Mystery nibbler!

[Newbeeneil]

I have a couple of 3 frame nucs I am putting through winter which both had/have colonies that were weak in September so I put them into these nucs made from 6mm ply covered on all sides with 50mm PIR. The colonies both seem active and have taken down fondant so I assume they are doing ok but I've not peaked at the since installation.
Whilst visiting one apiary today i noticed that one of these had been nibbled or pecked by some unseen miscreant.
Any ideas? if it was a wood pecker it would have gone straight through and if it was a mouse it couldn't have made the marks halfway up the sides.

My best guess is its a tit or other small bird that's pecking at its own refection in the foil.

Any better guesses?

The first picture is of the nuc that is not being attacked for detail of the size etc. (I forgot to take a scale pic at the first site! Doh)

 

[enrico]

Could be any bird. They fight for their territory and don't realise their reflection is not another bird!cover it in a cloth and you will probably be ok.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Could be any bird. They fight for their territory and don't realise their reflection is not another bird!cover it in a cloth and you will probably be ok.

You'll have to catch it first though

 

[user 819]

I had this with my diy PIR LH and it is painted, two or three small attacks over this spring/summer. Probably bird and I wouldn't rule out magpies or jays either.

 

[enrico]

You'll have to catch it first though

Love it

 

[oliver90owner]

Day or night attacks? Unlikely to be a bird at night.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

owl?

 

[Pembroke]

Get yourself a trail camera setup in front of the hive. That will settle the question for certain.

 

[Into the lions den]

Suspect Great Tits....can be surprisingly destructive....just has the look of their work.

 

[johnfly]

Suspect Great Tits....can be surprisingly destructive....just has the look of their work.

I agree, remember the old milk bottles with foil tops they were soon into them and anything with foil on they will soon have holes in it

 

[Erichalfbee]

I agree, remember the old milk bottles with foil tops they were soon into them and anything with foil on they will soon have holes in it

Yes there was cream on top

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

And they were mostly blue tits - or at least around with us

 

[Into the lions den]

And they were mostly blue tits - or at least around with us

Yes indeed...the milk tops were the work of Blue tits. Showing my age that I remember that. Also when it was hard frost and the tops were pushed up onto little towers.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Yes indeed...the milk tops were the work of Blue tits. Showing my age that I remember that. Also when it was hard frost and the tops were pushed up onto little towers.

Yes, as a paperboy I used to see that as I delivered, the milk man used to deliver about 5 hours before me! If the house had silver top and gold top the silver top always seemed taller. More fat in the gold top?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Yes, as a paperboy I used to see that as I delivered, the milk man used to deliver about 5 hours before me! If the house had silver top and gold top the silver top always seemed taller. More fat in the gold top?

Yes - silver top was bog standard milk, gold top was Jersey/high cream content milk red top was skimmed - semi skimmed hadn't been invented when my father had the milk round, but later had a silver top with red stripes, Sterilised milk came in a different shaped bottle with a crown cap. Around with us, most people left a few pieces of slate on the doorstep for us to p[lace over the bottles to stop the tits, posh people actually bough plastic caps which clipped over the bottles

 

[Erichalfbee]

When I was little the milk delivery was a highlight of the day. The kids used to rush out to pat the milkman’s horse. Happy days.

 

[Murox]

When I was little the milk delivery was a highlight of the day. The kids used to rush out to pat the milkman’s horse. Happy days.

Reminds me of when I used to get a lift home, if I was lucky, from primary school on the passing horse drawn cart belonging to our village poultry farmer who lived nearby. Very happy memories indeed.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

When I was little the milk delivery was a highlight of the day. The kids used to rush out to pat the milkman’s horse. Happy days.

Nowadays we have newcomers complaining about the free biodegradable green fertiliser whereas once ladies would scuttle out to collect the droppings to nourish the roses in their gardens.

 

[Repwoc]

Thanks folks - I feel much younger now.

 

[Arfermo]

When I was little the milk delivery was a highlight of the day. The kids used to rush out to pat the milkman’s horse. Happy days.

Still have our milk delivered - silver tops usually. We don't go cheapie with supermarket stuff which ruins other peoples livelihoods. Believe in use it or lose it as wife and I get increasingly infirm out here in the sticks.