Entrance reducers are often used in the winter to reduce drafts through the hive to keep snow and rain from entering and to discourage small mammals such as mice from entering.
Beehive entrance reducer winter.
There is less.
Another reason to use an entrance reducer is during the winter months to protect the hive from becoming too cold.
In the winter the hive should be fitted with mouse guards.
An entrance reducer gives the hive a smaller entrance making it easier to defend against these dangers.
Due to climate anomalies many areas are experiencing unusually warm days during the winter months.
I m going to talk about when to do all of this winterizing in greater detail a little further down.
2 pack entrance reducer and mouse guard for 8 or 10 frame bee hive for beekeeping with no rust universal stainless steel metal design for winter and year around use on a beehive buy on amazon.
They can still come and go but it keeps them from wanting.
A metal entrance reducer with minimal traffic going in and out.
Simple rules for using entrance reducers 1 when installing your package of bees for the first time.
For brood to survive and thrive the hive should be kept around 96.
Perhaps it managed to squeeze under the mouse guard but once it was fat with bees could not get out.
Bees maintain this temperature in a variety of ways.
Entrance reducers may be used during treatments with essential oils or organic acids.
3 when the hive is being robbed by another hive.
Mine give the recommended 7 5 mm maximum aperture width.
Reduce the size of the hive.
We are no longer sending out entrance reducers because we have decided that they can cause the hive to overheat.
So when you add the smaller reducer for the hive entrance it still allows the bees to move in and out easily but stops the entrance from being so large which reduces the amount of wind and cold that can enter the hive.
2 in the winter when you are trying to keep mice out of your hive.