Worldwide Beekeeping

Beekeeping => TBH, Warre, and Other Alternative Hives => Topic started by: blueblood on December 15, 2013, 03:04:55 pm

Title: Mouse Versus Top Bar Bees
Post by: blueblood on December 15, 2013, 03:04:55 pm
Drove back to the yard this afternoon to check on the hives.  Immediately, I saw something strange in one of the entrance holes of my yellow tbh.  It was a fat field mouse with half of its body hanging out head first.  I pulled the mouse out and discovered the girls had defended the hive quite well.  There were several stingers in the mouse's rear section.  I think the mouse crawled in and was stung once or twice and then tried to retreat from what I am seeing.  It was in a matter of seconds of pulling the mouse out that several girls approached the entrance to see what the noise was all about.  A few of them literally died in front of my eyes that ventured outside.  The temp is in the low 20's.  I will need to put some type of a guard on the holes soon.  I am sure the bees will not be able to defend the hive too many times like this with their numbers being lower.
Title: Re: Mouse Versus Top Bar Bees
Post by: G3farms on December 15, 2013, 07:36:17 pm
Poor ol mouse they sure gave her a good stinging! I have found a couple of dead mice, one in a cut out and one in a hive, that had been completely covered over in propolis.
Title: Re: Mouse Versus Top Bar Bees
Post by: LazyBkpr on December 15, 2013, 08:33:13 pm
Yeah!  You go girls!
Title: Re: Mouse Versus Top Bar Bees
Post by: riverbee on December 15, 2013, 08:53:28 pm
wow dave, great photo's!..... guess the mouse got the wrath of the bees and on the way out took some more in the backside on the way out?!........ :lol:
just funny to me how you find the mouse half way out......just great pictures. thanks!
Title: Re: Mouse Versus Top Bar Bees
Post by: apisbees on March 27, 2014, 04:26:41 am
Maybe getting stung caused some swelling and the hole that was large enough to let it make it in was no longer large enough to fit through to get back out.
Title: Re: Mouse Versus Top Bar Bees
Post by: blueblood on March 27, 2014, 12:18:19 pm
Hmmmm, I bet your right Keith...hadn't thought of that.
Title: Re: Mouse Versus Top Bar Bees
Post by: Barbarian on March 28, 2014, 05:14:48 am
Admin .... I can't enlarge Blue's pic. Is it something I've done or not done ?

I am pretty sure that the holes are big enough for a mouse to get out. I make quick entrance reducers from bits of beer cans or ice cream tubs.   ;D