So if I put a hive on my property, will it attract wild critters looking to menace? Also I have three small dogs, and my neighbors have dogs (not so small) is common for dogs to try to get into a hive to munch honey?
Oh yeah, I live in a wooded area with near by cranberry bogs and ponds, if that helps...
I would be more concerned with bears and skunks!!
Youy should try the ventrilo program sometime,get an answer right away if any one knows the answer!!
Bears, not so much... not quite that wooded.... But skunks will come? Will they try to get into the hive or just hang around and be stinky?
I haven't seen a skunk around my hives. I live out in the country and there are skunks around. See them on the roadways :-D No bears around these parts and none of the dogs are ever interested. Only furry creatures that have been a problem are mice. And only a few times.
My dogs stay clear of my hives.
I guess once they got stung they lost interest in honey!
As a matter of fact, up until recently, when i would try to give my dogs honey they would back off!. But now, they've learned that if the honey doesnt buzz its safe to eat!
your friend,
john
http://www.bushfarms.com/beespests.htm#skunks
One of my dogs likes to lay around the hives when I'm working them. The others don't come around after being stung once. My five year old grandson started working the hives this year. If he can get through it, you can. Wear what you feel most comfortable in and adjust from there.
We live way out and nothing bothers the hives. It helps that neighbors got a great peiranese(speling)and a malamute wolf mix , and we got a scott terier and 3 calico cats(thats another story) . If the hives are 18 in of the ground , skunks don't like to bother them . Climbing exposes theyr bald areas.
My Chessie keeps trying to taste the bees. She still lays out on top of the hives as does our cat.
My hives are about 16 inches off the ground so skunks don't bother them.
I did catch my wolf hound eating the bees as they flew out of a wet honey super that i left out for the bees to clean out. I guess they taste like honey.
Jim
For some reason my bees have been visiting our doormat on the back porch. The only thing I can come up with is they are sucking water off of it. But our cat has been on a killing spree on that mat. She hasn't been stung yet, but we are just waiting. lol
Since I put up my hives I've only seen one skunk. I yelled at it and haven't seen it since. So our only pest right now is our cat. lol
Sean Kelly
In the wild bees try to build homes around 30 feet up and in secure places like tree trunks. Why? Because everyone wants to get into a beehive. Wasps want their larvae, Wax Moth want the wax, Small hive beetles want in there also. Bears, skunks, possums, toads, mice, and those pesky 2 legged hairless apes all seem to want in the hive.
It's a real problem when all your neighbors look at you as a food source.
Beekeepers resort to all sorts of means to protect their hives. With means ranging from raising the hives so many inches above ground, top entrances, and electric fences.
Think of beekeeping with a certain amount of combat strategy. Understand your enemy and their weakness and exploit those.
Sincerely,
Brendhan
Quote from: hellbenthoneybee on March 19, 2008, 08:29:35 PM
So if I put a hive on my property, will it attract wild critters looking to menace? Also I have three small dogs, and my neighbors have dogs (not so small) is common for dogs to try to get into a hive to munch honey?
Best advice I could give you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjnvSQuv-H4
This is what I do, that you can do for skunks, like suprstakr says:
http://picasaweb.google.com/pyxicephalus/MyMainBeeyardFebruary252008/photo#5180562632605082818
...JP
JB what is your main reason for the 4x4? Instead of just setting them on the blocks. I got a feeling that so it will work as a table at the same time.
Quote from: my-smokepole on March 22, 2008, 11:25:18 AM
JB what is your main reason for the 4x4? Instead of just setting them on the blocks. I got a feeling that so it will work as a table at the same time.
Just one little extra precaution against the wind, if a nice breeze, say 100 miles an hr, comes by, maybe the set up will hold together better because the 4x4's are inside the blocks, but what do I know.
...JP