Northern Flickers Pecking at Poly Hives

[MudSongs]

I picked up my first poly hive from a supplier in Nova Scotia this past summer because they're not commonly (or affordably) available where I live yet (Newfoundland). It's an all-medium poly hive and so far I love it, except this one thing: Northern Flickers (woodpeckers) pecking them to pieces.

I've had flickers peck at my hives in the winter before, but they could never get too deep into to hives. I've read that some birds will peck at the hive, the bees come out to see what all the fuss is about, and then they get eaten.  In any case, the Northern Flickers have always tried to peck at my hives, which isn't problem for wooden hives, but the poly hives haven't got a chance.

I suppose no one here has ever had this problem?  It's a new one for me.

[The15thMember]

Interesting.  I just got a poly hive myself to test out this year.  I have a lot of flickers on my property.  We'll have to see if this is a problem I encounter next winter. 

[Jen]

Hi Mudsong    this is interesting and new to me, I have one or two flickers feed in my yard but they have never attempted pecking at my hives of which the hives are only about 6-8 yards away.

I know that flickers are woodpeckers, are they pecking to get at the bees? or trying to peck a hole big enough to make a nest as they do in trees? ~or maybe both~ ?

[MudSongs]

To deter the Northern Flickers from pecking my new poly hive to pieces, I had to set up a bird feeder with SUET to distract them away from the hive. Some of the holes in my poly hive made right into the hive. Northern Flickers will eat the bees from what I understand, though I've also read that some woodpeckers like the taste of honey too. There isn't a great deal of information available about this issue. However, I think it's only a problem near late winter (also know as "spring" in Newfoundland) when temperatures are below freezing and the birds are desperate for food.

As well setting up a suet feeder in an area away from the hive, painting the hive an unnatural colour, such and purple and red (right now my poly hive is painted green) supposedly turns off the woodpeckers. They don't like funky colours.

Apparently the don't like the smell of lavender either, but I'm not going to start spraying essential oils around my hives.

Another common method to keep woodpeckers off poly hives is make cages around the hives with chicken wire, that kind of thing, which I have no interest in doing. The main reason I got a poly hive was so I didn't have to wrap my hives with anything in winter.

I plan to paint the hive psychedelic colours as soon as I can, but that's about it.  There's now way I'm building a cage around it.

[The15thMember]

As well setting up a suet feeder in an area away from the hive, painting the hive an unnatural colour, such and purple and red (right now my poly hive is painted green) supposedly turns off the woodpeckers. They don't like funky colours.

I guess your hive is going to look exactly like my new poly hive then. 

[MudSongs]

@The15thMember - I like the colour of your supers. That's what I'm aiming for.

I noticed that you have medium poly supers which are hard to come by for me. What brand are they? I'm trying to track down a Canadian supplier for medium poly supers that don't cost a fortune.

[The15thMember]

@The15thMember - I like the colour of your supers. That's what I'm aiming for.

I noticed that you have medium poly supers which are hard to come by for me. What brand are they? I'm trying to track down a Canadian supplier for medium poly supers that don't cost a fortune.

Thanks.  I was just using whatever paint we had lying around.  The red is from our barn, the green from our picnic table, the purple from my sister's milking stand for her goats, and the white is a mistint I got super discounted at the paint store. 

The hive is Beemax, Betterbee's in-house poly brand. 
https://www.betterbee.com/hives-and-components/beemax-hive-equipment.asp

[The15thMember]

I just wanted to do a quick update/review on this brand of poly hive, because I'm not liking it.  The biggest issue is that the spacing in this equipment doesn't seem to be correct.  I noticed when I bought this hive that when I set a box on the floor, the frames popped up slightly, because they actually hang below the level of the box.  As a result, the bees had stuck some of the frames in the bottom box to the bottom board.  On top of that, every single time I open this hive, the bees have built comb between the inner cover and the top bars of the top box.  I also don't like the horizontal spacing, which is much tighter than my other boxes.  I can barely get a frame out without crushing any bees.  I definitely won't be buying any more Beemax equipment.   

