Some of the nucs under pressure

Some of the nucs were under pressure from other robbing bees and wasps even though I reduced the entrance right down with some foam. To make it even easier for them to defend I wanted to get it down to one bee in and out at a time. I read somewhere recently that robbing bees do not like to walk down a long dark entrance especially if its only the size that one bee can fit at a time so I inserted a 3 inch length of 1/2 inch plumbing qualpex and stuffed the foam tightly in around it.I know this causes a traffic jam but it seems to have worked and the bees are not being robbed any more. This was done a couple of weeks ago but now in Killiney I can see the bees taking in yellow pollen which is a sign that the ivy has started flowering. This will give them plenty of pollen and honey to top up their reserves for the winter.Just a quick video of the bees using the new entrance just after I put it in.[embed]https://youtu.be/K1nXt2IjR6Q[/embed]The bees back in Glenasmole will have to wait another while for the ivy to start as its about two weeks behind Killiney.