hole size on a TBH

[PapaBear1981]

Hi everyone...I had a question for you. I am building a TBH and it has a few mods that I could think of especially living in Colorado such as using a 50 gallon barrel cut in half for the inside then I framed it and used cedar slat fencing on the outside and sealed it and inbetween the two I used spray foam to help insulate. The winters around here are a bit hard and I thougth it would help with both the heat and the cold. Of course I was gonna do a ventaliation system to help keep it cooler during the summer as well as it will be shielded from the afternoon sun. My question is this..I have carved a sunflower greenman to put on the front of the thing and it was going to double as their enterance. I have drilled holes in the carved petals and inbetween the petals so it looks like the bees are coming out of the flower...I actually did it to look cool and to create a situation where if there are gonna be robber bees its gonna be way more difficult for them to find the enterance holes at all much less its gonna be way easier for them to protect. My question comes from the size of the holes that I have put into the carving. I just thought that it might be a bit small. I used 1/4 inch holes. Do I need to use 1/2 inch? im not sure and I don't want to make them so small that two bees cant get through at the same time...some of the passageways are a bit on the longer side. Any kind of advice or help on the subject matter would help. That includes on the hive design if I"m getting it wrong. I've lost hives due to the cold around here and I don't want to do it again...

[beesNme]

Welcome  PapaBear.   

I think thats a neat idea.   I know the entrance on my langs are  3/8  ? 3/8  and can be flipped the other way for a longer entrance.  I wood head over to the topbar section on here and ask your question or look under equipment.  I know  a member called robo  has links to hive designs to  that you could look at. I think the size is  1 1/2 

[jayj200]

Hi everyone...I had a question for you. I am building a TBH and it has a few mods that I could think of especially living in Colorado such as using a 50 gallon barrel cut in half for the inside then I framed it and used cedar slat fencing on the outside and sealed it and inbetween the two I used spray foam to help insulate. The winters around here are a bit hard and I thougth it would help with both the heat and the cold. Of course I was gonna do a ventaliation system to help keep it cooler during the summer as well as it will be shielded from the afternoon sun. My question is this..I have carved a sunflower greenman to put on the front of the thing and it was going to double as their enterance. I have drilled holes in the carved petals and inbetween the petals so it looks like the bees are coming out of the flower...I actually did it to look cool and to create a situation where if there are gonna be robber bees its gonna be way more difficult for them to find the enterance holes at all much less its gonna be way easier for them to protect. My question comes from the size of the holes that I have put into the carving. I just thought that it might be a bit small. I used 1/4 inch holes. Do I need to use 1/2 inch? im not sure and I don't want to make them so small that two bees cant get through at the same time...some of the passageways are a bit on the longer side. Any kind of advice or help on the subject matter would help. That includes on the hive design if I"m getting it wrong. I've lost hives due to the cold around here and I don't want to do it again...
[/quote 

We got to have some pics thank you very much

as to the hole size 3/4 to 1 " sounds fine Ill defere to sawdustmaker or mike

[PapaBear1981]

I will def get some pics going on here....I have got about a quarter of the petals to do on the guy its kinda slowgoing as my moto is "don't be in a rush to get a good carve." I also went back to the hive and did some mods to it so the tunnel that the sunflower greenman is cutting off I made a little bigger so that way I can put the guy a little higher and it will leave room at the corners for bees also I went and drilled three 1/2 inch holes at the top of the tunnel so they will have that to come out through also....

[beesNme]

nice . can't wait to see the pics

[PapaBear1981]

here are two photos I have...I still have a little bit to go as you can see from the pictures but the holes are in the first row of petals there I have 4 in it already and I don't have a quarter of it done quite yet.

[jayj200]

looken good

[beesNme]

that is a great idea !!!,

[PapaBear1981]

thank you I just hope the bees like it as well

[capt44]

1 1/4 inch hole is big enough for heavy bee traffic.