Woodpeckers

[sipa]

Anyone else having problems with them yet ?

Little devils have taken a liking to some poly nuc roofs, going to net them today.


Couldn't be pheasants could it ?

 

[itma]

No such problem down here, but it is useful to remind poly-owners that - differently to most wooden hives - the roof is a weak spot.

And protective mesh/netting needs to be 'stood-off' from the surface beneath by several inches - six inches would be a reasonable first estimate.

 

[REDWOOD]

never had a problem

 

[enrico]

Likewise, no problem here....too many sheep eyes to eat!

 

[itma]

The problem is a real one.
But its localised.

I've seen last winter's woodpecker damage on both wood and poly hives within 15 miles of me.
But being in town, Greens are pretty rare except during the hardest part of the winter. I personally won't be bothering about peckerproofing for at least a couple of months yet ...

 

[Finman]

.
A problem is when a woodpecker will find the hives. It may do 15 holes in a day. I will use berry protection net this autumn.

When the woodperker gets the idea, and you repair the hole, it will open it at least nexts day.

And mouse will go via woodpecker hole very easily.

 

[Jimmys Mum]

Grrrr......We had them drill 2 holes in just one of our cedar hives last year. I thought that they were usually only a problem later in the winter once the ground is hard?

 

[Skyhook]

Thanks for the heads up- I watched one fly past my hives this week, but didn't think there would be a problem for weeks yet.


.

 

[masterBK]

Green woodpecker much prefer and actively seek out ants for their food and generally only attack beehives to eat bees when the ground is frozen preventing them attacking ant nests. So woodpecker attack in current weather conditions seems unusual so maybe something else is having a go.

 

[429bettsy]

I have a resident woody in my garden and so far, as far as i'm aware it hasn't showed any interest in my hives.

 

[paul]

I had to sort out some damage from woodpeckers around the middle of last month.

It's not the first time colonies have been pestered in early Autumn although my bees are now in an entirely different location.

 

[Chris Luck]

In my "garden" I have resident Lesser, Middle and Greater spotted Woodpeckers plus Green and Black Woodpeckers and never have any of them shown an interest in my hives what ever the weather.

Chris

 

[Rob55]

Don't think we even have them?

 

[Nose Ma]

Anyone else having problems with them yet ?

Little devils have taken a liking to some poly nuc roofs, going to net them today.


Couldn't be pheasants could it ?

re: pheasants

No issues here at all, ever, despite them and partriges being fed for the local shoots so we have many tens of them near the hives. They may pick off dead bees, but never gone for the hives direct.