Watch out, Badger's about!

[davemacdon]

I am just about to site my first hive. I have two possible locations to place it in. My main location is a small field which is owned by a local business man. In talking with his wife this afternoon, she tells me that they have a fox in or around the area that has recently taken some of their chickens.
Whilst I believe this not likely to be a problem for the bees, mentioning that I was aware badgers may be more of a problem, I was informed that badgers are also close by, as the humane fox trap used caught a young badger (subsequently released).

My question for you is:
Should I continue to pursue this site with the known badger set close by or should I chose my second nearby (less than 1 mile) site, on the edge of a field with less knowledge of the surrounding wildlife?

I realise that I will not be able to relocate between these two sites without having somewhere further away.

Thanks in advance,

Dave.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Dave - badgers shouldnt be a problem, we have several about and they've never bothered my hives.

See this thread for further discussion
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=11009

 

[Nose Ma]

There seems to be a little confusion about the badger thing:

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=11009&highlight=badger

seeming to say "no problem" and

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=10232&highlight=badger

saying "shoot them all". I guess that's life.

on a practical issue - could you put a fence (electric or otherwise) around them to keep foxes and badgers out?

I don't know the roaming range of badgers and foxes, so moving a mile may still put you in the roaming radius. or there could be both waiting for you.

Not too sure that helps...

 

[davemacdon]

No fence has been discussed so far. I am trying to keep things as simple as possible, but will probably carry on with the location due to the benefits that it presents over my other site.
At my local assoc meeting recently, we were shown a feeder board that had been left out , to allow some bees to leave the comb that had been built on/in it. The board had been chewed away to allow the badger to get the comb out.
Just another reason for the thread in the first place, however I see many are claiming that it should be fine, and therefore I will continue to monitor this forum and the answers, with a view to probably continuing with the move to this site.

Thanks,

Dave.

 

[biggles]

I have ten hives with 3 badger sets less than 100yrds away. They have been there for 2 yrs no trouble at all. The badgers do go into the chicken pen by getting under or over all the different type of fencing I have tried.

Hope this helps

Pete

 

[African Queen]

If your hive is about hip height off the ground, as for example on a box with a smooth surface, then the badger shouldn't be able to reach the hive, as it is out of reach. Just make sure that the stand your hive is on is sturdy and smooth, preferably not wood, as badgers have limited climbing abilities.

 

[Midland Beek]

Badgers can use a hive as a scratching post, and this is how they sometimes get toppled over by badgers.

I do not know if badgers ever break into hives, but it is an idea not to leave scraps of comb around.

 

[Hivemaker.]

I do not know if badgers ever break into hives, but it is an idea not to leave scraps of comb around.

They do,and eat all the bee's and brood,and they love poly mini nuc's if they can get at them...they completely demolish them.