Wild critters and new hives

OPJohn · January 06, 2016, 04:48:58 PM

I'll be setting up three new hives this year on our property, which borders a slough area. A slough is a spring fed stream, and in our case, runs into some wetlands and wild habitat adjacent to our property here in North Florida. This does have a good benefit in that we do have a constant supply of limestone fed 72 degree water for our bees to drink year around.

The bad part is, since it's on wetlands, we have a lot of wild things that explore our backyard.

We've lost some very nice koi and other more tropical fish to raccoons and possums. Black bear are also not uncommon in our area. Is there anything I should be doing proactively to help protect or secure the hives from the wild things, or just wait until I see signs of a problem before looking for a solution?

D Coates · January 06, 2016, 06:00:14 PM

Look for scratches on the landing board to indicate skunk/raccoon activity. The hive will be a bit hot after they visit too so that's a good indicator as well. Bears? Electric fences but I've got no experience with this. Make sure they're not in a serious flood plane and you can get something back there to put supers of honey on when it's time to harvest. You'll not enjoy watching you're hives drown or carrying supers any significant distance. Get them at least 8" off the ground to reduce hive rot and any flash low lying water, more's even better.

iddee · January 06, 2016, 09:41:29 PM

If you have bears, you might want to do a search for "bears" under the pest forum.

BeeMaster2 · January 06, 2016, 10:40:34 PM

John,
I have had bears cross my farm and not bother mine nor the 54 hives that are placed right next to my farm every year. At the same time, less than a mile from my farm a friend had all of his hives destroyed by a bear. Probably the same bear.
2 miles away the same commercial Beek that places his hives next to our property had to put up a bear fence around another 54 hive apiary.
I have not had any opposums or raccoons bother my hives ever. I do have problems with both of them entering my house through a doggy door and stealing our cats food.
In order for Koi to survive in this area you need a pond that is deeper than 18". Preferably vertical sides. Less than that the birds and coons walk in and will quickly clean them out.
Jim

Linda M. · January 07, 2016, 10:25:44 PM

I put beds of nails all around my 4 hives to help keep the opossum, skunks and raccoons from getting close. You wont have to worry about snow down there, but I thought I wouldn't forget about the nails after it snowed here in NY covering them.......I forgot, of course, and stepped right on them last Friday looking at the hives! 3 nails right up through my boot and my foot. I put tie downs around them too just in case a bear does come around.

Linda M. · January 07, 2016, 10:40:30 PM

Forgot - I have a "Solar Nite Guard" too - it's suppose to Repel Night Predators. It flashes a continuous red light. I bought it on eBay for $20.00

superbee · January 08, 2016, 01:08:13 AM

I have a German Shepard trained as a livestock guardian dog. She has been very helpful keeping away wild critters. May not fit in your situation but my bees, goats, chickens, rabbits and ducks are happy to have her help.

annette · January 08, 2016, 02:59:55 PM

Had a bear in the area throwing trash cans over and people saw it. It walked right past my hives. Very strange

But there was a neighbor dog that visited my hives once in a while and perhaps that is why the bears stayed away. Dogs are the best at keeping bears away. Also read that male urine may keep them away

I did have a raccoon throw over my hive one year. So now I keep really heavy bricks on the hive stand and the top cover.

All hives are up off the ground about 10 inches on hive stands. That helps also.

OPJohn · January 09, 2016, 11:54:01 AM

Yep, there's a low slope/grade hill from the corner of our land that flows down about 40 feet to the water line. Flooding wouldn't be an issue as I plan to place the hives on cinder block at the top of the hill. It's all saw palmetto scrub and woods back there. We did have a koi pond for a few years in the yard and did have it stocked with fish, and then cooter turtles after the raccoons got the fish. After they nabbed all of the turtles out of it (or they wandered off), we just filled it in.

We've had to trap possums from underneath the house and flying squirrels from out of our attic. Being right on the edge of nature is beautiful, but it can also be a bit of a critter nightmare.

I guess I won't worry about it until I see signs of hive disturbance. I've also talked to some other locals about their hives and they say i'd probably have more problems with skunks and coyotes/wild dogs.

