[Ben Brewcat]

I made a ventilation box from Tarheit's design (thanks!) and seems to be going well; no comb in it either! Anyway, it has an entrance in front. The ventilation super is on top of two honey supers and there's always a hand-sized patch of bees washboarding around that upper entrance, but no arrivals or departures for foragers at all that I've ever seen. The occasional drone uses it, but that's all. The regular entrance below, reduced to about 4", is where all the coming and going happens. Is this odd?

 

[Robert Hawkins]

Not to worry Ben. Unless you close off the old entrance they'll continue using it because they're used to it. Like me, they only change something when it's forced on them. The drones that you see using it are probably new to the hive. They drift.

You can keep two entrances or close off the lower, or let the winter close it. I bet when you get two feet of snow they don't use it.

Hawk

 

[louis1st]

maybe they are just guard bees, if so, nothing to worry about!