Mouse guards

[teignbee]

I have been up to my hives today,very busy bringing in pollen. I changed the floors for OMFs wich i converted from the solid floors,cut out the solid floor and replaced with mesh. I also removed the entrance blocks completely,and have put on the mouse guards.Now,im not sure if i have done the right thing. Should i have left the blocks in and put the guards over them?

 

[Somerford]

hi

in previous years I have put mouse guards in place by now, but the weather is so mild, the mice will still be in the fields.

I tend to put them on after the last inspection of the year.

I personally always leave the entrance block in. this will be the first year I have overwintered with an OMF.

s

 

[teignbee]

Thanks for the reply somerford. Do you think the way i have done the guards will be okay or should i pop the blocks back in?

 

[oliver90owner]

It might matter if there might be a draught straight in the entrance. Or if there are robbing bees. Looks like the wasp problem has passed. I usually just leave a section at one end. One mouse guard will then do three or four hives!

They are not good for bees carrying pollen. There should be no problem with mice until the bees cluster. If I were a mouse I would not be risking the wrath of the bees while it is still so warm in the hive.

Regards, RAB

 

[Onge]

I have already put the mouse guards on over the entrance restricters.

 

[Hivemaker.]

The wasp problem may only be a temporary reprieve,they are busy on the ivy as are the bee's.

 

[teignbee]

Thanks for that. I will go up in the morning and put the blocks back in then put the mouse guards over the top.

 

[Somerford]

mouseguards

Thanks for that. I will go up in the morning and put the blocks back in then put the mouse guards over the top.

I usually fix in place with gold drawing pins as they don't need hammering in - looks like you have used upholstery pins ?

 

[daytonadean]

just to add,
if leaving the reducer blocks on over winter, turn them over so the cut out is upper most. any bees that die in the winter wont block the enterance causing a problem in the spring ..

 

[teignbee]

Somerford, they are drawing pins,honest. By putting the reducer blocks upside down,does this not prevent the bees clearing out rubbish from the hive?

 

[oliver90owner]

OMF? Turn them back again in the spring? We are talking here last inspection of the year, really. Not assuming the end to the season has already passed. It may have for a honey harvest, but that is obviously not stopping the bees from foraging and keeping the mice at bay.

RAB

 

[teignbee]

Not really sure what your reply means. Turn them back again in the spring?

 

[oliver90owner]

teignbee,

Reply to posts #9 and 10.

I mean if 'they' (the entrance blocks) are turned upside down for the winter, trash can still fall through the OMF floor? 'They' can be re-inverted in the spring? Or even just removed, so the bees can clear out any remaining trash. It will be spring-clean time, for all the colonies, anyway. I always check with a pice of stiff wire (coat hanger) to make sure the entrance is not blocked whenever I check my National hives in the winter months. Lots of dead bees will ring alarm bells!!!

Ideally there will be very few dead bees in the hive. You can worry about your bees as much as you want, but mostly, they can look after themselves; they were doing that very successfully for millions of years before man came along.....

And for the beehouse lot, there is another of those positives for the wooden Dartington design; the entrance can remain open full-width all winter, the bees are wintered well back from the actual entrance slot, behind a full width dummy insulating board (well my Dartingtons are!) so any draught through the entrance slot (and there won't be a lot) won't affect them anyway. But maybe the plastic version is a bit of a design compromise in that area (I don't know)?

Regards, RAB

 

[bobandbec]

I take all entrance blocks out before putting mouse guards in place. Hasn't caused a problem and gives easy access for the bees to come and go as well as performing housekeeping duties.

Peter