Woodpeckers!

[rae]

So we went over to the bee field today so that we could do the OA treatment. All looked good from a distance, but close up we realised that all was not well. The local woodpeckers had been using one of the hives as target practice - there was the beginnings of a hole in the front of the roof, and a hole that was nearly through in the super. I nipped back to the house and picked up a spare roof, along with a roll of chicken wire. All sorted pretty quickly, the bees were certainly "on guard" when we trickled them. The hives are now wrapped in wire mesh, which should deter the blighters.

We also went over to a neighour's field that has an out apiary in it - the bees don't belong to the neighbour. Oh dear. One hive looked like a cricket ball had been through the roof, and I could see dead bees floating inside (dunno how a WBC works, seemed like a lot of water in there). I'm hoping that this hive was the one that was abandoned in the summer - the other two were intact, but had some damage to the front, and the bees were flying. We draped the rest of the chicken wire over the most damaged hive, hopefully that will protect it. We don't know the guys phone number.....arrgh. So if you're reading this, and have three (old, mainly white) WBCs in an out apiary near Holyport, Berks, get up there and check them over!

 

[oliver90owner]

We don't know the guys phone number.....arrgh.

Try your local BKA? Someone is likely to know. Or speak with the neighbour, who is likely to know the guy's #?

Regards, RAB