Hive Attack??? Who?????

[PaleoPerson]

Around mid morning today, noticed that the poly hive in the garden had been pushed over and all the frames were strewn about. Two frames were about 2 metres away from the hive and the comb and honey that was in this frame had been eaten.

What was left was a very small cluster and a small frame of brood which was put back into the hive and the queen seems okay, but I am now only keeping them to look after the queen until I need one in the next few weeks.

Who did this?

My main suspect is FOX, although I have no positive proof yet, I suspect a fox pushed over the hive as the only other possible culprit being badger cannot get into our garden without causing some damage to the fencing. I also think that once the frames were in the open, his accomplice MAGPIE helped himself to the brood, as one has been attacking my home hives over the past four or five days. He even ignores you when you are in the garden and helps himself to bees off the entrance.

I think I shall ponder on the possible solution for this, so far I keep coming up with shotgun.

And to add insult to injury, when I removed my beesuit, a bee stung me on the top lip.

 

[Silly Bee]

re, Magpie.

Would you like to borrow a rather good air rifle?

 

[Andre cardona]

wot a day

 

[PaleoPerson]

re, Magpie.

Would you like to borrow a rather good air rifle?

Thanks for the offer, I have access to one. Just need to find a spot when wife and kids are out of the house.

I will provide photographic evidence for the Magpie tomorrow and then pass judgement. The other is more serious.

 

[nosmoking]

Sorry to hear this. Just a word of warning on the air rifle. There are certain rules you have to adhere to. I fell foul of them last year! (I wasn't prosecuted but warned. I had and still have a pigeon problem with magpies in the mix as well) search via Google for help. Good luck.

 

[woodyapex]

shoot all three

Magpies if not disturbing and eating your bees are pinching little birds eggs ( not jewellery )
Pigeons are eating all the oil seed rape your bees are feeding on .

And as for the fox !!!!! Just kill em all !!!

All three are vermin with no licence needed just appropriate methods needed !

So not sure why you "no smoking" got warned ???
woody

 

[PaleoPerson]

Removed

 

[onriver]

badgers can climb

 

[RoseCottage]

Hate to appear all sandle wearing, tambourine tapping, cumbaya singing, touchy feely but...

Using a stout strap and a solid bench is easier than garden armageddon.

It may not be as satisfying but perhaps in the long run more effective.

As for the Magpie I doubt they can decimate a hive perhaps they would take a couple of dozen bees before being sated. Is it worth shooting them for that. What about a child's spinner next to the hive...your own scarecrow...

A shot to the top lip is a real shame...I took three to the head last week and it took 4 days to transform from ...well the elephant man to the ... er... elephant man. I guess your abercrombie and fitch modelling contract will have to wait a few days.

All the best,
Sam

CUMBAYA M'LORD Cumbayaaaa
Ooohh maas lord cumbayaaa

 

[thurrock bees]

i have a magpie trap if you wish to use it.
TB

 

[mandabow]

our neigbour does very well at scaring off birds with cd's hung off trees with nylon. He uses the freebie one's as they come, but you could make thm slightly less unsightly but sticking back to back.. Its the reflective surface flashing that disturbs them... Seems to work on magpies despite their shiny thing liking..

Sadly straps may only slow a fox/badger down.. If he/she has a taste for honey and/or larva now it doesn't take much to scratch thro poly. Fingers crossed it just got confused and thought it was a wheelie bin and didn't enjoy contents enough to withstand stings and try again..


On a side note isn't it funny all animals nowadays are endangered(sometimes protected), food/food producers (sometimes far removed from native strain) or pests (genyerally hated), none get away with just being. Being eaten is the key to sucess well if sucsess is survival without us hating them but none the less treating them like cr4p..

 

[Dishmop]

I have seen a magpie take young out of blackbirds nest,
and a pair here terrorise a cat...

 

[rae]

Magpie with an air rifle is fine, make sure it is close (20 yards tops for a clean kill) - this is the problem with air rifles and magpies, they're crafty buggers and getting close is hard. I prefer a proper .22.

Mr Fox needs a proper gun - even a .22 rimmy is very high risk for a fox. Centerfire .222 would be my min, though dispatching them with a .243 deer rifle is certainly effective. All on FAC of course. Shotgun with large shot at close range is fine, but will get the neighbours itchy.

 

[RoseCottage]

Cumbayaaa mlord cumbayaaa

 

[Ceph]

The cats chase the foxes down my street.

If you can't find a cat that "knows Kung Fu"...

Why don't you ask ones of those fellas in the big hats outside Buckingham Palace to guard your apiary?

You might be able to convince him to have a skep hive in his hat.

I'd like to see him keep a straight face then.

 

[Stiffy]

This has been discussed before and it’s a shame people don’t protect their animals properly without resorting to 'caveman' tactics.

Magpies, foxes, badgers etc are doing what nature intended them to no more no less; they are not the enemy of the state and do not need to be decimated. In fact if you open your eyes you will appreciate how beautiful they are. Yes when possible they will take nestlings and eggs but just wonder around around your local supermarket and see what carnage humans have reaked!
If you haven’t realised before,in our eyes nature can be very cruel.

My money would be on a two legged pest as badgers are unlikely to be hungry enough to bother with a hive at this time of year and a fox is too much of coward.
If on the other hand you do find it’s a badger or fox put electric netting, same as used on poultry around the hives. It won’t take long for them to realise that bees have developed a new stinging method!


BTW. If I found anyone shooting close to a residential property I would call the police.
S

PS I hope you enjoy your bank holiday in a peace full way

 

[drstitson]

"BTW. If I found anyone shooting close to a residential property I would call the police."

provided they are on private land, with permission and >50ft from centre of nearest public road then it is most definitely NOT a police matter.

 

[Freer4]

So long as the pellet does not leave your property it's legal, but if you don't kill the bird and it leaves your property your in bother. As for shooting woodies the new laws is that you have to prove you have taken all reasonable steps to scare them fist and that it did not work.

 

[Dishmop]

Cross bow?

 

[nosmoking]

Magpies if not disturbing and eating your bees are pinching little birds eggs ( not jewellery )
Pigeons are eating all the oil seed rape your bees are feeding on .

And as for the fox !!!!! Just kill em all !!!

All three are vermin with no licence needed just appropriate methods needed !

So not sure why you "no smoking" got warned ???
woody

So not sure why you "no smoking" got warned ???
woody[/QUOTE]
I was warned because the pigeon I shot landed in someone elses garden and was NOT a clean kill although about 30 seconds later (apparently) it was dead! I am a responsible gun user and it's for vermin only not, pot shots at anything moving!
I don't want to go down the 'vermin' route but if idiots didn't put food out for vermin then the problem wouldn't bee so bad.
There are cats near me that hunt in packs and have decimated the wildlife around me (slow worms, frogs etc and they're not classed as vermin, shame!)
As for rules/the law regarding air guns then a few have been mentioned here. 50' from center of road, pellet must not leave your property, adequate back stop, public right of way footpaths etc, the list goes on.