When to remove mouse guards

[frenchbees]

Bees have been very active recently and I have been removing the mouse guard in the morning to avoid congestion and putting it back in the evening.
When can I just take it away?

 

[MrB]

took mine off yesterday. and replaced with an entrance restrictor

 

[Moggs]

I'm watching mine. Bees were bringing in huge loads of pollen over the weekend and there is little doubt that the mouse guards could strip off some of their cargo at the entrance. I will probably give it another week in the hope that the weather will have warmed sufficiently to allow the mice some slack. On a similar note (and not wishing to hijack the thread) what about woodpecker netting and hive straps?

 

[rae]

Our mouseguards came off last week - serious congestion at the entrance. We are leaving the entrance blocks in place, so they have an 8 x 1 bee space slot to go through - this is fine.

Woodpecker protection also came off. My rationale being that the bees are up and about during the day and Mr Woodie would get a nasty surprise if he came knocking. If it cools down again and activity drops, the protection will go on again.

 

[Friar Tuck]

There was frost on my car yesterday morning .. I have watched bees toeing and frowing with pollen the mouse-guards dose not seem to effect them, the holes are no smaller than the entrance blocks that came with my hives! I'm gonna leave myne on until the threat of <0 degrees has well and truly gone

 

[rix]

I take mouse guards off straight before the cleansing flight.

 

[enrico]

Take it off now

As soon as your bees become active you can remove the guard. The real danger with mice is when they get in to over winter. They nest in a corner away from the cluster of bees and after a while the bees will ignore them. they will then eat into the frames and defecate in the hive meaning that it all has to be destroyed or renewed. When the bees get active and start to spread around the hive they will soon stop the mice getting in. An entrance reducer will further discourage any interested from the little beggars.
I only ever use entrance reducers and not mouse guards and have only once had mice in when they pulled the entrance reducer out to gain entry! Worth fixing the entrance reducer in the Autumn to stop that.
Good luck

 

[victor meldrew]

I take mouse guards off straight before the cleansing flight.

That's damned good weather forecasting

John Wilkinson

 

[MrB]

That's damned good weather forecasting

John Wilkinson