Mouse guards - timing

[44Whitehall]

Out of interest, who has already fitted mouse guards and when do others plan to fit them?

 

[Cazza]

Not yet, when the weather turns and the bees are clustered. Date not set in stone, often end October.
Cazza

 

[TOBY-3652]

don't bother with them

 

[Millet]

Do voles get drawn to a hive..? i don't know the knowledge of folk identifying little furry mammal's..is it the common house mice that are a pest or is it the woodland mice..

 

[Arfermo]

don't bother with them

Ditto. If the hives are on 12" stands and not in high grass etc, there should be no need. I have some mouseguards but gave up with them ages ago. Cat gets most of the mice round here SWMBO tells me.

 

[madasafish]

I have fitted some hives and others not. On a lawn so never had any mice in hives in unfitted hives.

 

[B+.]

If the hives are on 12" stands and not in high grass etc, there should be no need.

Unfortnately, mice can climb quite easily.
Instead of mouse guards, I use strips of the same mesh I make push in cages from which keeps wasps out too. The bees can quite easily defend a small (2-3 bee width) entrance but the holes spread along the whole width of the hive (as in commercial mouse guards) are too much for them. I apply these in late July when wasps become a problem

 

[Arfermo]

Unfortnately, mice can climb quite easily.

Maybe so but I have never had a problem. QED.

 

[masterBK]

Both the house mouse (Mus musculus) and field mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) are quite capable of jumping more than 12 inchs.

 

[Millet]

I have never seen a house mouse jump more than 12in but them little wood mice are like miniature kangaroo's i have caught many kind's in my Aviaries over the year's and the wood mice are the most agile but all species from personal experience pref-are to climb rather than jump and climb they can do with ease.. what about field vole's though as there is 40 acres of arable land surrounding my hive that is full of voles.. the cat's catch several every day..