Do Raccoons and Opossum eat bees like skunks do? My hives are on stands about knee high and we have both coming in the yard. I have a ratchet strap securing it to the stand just in case Raccoons try to raid it. I'll have 2 ratchet straps holding the hive to the stand for hurricane season.
I am not sure Carol but set a live trap and relocate them or permanently dispose of them. The opossum took out 6 of my chickens the other night and came back for more last night but got caught and went to animal heaven!
Blanc
I've not seen them bother the hive but if they do...then I'll get busy on the electric fence. Relocating probably isn't an option....they just keep coming...we are in a heavily wooded area and animals live here. All of them are welcome in the yard.. it looks like a mine field from the Armadillos...even have wild hogs come thru once in awhile, turkey, a pair of Peacocks once...I'm a critter lover, you can tell if you've checked my blog. People move in...housing developments pop up...every tree cut down and then it's named "Black Hammock Reserve" or Forest or some other name that doesn't fit. No place left for them to go...I don't use pesticides, herbicides...don't even mow if it looks like something has a flower and a bee visits it. Oops...better get off my soap box.
I have both here and have never seen either near a hive.
Glad to hear that....though from your "signature" any thing can happen. I'd rather fence it than run my critters off. The stand is high enough that if they do get interested....they will be exposing their bellies and maybe get the idea that it isn't a good deal.
tie a gator to a post, and they won't bother the hive.
I had something one year pull my oil trays out of the hives to feed on the oil and dead crap that collected in the trays. But the coons like my chickens more than my bees.
I just keep a couple month old chicken tied by one leg close to the hive as a sacrificial lamb... :evil:
Not really. Lol I get foxes, raccoons and opossums in my yard and they haven't messed with my bees, but do love my chickens... :( apparently your not supposed to lick the wire... :evil:
(http://s21.postimg.org/lz29tf10j/image.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/lz29tf10j/)
Quote from: PLAN-B on June 02, 2013, 10:57:26 PM
I just keep a couple month old chicken tied by one leg close to the hive as a sacrificial lamb... :evil:
Not really. Lol I get foxes, raccoons and opossums in my yard and they haven't messed with my bees, but do love my chickens... :( apparently your not supposed to lick the wire... :evil:
(http://s21.postimg.org/lz29tf10j/image.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/lz29tf10j/)
Looks like you skipped the electric fence charger and went straight to a wall outlet. Very effective. ;)
I would love to see that little guy run thru my yard. Hope to have chickens when I get done boating and all the other stuff that takes me away for days at a time......probably have to put them inside the electric fence also.
its just a regular electric fence bought from Home Depot. Made to keep dogs in the yard...
I guess it hit him on the shoulder and he turned to bite it... Must have been a damp night...lol :evil: Havent seen one since.
I had a Coon, (wait, I better be politically correct). Let me start over. I had a Raccoon come by a week or so ago at 2:30PM (Heat of the day in Florida) and temps were touching high 80's maybe low 90F. Not sure what he was after as once he saw me sit up in the sunroom he ran back into the woods however he was headed in the direction of the hives. We did this 2 times before I set a trap. He was caught very quickly. I have not had any issues at night that I know of.
I have had Raccoons and opossums in my bee yard. Didn't notice that anyting done to them. I did set a live trap caught the possum the first night and the coon the next. They were relocated else where.
Joe
I had a very large raccoon tip over my bee hive 2 summers ago. It ate some honey, but left the brood frames and I was able to save the hive the next day.
Now I keep very heavy bricks on top of the hive and on the hive stands.
My husband saw this racoon coming down the road from the bee hive same night it happened and then we saw the dead racoon at the bottom of the road next night. Probably got stung a lot.
I have 2 ratchet straps criss crossing the top of the hive tying it to the stand...the stand has 4 legs and set in concrete. Had to do that for hurricane season....but a determined critter might get into it.