Woodpecker Protection

[Sabrina]

This is my first winter and I started to notice some woodpecker activity (i.e small peck marks) on my hive in December so I made a chicken mesh cloche which has done a brilliant job at confounding woodie. However, the bees seem to find it difficult to land on the landing board in any kind of wind with the mesh there so I'd like to remove as early as is safely possible.

When do most of you take off your woodpecker protection, or do you leave it all year round? It's a pain to have to pull it off every time I need to get to the hive too.

Delighted to see bees doing well when I briefly checked on them today. 90% of their fondant gone (applied 1st Jan) but when I hefted the hive it still feels weighty. Maybe they're just lazy ;o)

 

[Heather]

I have put the chicken wire round my out apiary hives so that the wire is above the flight board- works well- but -yes- do have to gingerly remove each time. A nuisance to me and woodie- but bees fine.
Do ensure the bees are breaking into stores (they leave a trail of evidence under the hive as wax crumble). They may have eaten fondant as the stores are too crystallised to use whilst stuck inside in poor weather. Bees can starve with stores there sometimes. Hefting can be deceptive. Look under the hive for that evidence... Open mesh floor hives only!

 

[Sabrina]

Thanks for that! Will check on wax crumbs tomorrow when I go check varroa drop. Have noticed yellowish 'dust' under hive etc which hopefully is wax, but will check properly. Keeping a close eye on them anyway.