Reducing hive entrance

[Jim282]

Hello,

I have fitted a mouse guard to the entrance of my hive - do I reduce the number of holes or them all open? I don't want to give them too much space and let the cold get in, or give them too little and they overheat.

The colony is in a national hive with about 4/5 frames of sustenance in to help them get through winter. I will very likely be feeding them as well (by the way, this is an inherited hive, I haven't been greedy and stolen all their honey for myself - in fact, I've had nothing from them).

Thanks!

 

[Erichalfbee]

If you have a mesh floor it doesn’t matter. If solid then leave them all
The bees need 40lb of stores which is 8 National frames or 5 14x12

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If you have a mesh floor it doesn’t matter

Until the few holes you've left for them get blocked up by dead bees - I'd leave them all open - solid or mesh floor

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes I meant that
Better still use floors that don’t need mouse guards
I never use guards at all

 

[Jim282]

Ahhh, okay. I have a mesh floor.

I have a poly hive with an entrance reducer, but I heard that the mice are able to squeeze through those gaps, so I thought it prudent to put the mouse guard on to be on the safe side. It's on there now, so I guess I will leave it on as it will do no harm and may deter the honey hungry critters.

I will leave the holes open for some ventilation as well!

 

[birdsandbees]

Dude! your'e in Cornwall, good luck to any mice trying to get into the hive while they are still active.

Mice shouldn't be an issue until the bees are clustered up when it gets really cold, I don't use them myself all my hives are Poly and elevated off the floor. The only time I have had a mouse get in was a Nuc with a weaker colony in residence and it was in the depths of winter.
As above just be careful whacking on a mouse guard while they are still active or undertaker bees won't be able to do their job.

 

[Smallbeehive]

My first winter with a beehive so I am going to have to pretty much ask the same question as above as I want to be sure I am doing it right.

I have a national with the larger of the two entrance hole reducers on, I am about to install the mouse guard so was wandering do I take the whole entrance reducer block out completely or leave that on and put on mouse guard on over that? I have an open mesh floor with inspection tray underneath atm

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

My first winter with a beehive so I am going to have to pretty much ask the same question as above as I want to be sure I am doing it right.

I have a national with the larger of the two entrance hole reducers on, I am about to install the mouse guard so was wandering do I take the whole entrance reducer block out completely or leave that on and put on mouse guard on over that? I have an open mesh floor with inspection tray underneath atm

take the block away and put the mouse guard on

 

[Erichalfbee]

 

[Smallbeehive]

Thanks will do

 

[Ian123]

I very much doubt you need a mouse guard atm and I have very little use for them in general. I find hives that are well packed with bees and those with a reduced entrance and a brood area centerd to the entrance have few issues the same goes for my nucs. I find the biggest issue with mice and double brood boxes as the bees move up and away from the front door over winter the mice move in.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I find the biggest issue with mice and double brood boxes as the bees move up and away from the front door over winter the mice move in.

All those nadired supers spring to mind

 

[Ian123]

Yes always seamed a daft idea to me. Forcing bees away from the front door rather leaves it open to wasps and mice but there you go!!

 

[Beefriendly]

I very much doubt you need a mouse guard atm and I have very little use for them in general.

over 300 hive winters and to date 2 mouse incursions. proviso we have a good mouser cat....but similar in out apiaries.
Hate to see some of that vital spring pollen being stripped from their "knees" come spring as they struggle thorough their small round openings.

 

[Millet]

Yes I meant that
Better still use floors that don’t need mouse guards
I never use guards at all[/QUOTE]

Bingo.. .. i can not for the life of me understand some folk's common sense..

 

[Millet]

over 300 hive winters and to date 2 mouse incursions. proviso we have a good mouser cat....but similar in out apiaries.
Hate to see some of that vital spring pollen being stripped from their "knees" come spring as they struggle thorough their small round openings.

New to this hobby as we know..but in this small time i have had the little stingers.. the last thing on my mind is mouse guards..it makes me chuckle out VERY loud when they get mentioned..

 

[ShinySideUp]

My first winter with a beehive so I am going to have to pretty much ask the same question as above as I want to be sure I am doing it right.

I have a national with the larger of the two entrance hole reducers on, I am about to install the mouse guard so was wandering do I take the whole entrance reducer block out completely or leave that on and put on mouse guard on over that? I have an open mesh floor with inspection tray underneath atm

I would have thought that now was too early to be taking out entrance blocks as the wasps are still active and with no entrance block that's a mighty big hole for a reducing number of bees to protect.

 

[Beefriendly]

as the wasps are still active and with no entrance block that's a mighty big hole for a reducing number of bees to protect.

It's weird, we were plagued with wasps in August now not a single one can be seen. Me suspects they all starved to death due to numbers. Or shall we say around here they did.

 

[enrico]

Well I had mice once...,..never again. For the sake of pinning a bit of metal on the front of the hive it can save a whole box of stinky horrible mess that has to be destroyed..... That's the no brainer!
E

 

[Jim282]

Thanks for all the replies. It seems a bit of a split decision - but ultimately no harm in having it on there. Maybe next year I'll try it without for comparison (assuming I'll have at least two hives by then).

As I only have one hive and it's yards from my house I'll just keep on checking that it's not getting blocked up with dead bees. I watched them this morning and the few that had pollen on their legs seemed to go in fine - so hopefully they'll not lose too much.