Entrance reducer

Deer Slayer, I hived a 3# pkg on May 3rd and had another 3# pkg drift to that hive. I pulled the entrance reducer 4-5 days after that. It semmed to make them a lot happier. They didn't have to pile over each other coming and going. I noticed as the days went by that they were using the whole entrance, which led me to believe they were building all the frames. I inspected yesterday and was right all but 1 &2 & 9 had comb. I only run 9 frames in a 10 frame box. It is warm finally, I say pull the reducer!

Deer Slayer said:

One of my hives has built up very quickly and it is a flury of activity. I installed the package on April 17th. Can I remove my entrance reducer now?

Thanks

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If you have an intermediate "setting" (position) on your entrance reducer, you could switch to that.

-- Steven

Unfortunately the reducers I have only have one size opening. I think I will go ahead and remove the reducer from the hive that is very active. I think they are of sufficient quantity to be able to defend their home from intruders now.

I have the sticks with a single opening as well. I just cut some other 1x1's to length that would give me a larger opening without going full open and set them in place from each end. Bees arent strong enough to push them out of the way.

My rule of thumb is that if the cluster reaches from side to side of the box, they have the beepower to defend the full opening. I do sometimes resort to Mike's intermediate opening in the early season for those behind schedule in development. The early season is prime robbing time.

Walt