Bee fence

[rickyd20]

I am going to build a fence in front of the hives in my garden, to force the flight path higher. Does anyone know the maximum size of hole I should use so the bees are not able to fly through?

 

[Little John]

I don't know the answer to that particular question, as there's Leylandii hedging around this apiary - but I've placed a sheet of 1"x1.5" wire mesh over a fresh water source (to keep the birds off), and they fly through that ok - albeit with token hesitancy.
LJ

 

[northernsoul]

I doubt they'd go through as they wouldn't want to use extra energy or risk losing the pollen. Mouse guards are about the size of slightly large pencils so anything smaller would be fine

 

[enrico]

They won't even fly through six inch trellis.looks pretty and you can grow flowers up it too.
E

 

[Finman]

.
I have used green plastic bird net on front of hives on that purpose. The eye of net is perhaps 2 cm.

Bees fly over the net. I wondered why they pass the net?... Perhaps along millions of years they have learned that it is not good idea to fly through the spider nets in jungle.
.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I am going to build a fence in front of the hives in my garden, to force the flight path higher. Does anyone know the maximum size of hole I should use so the bees are not able to fly through?

1" chicken mesh 8 ft high diverts all but an occasional bee and doesn't suffer a lot of wind pressure.

 

[Angularity]

They won't even fly through six inch trellis.looks pretty and you can grow flowers up it too.
E

That's my experience too.

 

[Tomlow bee]

The standard off the shelf six inch trellis is fine for making your fence. I have one panel along one side of my garden apiary (other sides are hedging) and they do not attemt to go through but fly up well above head height before proceding on their way.

 

[Millet]

I have 3in mesh along a fence to stop the sheep getting near my hive, the bees will not pass through the mesh, i have seen wasps go through but the bees hover around and slowly gain height.

 

[alldigging]

They won't even fly through six inch trellis.looks pretty and you can grow flowers up it too.
E

They fly through the mesh weld fencing round our apiary. ('V' Mesh Security Fencing)

And yes I have a copy of the info about them not flying through trellis.

 

[rickyd20]

Appreciate the replies. I was going to go for a 5mm, but sounds like this is not needed.
The other thing for me would be that my fence would be quite close to the entrance of my hives, probably 50cm. You don't think having them so close to the fence would make it easier to fly through?

 

[Tomlow bee]

Two of my hives are probably closer than 50cm to the trellis and this is not a problem.