Mouse guards

[bee bee king]

When is the appropriate time to fit mouse guards ? Normally done it by now but so mild at the mo here in hastings, e sussex

 

[Gilberdyke John]

When is the appropriate time to fit mouse guards ? Normally done it by now but so mild at the mo here in hastings, e sussex

I don't use them. My hives are overhanging their stands. Same idea as steddle stones.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

just have entrance blocks with 8mm high entrances no need for mouseguards then. I think they are another British 'quirk' that the rest of the world laughs at

 

[Nannysbees]

When is the appropriate time to fit mouse guards ? Normally done it by now but so mild at the mo here in hastings, e sussex

Haven't put ours on yet as the pollen is pouring in, probably fit them in the next few weeks when we put on the recticel

 

[bee bee king]

I don't use them. My hives are overhanging their stands. Same idea as steddle stones.

Trouble is my bees are rural so I'm bothered by woodpeckers, mice and rats and badgers plus human trespassers. Last year the badgers tore off the mouse guards and then the rats ate the openings bigger and ate through several brood boxes. Also I like the entrance at the front in the sun so I can see at a glance what's going on. I might try this version tho on a few hives.

 

[Erichalfbee]

All my floors are UFE
Having found bees’ wings on the inspection tray for a couple of weeks I found the culprit. Sneaking into the porch, running along it till a guard bee poked her head out to see what was happening, then snaffling her to eat on the tray.

View attachment DSCF0013.mov

 

[Murox]

Trouble is my bees are rural so I'm bothered by woodpeckers, mice and rats and badgers plus human trespassers. Last year the badgers tore off the mouse guards and then the rats ate the openings bigger and ate through several brood boxes. Also I like the entrance at the front in the sun so I can see at a glance what's going on. I might try this version tho on a few hives.

Mine are rural too, biggest issue is with deer and curiously tits. The tits peck away at the entrances of poly nucs. I rebuilt the face of couple with cement, so far it's remained intact.

 

[bee bee king]

I don't use them. My hives are overhanging their stands. Same idea as steddle stones.

This may sound silly but how far do you overhang the hive ? Still cant see how mice cant get in by crawling up th back or along the side to front and just climb down and in.

 

[Moobee]

Thi

All my floors are UFE
Having found bees’ wings on the inspection tray for a couple of weeks I found the culprit. Sneaking into the porch, running along it till a guard bee poked her head out to see what was happening, then snaffling her to eat on the tray.

View attachment 41479

I think the mice in my garden are eating the dead & dying bees. Big neat piles of corpses behind the hives by the fence!

 

[ken in NH]

I flip over the bottomboard to the shallow side- not enough room for a mouse!

 

[Murox]

Certain poly hives have an entrance that is 8mm designed in.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

This may sound silly but how far do you overhang the hive ? Still cant see how mice cant get in by crawling up th back or along the side to front and just climb down and in.

About 2 to 3 inches all round. A bit of old ply or OSB works ok

 

[Penninetrader]

All my underfloor entrances are exactly 8mm but of varying length. Slugs have no problem at that size but doubt mice can enter, as for the slugs I am going to use some cut up waste copper pipe opened out as a sheet on the landing area