Cat attacking our hives

[Honeypi]

So I've just seen one of our neighbours cats waiting outside our hives. As it's incredibly mild there's the odd bee put on cleansing flights.

Pesky mog seems to be waiting for them to leave and then pounces on them. It's pretty entertaining to watch, I'm just waiting for them to get their stingers in play!

I've not seen this behaviour before. Presumably it's not a big problem. Anyone else's hives suffer from acrobatic assassin cats?

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[alfazer]

So I've just seen one of our neighbours cats waiting outside our hives. As it's incredibly mild there's the odd bee put on cleansing flights.

Pesky mog seems to be waiting for them to leave and then pounces on them. It's pretty entertaining to watch, I'm just waiting for them to get their stingers in play!

I've not seen this behaviour before. Presumably it's not a big problem. Anyone else's hives suffer from acrobatic assassin cats?

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My cat has pretty strong hunting instincts but seems to stay well clear of my hives. Not sure if she had a sting in the past, but she never showed any interest and she was there before I started keeping bees.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

So I've just seen one of our neighbours cats waiting outside our hives. As it's incredibly mild there's the odd bee put on cleansing flights.

Pesky mog seems to be waiting for them to leave and then pounces on them. It's pretty entertaining to watch, I'm just waiting for them to get their stingers in play!

I've not seen this behaviour before. Presumably it's not a big problem. Anyone else's hives suffer from acrobatic assassin cats?

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

Seems to suggest the cat has an incomplete education. No doubt as the spring progresses the bees will fill in the gaps

 

[REDWOOD]

I have a cat that constantly attached bumblebees that were foraging on a black current bush until he got stung one to many times, sharp learning curve

 

[Swarm]

Seems to suggest the cat has an incomplete education. No doubt as the spring progresses the bees will fill in the gaps

Brilliant.

 

[theeggman]

We have a Border Collie that chases and takes bumblies all season long. We have threatened death BUT he still pursues the poor b***ers. He leaves honeybees and wasps alone but bumbles are fair game.

 

[MartinL]

It's a shallow learning curve for the poor dumb creatures but it's still a progressive experience.
When our cats were much younger, I've seen one with it's nose in the entrance.

They maintain a respectful disinterest nowadays!

 

[chrisb]

Seems to suggest the cat has an incomplete education. No doubt as the spring progresses the bees will fill in the gaps

 

[chrisb]

a neighbor has two new cats,they dare to venture into the garden even with all my attempts at trying to keep them out.
typical young cats they are after the birds im not happy even though it is instinct.
the dog quickly sees them off from the top of the yard but he not daft he will stop at a certain point and go no further. he has learned after this point bees get him so for now dog +1
however the cats end up sat on top of the hive hissing at the dog now knowing he will not come any closer
Its going to be a very interesting spring

 

[maddydog]

a neighbor has two new cats,they dare to venture into the garden even with all my attempts at trying to keep them out.
typical young cats they are after the birds im not happy even though it is instinct.

Plenty of threads around at the moment suggesting guns are the way to rid yourself of pests

Used to have a dog that loved chasing/catching/eating any flying insect. Saw her get stung a few times, took a while but finally realised that eating the dead honey bees off the floor was the best way of getting a sweet fix!

 

[Goran]

So I've just seen one of our neighbours cats waiting outside our hives. As it's incredibly mild there's the odd bee put on cleansing flights.

Pesky mog seems to be waiting for them to leave and then pounces on them. It's pretty entertaining to watch, I'm just waiting for them to get their stingers in play!

I've not seen this behaviour before. Presumably it's not a big problem. Anyone else's hives suffer from acrobatic assassin cats?

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

Our cats when were younger, they tried to catch bees. Some of them afterward got boxing paws and learned a lesson.. Now, they are keeping hives from mice and birds efficiently.

 

[GaryB]

To go slightly off the thread, we have chickens, and they roam around the hives during the day, and take no notice of the bees at all, even when they are on a massive flow, and the traffic in and out of the hive is constant, however, on an orientation day, when they are out en masse, we tend to find the chickens at the furthest part of the garden, well away from the hive, and quietly observing. Does this tell us that chickens maybe have it figured out over cats...:

 

[Gilberdyke John]

To go slightly off the thread, we have chickens, and they roam around the hives during the day, and take no notice of the bees at all, even when they are on a massive flow, and the traffic in and out of the hive is constant, however, on an orientation day, when they are out en masse, we tend to find the chickens at the furthest part of the garden, well away from the hive, and quietly observing. Does this tell us that chickens maybe have it figured out over cats...:

Our chickens roam around the hives in winter, even eating dead bees off the floor but there seems to be a healthy respect for the landing board areas. When the hives are busy and guard bees more alert the zone of respect in front of the hives expands quite significantly and it's not unusual to see chickens run across the zone with heads down.

 

[REDWOOD]

To go slightly off the thread, we have chickens, and they roam around the hives during the day, and take no notice of the bees at all, even when they are on a massive flow, and the traffic in and out of the hive is constant, however, on an orientation day, when they are out en masse, we tend to find the chickens at the furthest part of the garden, well away from the hive, and quietly observing. Does this tell us that chickens maybe have it figured out over cats...:

Perhaps it's because chickens are chickens

 

[Robbo8916]

Said cat obviously hasn't learned yet. My dog caught a wasp when he was a pup and his whole face swelled up. When I first got the bees he stuck his nose in the entrance, needless to say he was stung and now he stays well away from the hives.

 

[Millet]

I have a Collie X Lurcher that loves catching anything that flies and she gets stung every year but it does not bother her one bit, she also kills good numbers of rats every year and the bites don't bother her either, it does my head in though we she continues to catch bumble bees even after i give her wrong,she just can not seem to help her self.

 

[psafloyd]

I have a cat that constantly attached bumblebees that were foraging on a black current bush until he got stung one to many times, sharp learning curve

We had a fox terrier when I was a kid who would spend hours going for wasps on a cotoneaster bush.

She would get stung of course, but she was also quick and would have dozens of neatly incised wasps around once she tired of the sport.

 

[Tremyfro]

When we lived in our last house...there were lots of cats in the area....I didn't mind them yowling at night but I did object to them pooping in the flower border under my bedroom window. Every spring when I dug it over...it was full of cat poo...uuuuggg!
We lived in a bungalow so the smell was horrible too. I tried sprinkling with stuff from the garden centre but it didn't make any difference.
I had the idea of putting fencing around the border after I dug it over...I used some left over electric posts and wire...lots of strands with the idea they wouldn't want to get through it...nope...they just carried on.....so I brought home the electric fencing pulsar. Attached it late in the afternoon.
I like cats...but I don't have one as they always eventually get run over.
That night there was much screeching and scrambling and hissing. The next morning...the fence looked a little rearranged!...no cat poop....ever again. Eventually I removed the fencing and they never returned. Possibly, it was only one cat....he sure didn't like the sting the fence gave him!

 

[enrico]

My automatic water sprayer that works off movement keeps deer... And cats..... At bay. My chickens shelter under my hives all day, or preen on the roof. No problems yet!
E

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

A recycled plastic 2 litre fizzy drinks bottle filled with water works a treat.

(had to edit this - originally put 'pop' bottle, but the sais wouldn't understand.)