Swienty poly hives

[tractorjohn]

This will be my first winter with poly hives the question I have is do you need to use a mouse guard on swienty polys?

 

[Thymallus]

You can borrow our cat if you want to.
He's pretty effective; only one mouse in a hive since we got him.
I think you can gather we don't use them with our Poly hives.
But their usage (or not) may depend entirely on mouse levels in your apiary.

 

[B+.]

do you need to use a mouse guard on swienty polys?

Yes.
You also need to protect them from woodpeckers....they make a terrible mess of the poly

 

[Thymallus]

Yes.
You also need to protect them from woodpeckers....they make a terrible mess of the poly

To say nothing of sheep on the moors, make a right mess if you don't fence them off. One of the little known disadvantages of poly hives.

 

[oliver90owner]

The choice of whether, or not, to use a mouse guard is up to the beekeeper. There are various factors to take into account - one might be the type of hive stand, per eg.

Fitting some means of preventing entry of these disruptive pests generally reduces the risk of damage. Certainly, the warm environment of a polyhive, where the bees remain more active at the most risky periods, may well reduce the risk of mice taking up residence, but it cannot be relied on to be 100% effective.

 

[tractorjohn]

Sorry should have said I always use guards on my wooden hives I just wondered if the poly needed them as the entrance is quite narrow as standard but better safe than sorry I guess.

 

[BeeJayBee]

This will be my first winter with poly hives the question I have is do you need to use a mouse guard on swienty polys?

I use Swienty poly langstroths, I've never used a mouse guard because the entrance is only a little bigger than beespace in height. I'm guessing from the pictures of the National that they're the same. http://www.swienty.com/shop/vare.asp?side=0&vareid=100062

I do reduce the width of the entrance to an inch or so using thin strips of wood which the bees propolise in place - I leave the opening towards the centre of the front of the brood box, so one strip of wood each side. That seems enough to deter any mice, because I've never seen evidence of them in any of our hives.

I've never, yet, had any trouble with Green Woodpeckers either. It's only when the local ones learn that there are bees inside a hive, and it's easy enough to drill a hole to reach them, that they do - and can wreck both wooden and/or poly hives in a very short time.

 

[JohnF]

Agree with beejaybee but I only close entrance when wasps about, otherwise leave open all year.
I have green woodpeckers around and found that it's usually when the ground is frozen that one in particular would have a go at a hive.
Had problems with rats underneath nibbling the floors at one apiary, so just covered the pallet with mesh then put a mesh wood pecker guard over the whole lot.

 

[Finman]

.
Hives need a mouse protection. I use entrance reducer which is so low opening that creatures cannot go in.

Pygmi shrew goes via very small holes.

 

[Swarm]

Agree with BeeJayBee or you could make an underfloor entrance which I find the best answer to wasps and mice.

 

[tractorjohn]

Cheers I have reduced the entrance width with a thin strip of wood because of wasps but I thought the size of the entrance might deter mice. I do hate mouse guards they always seem to get blocked up with dead bees in January.

 

[GlenJ]

Not had a mouse problem so far, wondering if the search for a winter nest is pretty much over by Christmas though. Numbers must be at their minimum by then, I would guess? Also thinking that the reduced entrance would be preferable to several holes in a galv plate, as is usually sold as a mouse guard.