I'm all but finished with my initial TBH. Initially I drilled 6 1 inch ventilation holes, 3 on each end of the hive. I also drilled 3 entrance holes on the bottom of one end. I am now rethinking that idea and am considering filling in those and moving my entrance holes. What would you suggest?
entrance locations
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I like side entrances near one end, it keeps the openings out of the rain, but I have a nuc with a big entrance on the end and it is doing just fine. Michael Bush leaves a gap in the bars for an entrance. The bees probably don't care.
What you don't want is holes on both sides. Wind will blow right through. You should only have holes on one side. I prefer my entrance on the end. I prefer not to drill holes.
Sounds like someone had a bad experience with an end entrance and decided it must always cause cross combs. It's more about having good guides than where the entrance is located.
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I have both end and side entrances. I see no difference in cross comb. I think guide bar length is important, as stated.
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I have a small nuc with an end entrance. No problems with cross-comb but they did chew the cells on that area down almost flat. I think if I had left them in that nuc they would have made holes in the comb in line with it. The side/upper end entrances they didn't do that (no need, they are in line with the beespace between the combs). It is annedoteal but what I have observed so far.
>I have been advised to put the entrance on the side (towards the end) rather than the end to avoid cross combing. Anyone have experience with this?
I was gifted a Goldstar hive that has the entrance on the side (which is not where I would put it) but all the rest of my TBH have had the entrance on the end. I see no difference in cross combing. I've had none to speak of in any of my top bar hives.
I was gifted a Goldstar hive that has the entrance on the side (which is not where I would put it) but all the rest of my TBH have had the entrance on the end. I see no difference in cross combing. I've had none to speak of in any of my top bar hives.
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I have both front and sides. My favorite hive (the bees, not the box) has a front entrance. They pull awesome comb. A smart man once said straight comb makes straight comb.
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