Mouseguards

[sharonh]

What's the best time of day to attach. I tried to attach this eve,but had to abort. As soon as I tried, the bees started spilling out of entrance ready for attack.
Out of five hives, I only got one done.
Was just getting dark at the time.
What's the best time of day to do this?
No mouse would get by them at the moment, but want to get them fitted before nights gets colder.
Sharon

 

[itma]

Were you using a hammer?


I use drawing pins and use a magnet to hold and push the pin into place. Minimal disruption.
I just do it during the day.
Evening isn't likely to be a good choice.


Incidentally, if you have to do anything on/around the hives after dark, use a red light torch (like a bike back light, even). Bees can't see in red light!

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

I use drawing pins and use a magnet to hold and push the pin into place. Minimal disruption.
I just do it during the day.
Evening isn't likely to be a good choice.

But I also 'pre-drill' small holes in the mouse guards, for the drawing pins, using a hammer and nail. I find trying to pin them using the big bee holes doesn't work.

Dusty

 

[wessexmario]

If drawing pins won't hold, then small self tapping screws work well and are stealthier than hammering anything. Don't tighten too much though, you'll want to be able to easily remove it! A bit of beeswax on the thread helps prevent rust and the screw sticking.

 

[oliver90owner]

Isn't wearing a bee suit a simple idea?

If you are really worried about a few bees, I am sure you could think of a simple way to do it. Like sticky tape the mouseguard into position with the entry/exit holes covered, fix one side (conveniently left with no tape covering), remove sticky tape and return later to fix the other (bottom?) side in a similar manner? If you are hammering, well you deserve the attention of the bees! Or some such method!

You could buy in the really expensive 'slot in' mouseguards so that you avoid anything more than 'slotting them in' for future use.

Time of day? Does it really matter? Better done in daylight so you can easily see what you are doing.

Mouseguards this early? Your choice, I suppose.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Can someone answer a newbee question that gets danced around? Can a mouse get under an entrance reducer of 100 mm by 6 mm remaining entrance?

 

[ratcatcher]

Can someone answer a newbee question that gets danced around? Can a mouse get under an entrance reducer of 100 mm by 6 mm remaining entrance?

a simple way, if you can push a BIRO pen into any hole, a mouse can get through also (trust me, full time pest controller)

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Thanks, @ratcatcher. So, sitting at my desk and googling to a decent-looking source: "The Bic Biro is a ballpoint pen approximately 145mm long and diameter of 9mm. The transparent barrel is hexagonal." Brushing off the O-level geometry, I get a height (assuming conservatively the "diameter" is between hexagon points) of 7.8 mm, which corresponds to rough measurement. So, "no", a mouse cannot get through a 6mm beespace. Thanks again.

 

[oliver90owner]

Almost certainly cannot get through a small gap such as that if there is 90 degree change of direction like a height-reduced Dartington entrance.....

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

And for overewintering poly nucs, will the (plastic) QE service or is a better solution needed?

 

[itma]

a simple way, if you can push a BIRO pen into any hole, a mouse can get through also (trust me, full time pest controller)

More or less true, but not quite the 'hole' story!

The field mouse can dislocate its jaw to get through a smaller (but wide) slot than the smallest round hole it can fit through.
You could have a slot that a biro wouldn't get through, but a mouse could.

However 6mm should be low enough to keep a (British Standard) mouse on the outside.



I used a metal guillotine to cut a standard (Thorne) mouseguard into (I think it was) four short sections. I pinned a section behind the entrance disc (pinned in the open position) on my Paynes nucs last winter. No mice got through. No problem for the bees.

 

[sharonh]

Thanks everyone for your replies. No I wasn't hammering at all. Was extra quiet but they just were so reactive and spilled out that couldn't get the mouse-guard in right position so left it.
I will try during day light when they are busy. Just don't want to squish bees between entrance block & mouse guards.
I use drawing pins so no hammering involved.
RAB, nights getting very cold here in Ireland, a couple nights of frost already so think the time has come to put them in place.
Bees still very active during the day but even day temp gone down in past week.
Sharon

 

[Erichalfbee]

T Just don't want to squish bees between entrance block & mouse guards.

When I used to use those metal mouseguards I used to remove the entrance block

 

[sharonh]

When I used to use those metal mouseguards I used to remove the entrance block

I have tried leaving a cup hook in,so to be able to pull out the block,but they glue it in so well that they won't budge.
I just leave them in now with mouseguards over them. I check regular for any blockages during the winter & have never had any problems.
Never had any bother getting them on either but this Year, they are all really protective & reactive. The slightest noise and they are piling out. A mouse would not have a change but with weather getting colder by the day & night, I would prefer to have all done.
Sharon

 

[itma]

...
Never had any bother getting them on either but this Year, they are all really protective & reactive. The slightest noise and they are piling out. …

Might already be a mouse inside … worth a check, I'd say.

 

[sharonh]

Might already be a mouse inside … worth a check, I'd say.

It would be one sorry mouse I think. Bees would be all over him/her in a split second.

 

[Alabamaeee]

On my Swienty Poly hives I drilled two holes, one either side of the entrance on the poly floor, then glued in rawlplugs. I got small wooden drawer knobs and some "double ended" wood screws ( the type that have no head ). One end was screwed into the drawer knobs and the other is then inserted through one of the mouse holes and screwed into the rawlplugs. Seems pretty secure, and a bit belt an braces as the entrance slot is 6mm, however better to be safe then have to clean out a mouse infested hive

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

More or less true, but not quite the 'hole' story!

The field mouse can dislocate its jaw to get through a smaller (but wide) slot than the smallest round hole it can fit through.
You could have a slot that a biro wouldn't get through, but a mouse could.

However 6mm should be low enough to keep a (British Standard) mouse on the outside.



I used a metal guillotine to cut a standard (Thorne) mouseguard into (I think it was) four short sections. I pinned a section behind the entrance disc (pinned in the open position) on my Paynes nucs last winter. No mice got through. No problem for the bees.

Thanks. Mine may have to make do with a couple of 6mm holes punched in a section of drinks can.

 

[peterbees]

When I used to use those metal mouseguards I used to remove the entrance block

When I remove the propolized entrance blocks, I use two hive tools, one to lever up the brood box and I then insert the hooked end of a hook type hive tool into the slot in the entrance block, and give it a good pull against the inside face of the entrance block. It usually works. I do it when the weather is very cold, and I use a Snowley mouseguard magnet to push in the drawing pins.

 

[Cazza]

Much easier to use those colourful map pins than regular drawing pins. Easier to fit and pull out and you can see them when you inevitably drop them.
Cazza