June 24 I upgraded to 3 hive bodies. I know I did it prematurely. We had about 7 full frames of honey and brood and I was suppose to wait til there were 8 full frames but I was sensing that they were feeling stuffed in there. Call me crazy but it was a mothers instinct. LOL! I removed the cork from the 2nd hive body and removed the entrance reducer and they are no longer clustering outside the hive in the evenings or in the day (as they were doing previously). They haven't adjusted to using the 2nd hive body entrance though. I watch and see no bees coming and going from that entrance. Maybe they need time to get use to it or they hate me for giving them too much room and they are punishing me once again by not following the beekeeping instruction manual.
Do you think maybe they prefer landing on a "porch" and that's why they don't enter through the holes? I'm so new at this that everything confuses me. I agree with you about the mother's instinct thing. Or maybe it's a parental instinct.
It is so weird Pam, they will use the hole in the first hive body and the regular entrance but they won't use the hole in the 2nd hive body. I looked out today to see if they were using it (since before they were really utilizing the hole in the first hive body 1 day after removing the cork) but I noticed they would fly towards it and hover about but then fly down to the other two entrances. It is a puzzle.
Creatures of habit...They like what works! Lol
Hi Michelle,
Bees will use various entrances over time as they see fit. It's nice to provide them with a couple of choices I think, especially in the hot part of Summer. Bees take their time to get used to any new changes in their hive setups, I notice.
How about uncorking the top round hole and put that cork in the bottom or middle round hole? Having a hole in top box will help air circulate in the hotter top part of the hive where heat accumulates. Of course they'd then take a few days to get used to it.
I love the pretty colors of your hive!
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