Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => EQUIPMENT USAGE, EXPERIMENTATION, HIVE PLANS, CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TOOLS => Topic started by: beehappy1950 on February 17, 2018, 08:20:15 pm

Title: Top entrance
Post by: beehappy1950 on February 17, 2018, 08:20:15 pm

Anybody on here using a top entrance and ventilation only. I thought Michel Bush said something about it once. I had a bottom entrance and a top vent and still the bees ran outside and died on the ground. Guess my top vent wasnt enough. Help me. Harold

Title: Re: Top entrance
Post by: Michael Bush on February 20, 2018, 11:37:06 am

In the winter a lot of bees fly out and die no matter where the entrance is.

Title: Re: Top entrance
Post by: paus on February 20, 2018, 04:53:47 pm

Do undertaker bees work in cold weather and then fly back home?  I watched a pileated wood pecker pick up dead bees up to 20 feet from hive.  I have seen this several times but mostly in bee flying weather.

Title: Re: Top entrance
Post by: Acebird on February 20, 2018, 05:12:37 pm

If it is too cold to fly it is too cold to fly.  Dead carcasses pile up on the bottom board until flying weather returns.

Title: Re: Top entrance
Post by: BeeMaster2 on February 28, 2018, 08:45:22 am

Quote from: paus on February 20, 2018, 04:53:47 pm

Do undertaker bees work in cold weather and then fly back home?  I watched a pileated wood pecker pick up dead bees up to 20 feet from hive.  I have seen this several times but mostly in bee flying weather.

Paus,
Sick bees will take off and fly as far as they can.
What were the temperatures when this happened?
Bees can fly in 45 degree weather.
Jim

Title: Re: Top entrance
Post by: beehappy1950 on February 28, 2018, 10:00:34 am

It was cold . Probably 10 to 20 below.