. You both have large hives. So if you both have the workforce, you both have the forage available all that's left is the ability to get the workers out collecting. That surely must be where the difference lies? The weather or the bees deciding they don't need more stores?