How many of you guys have to keep the woodpeckers at bay? Elm trees(downy nests) in southern wi & bee hives don't get along well. The pests & critters of times past are still out there raising a fuss. My first beehive was a styrofoam set up. One winter I checked on them to find pencil sized holes where the boxes sit on top of one another. If you looked real close you could see little claw marks from the birds feet. If you look up at the dead elms you see downy holes up & down the trees, and hear them all summer & fall. Most guys wrap rabbit wire on each deep box, then tie it up with rope, old electric fence wire, or duct tape. I only bought one styro hive, and that was the end of that. I hear the wood peckers get after the old old old tired boxes though the hand holes.