[GregB]

Sooooo,

• I need to leave 4, preferably 5, honey-filled frames (48-60 pounds) for my bees to overwinter?

Am I correct in thinking that the pollen foraging will slow with the full nectar flow on, so this is normal?

Can I open up the second entrance to help speed things up for the bees?

Thanks for any comments!

John

You need to leave about 8-9 frames (not 5) for a full colony (always good to leave extra than to leave not enough).
Adjust your math - you do NOT account for 100% full medium Lang frames; you account for them to be 2/3 full.
Picture the Layens frame - it will NOT be full of honey top to bottom at 100%.
It will be about 2/3 full of honey (the honey band above) and about 1/3 of the lower part will be empty comb.
The proportion could also be ~3/4 honey and ~1/4 empty lower comb.
So you get the idea.
This is how it generally works in naturally managed long and deep hive, e.g. Layens.
The frames are almost never 100% full (unlike those in vertical hive supers).

During intense flow, more bees with switch in to nectar foraging, indeed.
They even will restrict the queen laying; especially so in your long hive due to the fixed volume (make sure your hive has plenty of frames; just fill it up with frames).

You can open the second entrance as mitigation to the hot weather (for extra ventilation) and as assistance in honey drying (again, extra ventilation).
However, don't expect they will start flying into the secondary entrance; they will keep flying through the main entrance.
I know because this is what I have been doing (running two entrances).

As long the colony is strong and filling up the entire volume and starting to beard, sure, open the second entrance.

 

[JayTee]

Thanks for those thoughts Greg! With 20 years having passed since the last time I overwintered bees, recollections of how full a frame are and having used a Langstroth Hive, don't help me today. They are definitely much stronger and there are more bees coming out every day, with more to come. No bearding yet. Will continue to monitor and consider opening the second entrance.

We'll see how the girls do in the Fall. I would love to have a little of 'our' own honey.

John

 

[GregB]

Thanks for those thoughts Greg! With 20 years having passed since the last time I overwintered bees, recollections of how full a frame are and having used a Langstroth Hive, don't help me today. They are definitely much stronger and there are more bees coming out every day, with more to come. No bearding yet. Will continue to monitor and consider opening the second entrance.

We'll see how the girls do in the Fall. I would love to have a little of 'our' own honey.

John

The second entrance for sure helps with ventilation.
They immediately start using it for that - but only for that.
Somehow this is different from the vertical hives.