Mouse guards now or wait for pollen to completely stop coming in

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Natureboy44

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They're still bringing in pollen so is it best to wait before putting the mouse guard on? Got one of those metal ones that go right across the entrance with circular holes all the way across but have read it can cause them to loose pollen.
 
They're still bringing in pollen so is it best to wait before putting the mouse guard on? Got one of those metal ones that go right across the entrance with circular holes all the way across but have read it can cause them to loose pollen.

I don’t use mouseguards as most of my floor have an underfloor entrance and those that don’t have an entrance block with a much reduced entrance for winter.
When I did use them I put them on when the bees were clustering. An active colony with bees still flying is not likely to let a mouse in.
 
slots/holes, all the same, they knock pollen off - they're not needed until the bees are in cluster.
Never used them actually - either use conventional floors with a 7mm high entrance, or make some underfloor entrances
 
Entrances. It sounds like a fairly simple issue. But as a beginner I found it anything but.

From the simple discovery that floors vary in size so you need to buy the correct entrance size to suit your floor, to wasp excluders that did a superb job of keeping wasps out but also made it impossible for the bees to eject detritus and dead bees, rapidly leading to an almost blocked entrance. I'm always surprised how often seemingly simple issues lead to such complex considerations.

So you ask an important question. Thanks. I'm reading the responses with interest.
 
Last edited:
Entrances. It sounds like a fairly simple issue. But as a beginner I found it anything but.

From the simple discovery that floors vary in size so you need to buy the correct entrance size to suit your floor, to wasp excluders that did a superb job of keeping wasps out but also made it impossible for the bees to eject detritus and dead bees, rapidly leading to an almost blocked entrance. I'm always surprised how often seemingly simple issues lead to such complex considerations.

So you ask an important question. Thanks. I'm reading the responses with interest.

The simplest way is to have 7/8mm x 80/100mm entrance on one side of the block and 7mm/20mm on the next. 1 block covers all eventualities
 
I so agree, engineer the problem out like Swienty have.

and notably Paynes engineered the problem IN!!!!!!!! Doah!

PH
 
I have to put them on this week. Based on no facts at all, once it starts to hover around 10oC I slap them on. No mice so far.
 
I've fitted mine following a couple of frosty nights as the mice round here are wimps.
 

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