In a message dated 4/27/03 10:15:05 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<<  Should reducing the hive
 entrance be done now or is it too late?  Any help with this would be
 appreciated.   >>


It is never too late to use an entrance reducer; and, when installing NUCS it
is a good idea to always use an entrance reducer, at least until 9 or even 10
frames are fully drawn from foundation with the widest width of the entrance
reducer in use only after seven or eight frames are drawn out with the queen
laying and the hivebody is getting full of bees.  Any time a "weak hive" or a
NUC is being fed sugar syrup, you should use an entrance reducer, and
especially when there is no honey flow.   An entrance reducer is also great
for keeping mice out in the fall, winter and spring while keeping the
entrance at a 3/4 inch depth.

Regards,

Chuck Norton
Reidsville, NC (Where the tulip popular, LIRIODENDRON tulipifera, and the
black locust, ROBINIA pseudoacacia, is currently forcing the bees to really
work hard and to forget about the queen mating boxes with a frame of honey in
each and no entrance reducer.

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