BeeMaster2 · January 09, 2016, 10:35:17 PM

John,
With the hives raised off the ground, skunks should not be a problem. I have coyotes around my farm every day. They have never bothered my hives. Dogs have killed a lamb, tore open rabbit cages and killed the rabbits.
I do recommend you wrap a ratchet strap around the hives. That will help keep the hive together if knocked over and reduce the chance of small animals from knocking it over. I used 2 12 railroad tracks with board bolted to the bottom and strapped the hives on top of the tracks. Never had any hives knocked over.
Jim

KeyLargoBees · January 10, 2016, 09:41:19 AM

Strap downs to the hive stands....and anchoring of the stand itself with ground anchors also provides storm protection and blow over prevention...welcome to beekeeping in a hurricane zone ;-)

OPJohn · January 10, 2016, 10:45:54 AM

Quote from: sawdstmakr on January 09, 2016, 10:35:17 PM
John,
With the hives raised off the ground, skunks should not be a problem. I have coyotes around my farm every day. They have never bothered my hives. Dogs have killed a lamb, tore open rabbit cages and killed the rabbits.
I do recommend you wrap a ratchet strap around the hives. That will help keep the hive together if knocked over and reduce the chance of small animals from knocking it over. I used 2 12 railroad tracks with board bolted to the bottom and strapped the hives on top of the tracks. Never had any hives knocked over.
Jim

Ratchet straps sound like a good idea. That might make them a little more stable than a brick or heavy rock on the top of each hive. Skip with Hives and More was the one that mentioned Coyote troubles to me. Apparently, they've been more destructive with his bee equipment than the actual hives themselves. I had to shoo another raccoon out of my Mother-In-Law's front yard (she lives about three streets away from us) yesterday during the daylight, scrounging for garbage. I just have a gut feeling they're going to be an issue to deal with.

QuoteStrap downs to the hive stands....and anchoring of the stand itself with ground anchors also provides storm protection and blow over prevention...welcome to beekeeping in a hurricane zone ;-)

Lol. I can see me mixing up quick-crete and inserting rebar into the dirt at the first sign of a tropical storm. :)

BeeMaster2 · January 10, 2016, 08:44:45 PM

John,
For anchors just get a couple of those 2 or 3' screw in anchors. Use a post hole shovel or plain shovel to remove the sod and screw them in using a long pole.
Jim

OPJohn · January 12, 2016, 10:35:37 AM

Quote from: sawdstmakr on January 10, 2016, 08:44:45 PM
John,
For anchors just get a couple of those 2 or 3' screw in anchors. Use a post hole shovel or plain shovel to remove the sod and screw them in using a long pole.
Jim

Will do.

KeyLargoBees · January 12, 2016, 03:17:26 PM

I only wish it was that easy.....the ground here in the Keys is all aggregate with large coral rocks mixed in with gravel.....digging any sort of hole requires an excavator or a very strong back and a pickaxe ;-P

BeeMaster2 · January 12, 2016, 07:20:49 PM

KLG,
Here in north FL, I have seen a technician dig a 6' deep hole to place a telephone pole with a long post hole shovel within minutes. The hardest part is to get past the sod and serface roots. We do have hard pan but usually it is deep.
Jim

KeyLargoBees · January 13, 2016, 01:31:13 PM

What is this soil of which you speak? ;-)

Glad its easier up there.....that was the absolute worst part when I set up my outyard...digging in to set hive stand tie downs.

OPJohn · January 13, 2016, 03:37:52 PM

Quote from: KeyLargoBees on January 12, 2016, 03:17:26 PM
I only wish it was that easy.....the ground here in the Keys is all aggregate with large coral rocks mixed in with gravel.....digging any sort of hole requires an excavator or a very strong back and a pickaxe ;-P

Lol. When I lived in Southern California, it was all solid, dried clay. I felt your pain when we had to hire an excavator just to dig a hole wide and deep enough for ornamental trees. They also had to drill multiple drain holes in the root basin so that water wouldn't just sit in there causing root rot. We're on very sandy soil here so it won't be an issue to stake down the hives with corkscrew eyelet-type anchors.

BeeMaster2 · January 13, 2016, 05:27:14 PM

Our biggest problem here is digging below the water table. The sand keeps filling in. I just set about 40 fence posts at 40" depth. Dig the hole, but drop the post in, set it and start packing it before the water fills in the hole and making it impossible to pack.
I lived in California. I help a friend set a basketball post in a neighborhood playground. He had it get a jack hammer to dig down 3' to set that pole.
Jim

Blacksheep · January 17, 2016, 12:51:39 PM

Well around my neck of the woods we are using Carpet tack strips to keep the small animals away.Just tack small strips of them on the landing boards and they won't try much as the tacks are very sharp and bees are not affected>