May 29, 2021

HiveGenie vs. Killer Hornet

We designed the HiveGenie entrance at a size we thought was just small enough to let bees in and out freely but not Asian Hornets.

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HiveGenie vs. Killer Hornet

By Mario Chapa

When we started HiveGenie five years ago, we knew it was only a matter of time before Killer Hornets (Vespa mandarinia) also know as Giant Asian Hornet reached the United States. So we designed the HiveGenie entrance at a size we thought was just small enough to let bees in and out freely but not Asian Hornets, but we were never exactly sure of the precise size of the hornets since the literature is a bit vague on the width, rather there’s plenty of information on its length.  So we really couldn’t claim that the HiveGenie offers any protection against these “flying demons”. Of course, they are not demons, but they do carry a nasty sting and they do kill all of the bees in a hive and eat their brood, or to be precise feed the honeybee brood to their brood, so as a beekeeper, it’s something you don’t want to experience. Japanese bees have evolved with these predators and have some defense techniques against the giant hornets. National Geographic has a great video of this on YouTube.  But our European honeybees are not adapted and had not evolved to defend against these hornets, so the end result is that your honeybees will be obliterated and eaten for lunch.

We were finally able to get our hands on an actual real Asian Hornet and measure it with our own calipers.

The Asian Hornet’s head is 8.46mm at its thinnest axis.
The thorax is 10.54mm
Asian Hornet as compared to a Drone.
The New HiveGenie gate size is tailored to keep Asian Hornets out of the hive, yet let bees do business as usual.
I have big hands, these things are as big as a cicada but with a nasty jaw, a worse sting, and an appetite for honeybee brood!

After careful measurements and some trial and error, we prepared a HiveGenie gate prototype and tested it in a real beehive in sunny and rainy weather to make sure no pollen got knocked off the bees while entering through this new reduced entrance.  The unit was a success.  It took the bees about a day to come up with a new way to organize ingoing and outgoing traffic. As opposed to the previous gate size, in this new size only one bee can come in or go out at one time.  In the previous size, although rare, two bees could simultaneously enter and leave the hive. In some instances this could’ve skewed the count, although we think it is rare, it does happen.  In the new “Killer Hornet proof HiveGenie”, no simultaneous entry and exit can happen. After the adjustment period that was a little longer than with the previous gate size, no traffic jams were seen during peak times.  The adjustment period lasted for about 24 hours compared with the one hour of the old HiveGenie.

We still think that this is a small price to pay for the added protection. Once the bees are adjusted and organized, traffic flows normally and even better than with an entrance reducer. In nature, bees prefer smaller entrances to keep their hives warm and for defense.  It is easier for bees to defend a small entrance and the smaller predators are more easily ejected than larger ones such as the Killer Hornets.  Also, a smaller hive entrance lets bees exchange heat as the scouts come in, they have generated a lot of body heat during the flight exercise, passing in close contact with the outgoing cooler bees will give them a chance to get some heat for free.  The rest of the heat will be accumulated inside the hive and not get lost to the elements. 

After five years and thousands of hives analyzed, we realized that a warm hive is healthier and more productive than a cold one.  Bees tolerate heat better than most insects, therefore parasites and pests tend to thrive inside cooler hives rather than warmer ones. Bees generate a lot of heat to melt the wax and dehydrate nectar into honey. Generating heat consumes energy. A well-isolated hive and one with a small entrance are therefore more efficient for bees.  If needed, bees can quickly cool the hive by flapping their wings and evaporating water inside the hive.  Water evaporation absorbs heat from the hive.  The warm but now moist air is a bit heavier than the hot air and falls down towards the hive entrance where some additional flapping pushes it out and fresh air enters the hive to cool it.  If you have a screened bottom board, this moist warm air will fall down through the screen.  I fully recommend a screened bottom board as it keeps the hive clean and at a good temperature in hot summer days.  If bees don’t need to cool the hive, the heat will not escape the hive as warm air is lighter than hot air.    You can close the screen in cold months, but open it for late spring and summer.

A HiveGenie prototype testing the new “Killer Hornet proof” entrance.  No pollen was dislodged after four days of testing.

So far not a small hive entrance.  It’s the way bees prefer it as demonstrated by Dr. Thomas D. Seeley in his fabulous book Honeybee democracy.  Remember, it’s all about thermal energy, the more the bees keep, the more efficient they will become.  We are confident that the new HiveGenie entrance is tailored to keep Giant Asian Hornets out of your hive without slowing down your bees.  If under the attack of these hornets, the hive entrance alone might not be enough to stop the slaughter outside of the hive.  So you will need to add hornet traps and things such as sticky paper, but having the certainty that hornets will not be able to raid the hive and steal the brood, will not only add some peace of mind but just enough protection to save your hive, which is why de do what we do. 

Enjoy your bees and remember; every bee counts!