Unwanted visitor attacking hive???

[Jeff Buzz]

Checked some of my hives yesterday and one has recently had the entrance opened somewhat.
So what do we think could be cause the problem?????

 

[stevebrowning]

Rats?

 

[sharonh]

Checked some of my hives yesterday and one has recently had the entrance opened somewhat.
So what do we think could be cause the problem?????

Same as above answer . That's why I use mouse guards on all hive entrances.

 

[Jeff Buzz]

Why do the bees not sting the rat??

 

[Tomo]

Probably because they are inactive in a cluster, conserving energy?

 

[user 6228]

Probably because they are inactive in a cluster, conserving energy?

add enough insulation and all uninvited guests get a welcome including the beekeeper at this time of year

 

[VEG]

did you look inside as that size hole is big enough for a rat to get in

 

[pargyle]

Checked some of my hives yesterday and one has recently had the entrance opened somewhat.
So what do we think could be cause the problem?????

Definitely rat chewing ... doesn't take them long to gnaw through timber ... personal experience of them chewing through a 1" thick pine box with hens corn in ... did the same with a plastic dustbin ... ended up with a galvanised bin - that stopped them but the teeth marks you can see in the photo are exactly the same - I'd lift the hive a bit off the floor and see if anything runs out. The bugger will destroy any comb or stores if the bees are inactive. Mine (bees that is) are still very much about but they are super-insulated so Derek is right ...

Mouse guard (of any sort you have or can make) and some insulation on there tomorrow if I were you ...

 

[Jeff Buzz]

Thank you for your advise you all were quite correct Mr Rat was looking for his dinner.
Hive now battened down and Mr Rat is on the hit list.
The bees are very active and quite defensive when I closed the hive up with perhaps 30 or so coming out to inspect what was going on how he hasn't been stung I don't know

 

[enrico]

Brilliant photo....that should go on a sticky...well done for showing us all what the blighters can do!
E

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Brilliant photo....that should go on a sticky...well done for showing us all what the blighters can do!
E

+1 ! Spectacular!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Brilliant photo....that should go on a sticky

I've heard of those humane rat 'sticky pad' traps, sold them in our farmer's Coop for a while - you put a pad down on a known rat run - rat's feet get stuck on the pad (no poison, no pain) and there it stays until you come along and bludgeon it to death with a big stick - great!

 

[mbc]

There was a good video posted on here some time ago(by LittleJohn ?) of a chap popping lots of rats with an air rifle and fancy night vision kit, the video was as seen through the scope and the chap gave commentary as he went round some farm buildings and humanely dispatched dozens of the beasts. I was that impressed I did a quick search on the web for similar kit, the cost ran to over a grand!

Found it; http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=23114

 

[BDCS]

If you use sticky boards you must give the rat access to water whilst in your care, you must inspect the boards every 12 hours and the rat must be dispatched humanely. If you can get your thumb through a hole a rat will get through and they regularly roam an 80 mtr radius for food. There is never one ! Poison would be better as the poisoned rat dies in the nest where the others eat the body and also get poisoned thereby sorting the whole problem.

 

[beeno]

Hi Jeff,
Thanks for posting the pic, that should get the message over loud and clear. I had half a black, hairy rat in my garden that had been deposited there by a crow. My neighbours call it feeding the birds, putting slices of stale bread on the grass! Be bubonic plague next as in Madagascar.

 

[Amari]

Smoke him out with a Varrox and pop him with an air rifle as he emerges.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Just done the rounds of my bait boxes this morning - funnily not much rat activity evident in the gardens this winter, but now's the time they usually start so fresh stuff laid out for them. Maybe that's the sole advantage of having Charlie poking around - not long before he had two of SWMBO's hens he was seen on a shed roof up the road with a rat in his mouth.

 

[beehive1234]

Found one large rat the cats got last night.

 

[pargyle]

Thank you for your advise you all were quite correct Mr Rat was looking for his dinner.
Hive now battened down and Mr Rat is on the hit list.
The bees are very active and quite defensive when I closed the hive up with perhaps 30 or so coming out to inspect what was going on how he hasn't been stung I don't know

That's a big beggar ... mine are much smaller brown rats but they appear to be leaving the hives alone ... still got to get them - as said, there's never just one and they breed like the proverbial.

 

[Jeff Buzz]

Yes he is a big one for sure I have NV gear on a .22 so I may just see if i can pop him off.