Harold Rogers wrote:

>I have an idea about putting the entrance for bees to come and go along the
>20 in.
>side instead of the 16 in. side.
>
>
Some of us, myself included, keep a small entrance (3-5 inches) all year
around. Plus an occasional drilled hole in a hive body. Seems to be fine
with the bees here in Maine, but they are fairly laid back.  I guess
where the weather might be hotter and life more frenetic, a very large
entrance could be needed, but I really cannot see that it would. Seems
it would only make the bees lives more difficult with 4 more inches to
guard. I have seen some large openings in nature, but even then, the
bees tend to close them up to a guardable size.

One interesting feature would be the bees would move easily along the
frames from east to west, instead of around them. That might, in the
winter, make the northern, coldest frames difficult for the bees to
winter in and reduce "available" stores. It certainly would change the
heat dynamics in the hive in winter.

It might also change the brood pattern in the hive, since now, winter or
summer, the coldest frames are the ones toward the north, so the nest
would be closer to the south. But then you would get most of the air
circulation directly onto the brood nest... lots of speculation, so
wonder if it has been tried. It is certainly ingrained that the frames
are north south and entrance toward the south. For overwintering, you
could change the bottom boards and orientation of the hives every spring
and fall, but my back has a strong vote in my hive management and expect
my bees to vote the same (benign dictatorship).

Why do you want the larger entrance? And why do you want to change the
orientation? What do you hope to accomplish?

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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