1.5" PVC entrances...?

[CpnObvious]

Not sure if I saw it here or somewhere out on the interwebs, but I've seen some people recommending using 1.5" PVC pipes w/ a 45 or 90-degree elbow on them as entrances rather than an open bottom/landing board.  The thought being that hive beetles can't hover or fly backwards so they can't get into the hive.  If it works, it seems like a pretty good idea... BUT...  Does this inhibit the bees ability to fan for cooling or wafting the queens pheromones?

[riverbee]

do you have SHB in your area?

[CpnObvious]

Riverbee...  I don't know.  And quite frankly, I'm not sure I want to find out if they do!  The reason I'm asking, I think, is more-so of the curiosity factor.  It seems like a neat idea, if it works, but I wonder what other issues it may cause.  This fanning was the first thing that came to mind.

[riverbee]

i don't have shb here, thankfully, so i can't give advice on how to beat those buggers.  i guess my concern would be for ventilation, fanning, and a traffic jam at a 1.5 inch opening...

[rcannon]

You'll really enjoy small hive beetles if you get them. You'll spend a lot more time in the bee yard.
They're not much of a problem in a strong hive, but they'll take over a weak hive in no time. And if you make up nucs, you better make sure they're strong and in full sun.
I really don't worry about varroa too much, I have pretty hygienic bees and oxalic acid, if they need it. But I haven't found anything that really works against the beetles.

Now that I've gotten completely of track, I don't think the PVC entrances will cause any problems. I know a guy that has some pipe entrances and he doesn't seem to have any problems. I can't see how it would be much different than a drilled hole for an entrance.

I've got a couple of nucs with 3/4" holes and they don't seem to have any issues with that. I personally believe that ventilation is over rated. But that's a topic for another thread.

[LazyBkpr]

 
  Still thinking about it a bit, but what came to my mind was an OB hive with a pipe through the wall. Temps inside would be better regulated though, as opposed to a hive sitting in the sun..