Upper entrances?

[barry42001]

First off I have used upper entrances since I started beekeeping 15 - 20 years ago. Always the bees used the bottom and the upper entrance almost equally. Since I was down south the bees tend not to use the upper entrance is nearly as much in fact to bring nectar and supplies in almost not at all they use it as a ventilator kind of confused because the purpose of installing the upper entrance is to reduce congestion in the brood chamber by allowing the workforce to bypass it I suppose it's possible they will catch up on it and start using it the way I intended it should be it just hasn't happened in two years since I've been down here keeping bees anybody else find it something like that with their bees, just curious.

[Perry]

My bees mostly ignore the upper entrances during the "regular" part of the year, but almost exclusively use it in the spring. I also found if the entrance is too big they also start putting pollen in my honey supers.

[pistolpete]

I have two hives that only use the bottom entrance, and two hives that only use the top entrance.   The only difference is that the two hives that use the bottom had top entrances added later.

[riverbee]

barry i am not in the south, but the bees seem to always use both. and i like to have a shortcut for the foragers. i cut a little extra into the inner cover, and will use imries between the supers.  the only time i had problems with the bees not using the upper entrance was when some of my new outer covers fit to tight. 

[barry42001]

I drilled a 1 1/4 inch hole in rim of outer cover.

[riverbee]

barry, excellent!  never even thought to do this, thank you!
just cussed at how the new covers fit so tight, and spent time trying to belt sand so they don't. what a pain.

do you drill the hole angling a little downwards?  i think i would?

thank you!!!

[barry42001]

No rb the wood not thick enough for a angled hole to matter I would think.

[riverbee]

okay, thanks barry, and thanks for your pic and what you do.....i think this would work for the few newer outer covers that fit too tight i haven't belt sanded down.....
appreciate it!

sorry, didn't mean to sidetrack your thread on your original question........

[barry42001]

No issues riverbee, information is what this forum is about...

[rwlaw]

I know the arguments of why put a hole in a perfectly good box, but I put a one inch hole just above/below the hand holds and control the opening with half or whole tapered corks. The bees utilize them big time this time of the year. The bees generally propolize the raw wood, they use it, so I figure why not.

[barry42001]

Ohh I only modify the inner cover and the outer cover, wouldn't drill anything in the brood chambers.