Slugs and any other unwanted pests in and around the hive

[the beehive lodge]

4 slugs was found to be in one my hive eating honey and being a general nuisance does anyone else have this problem and what is the best way to deal with them thanks in advance Alan

 

[richardbees]

Wrap copper wire round the legs of your hive stand?

- making sure it's not visible by the itinerant travelling community

 

[tidymeup]

I generally fine all sorts of other insects living around and in my hives. Usually they don't bother one another but in your case you could try a copper strip around each leg of the stand to try and stop them.

 

[Chrisfnvs]

slugs outside the hive never seen them inside, earwigs mostly gone now but loads of ladybirds in the roofs chris

 

[the beehive lodge]

Why copper do they not like it, and if so why not
i will try tomorrow i was thinking of some salt round the legs good or bad let me know

 

[richardbees]

Alan

Copper wire is what gardeners use around plant containers.....something to do with creating a 'voltaic' current when the slimy slug touches - they instantly withdraw.

rich

 

[The Cumbrian]

Why copper do they not like it, and if so why not
i will try tomorrow i was thinking of some salt round the legs good or bad let me know

The slime and the copper react creating an electric current which the slug doesn't like. The barrier does need to be quite wide say 2 - 3 inches.

 

[Erichalfbee]

How are they getting through the mouseguards?

 

[Hivemaker.]

How are they getting through the mouseguards?

Through the holes in the mouse guard.

 

[richardbees]

apropos of which

one of my mouse guards is a wooden block with a 9mm deep slot protected by a portcullis of copper nails spaced 9mm apart - for exactly this reason.

 

[BeeMoustashe]

hm, am thinking of making a copper mouseguard for next year now... Dragon's Den maybe?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Through the holes in the mouse guard.

Not like a Cumbrian slug,then.
The ones in my garden are the size of baby bananas

 

[nosmoking]

Pint container buried nearby and half full of cheapo beer does the trick with slugs. They can't resist the smell/taste and drown. Always worked for me.

 

[BeeMoustashe]

Pint container buried nearby and half full of cheapo beer does the trick with slugs. They can't resist the smell/taste and drown. Always worked for me.

But did it work on the slugs?

 

[nosmoking]

But did it work on the slugs?

Ha ha. You're so quick. Should have read it through more thoroughly, hic!

 

[BeeMoustashe]

now you sound like my wife

 

[Luminos]

Salt will work, you'd need to put a trail of it around the hive, and you'd need to keep renewing the trail.

I was barbecuing one night, and when I opened up the lid to remove the food, a leopard slug was on the grill trying to get at the food - the only thing stopping it was the heat! (Not much help for your question, I realise...)

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

If you can get your hands on an old copper water cylinder, it can be cut into strips and large rings and used keep slugs and snails away.
I place these large copper rings around the plants in the poly tunnel and works well, no reason why a smaller version wouldn't work around the hive legs...

 

[alanf]

Vaseline (actually poundshop petroleum jelly) in a ring on the stand may help. Works on some greenhouse pots and deters most, if not all, of the ants.

I've not found copper wire or foil to be any deterrent to slugs. May be either because it wasn't substantial enough or they had already found the plants before copper was added. Have not tried BKP's more substantial barrier, copper scrap prices may make it harder to get cylinders these days.

 

[BeeMoustashe]

just raid abandoned houses for it. That's what alot of people do around my way