[Bakersdozen]

I just wanted to do a quick update/review on this brand of poly hive, because I'm not liking it.  The biggest issue is that the spacing in this equipment doesn't seem to be correct.  I noticed when I bought this hive that when I set a box on the floor, the frames popped up slightly, because they actually hang below the level of the box.  As a result, the bees had stuck some of the frames in the bottom box to the bottom board.  On top of that, every single time I open this hive, the bees have built comb between the inner cover and the top bars of the top box.  I also don't like the horizontal spacing, which is much tighter than my other boxes.  I can barely get a frame out without crushing any bees.  I definitely won't be buying any more Beemax equipment.

Would a slatted rack underneath the bottom brood box help with the frames popping up?  Or just a thin shim?  I am thinking modifying it is your best alternative now so that you don't give up on it and lose your money.

[The15thMember]

Would a slatted rack underneath the bottom brood box help with the frames popping up?  Or just a thin shim?  I am thinking modifying it is your best alternative now so that you don't give up on it and lose your money.

Maybe, but the problem is that this equipment is 10 frame and everything else I own is 8 frame.  And I'd rather not throw good money after bad by purchasing more equipment for it.  I'll just have to live with it.  It's not like I can't use the equipment, it's just got some glitches.  I'm thinking about next season maybe using this colony as a support colony so it doesn't get huge, which would make it easier to manage the hassles involved. 

I did some measuring this morning.  Mediums are "supposed" to be 6 5/8 in. deep.  I just measured wooden boxes from several different companies and all of them, including the boxes from Betterbee, are more like 6 11/16.  The depth of the frame rest from the top of the box is 11/16, and the frames are 6 1/4 in. deep or a hair bigger, depending on the brand.  The poly boxes are 6 1/2 in., for some dumb reason.    The crucial question, I suppose, is how deep is the frame rest in the poly boxes, but I have all of them in use at the moment, so I'll get that measurement the next time I'm in the apiary (which will probably be next weekend). 

[Bakersdozen]

15th,  You had said your sister was handy and helped you make some equipment.  I thought she might be able to help make a shim out of scraps.  I doesn't have to be very deep, just square.

[The15thMember]

15th,  You had said your sister was handy and helped you make some equipment.  I thought she might be able to help make a shim out of scraps.  I doesn't have to be very deep, just square.

I guess my concern at this point is that I would need a shim under every single box to genuinely correct the spacing.  Although the bees don't seem to build comb between the boxes, only between the top box and the inner cover, and they stuck the frames to the bottom board with propolis.  I'll talk to my sister and see what she thinks. 

[robo]

I just wanted to do a quick update/review on this brand of poly hive, because I'm not liking it.  The biggest issue is that the spacing in this equipment doesn't seem to be correct.  I noticed when I bought this hive that when I set a box on the floor, the frames popped up slightly, because they actually hang below the level of the box.  As a result, the bees had stuck some of the frames in the bottom box to the bottom board.  On top of that, every single time I open this hive, the bees have built comb between the inner cover and the top bars of the top box.  I also don't like the horizontal spacing, which is much tighter than my other boxes.  I can barely get a frame out without crushing any bees.  I definitely won't be buying any more Beemax equipment.

Interesting because I have found BeeMax to be the only poly hive that I don't have bee space issues with.   Can I ask what brand frames you are using?

On second thought, it it possible you have the frame rests installed backwards?   I had one person do that and I remember they had a heck of a time getting the frames in.

[The15thMember]

Interesting because I have found BeeMax to be the only poly hive that I don't have bee space issues with.   

Strange.  What are the measurements on your boxes, Rob? 

Can I ask what brand frames you are using?

Mostly Betterbee frames in this hive, I think, and probably a few Mann Lake and a few from a local guy who I know doesn't make the frames he sells, but nor do I know where he gets them. 

On second thought, it it possible you have the frame rests installed backwards?   I had one person do that and I remember they had a heck of a time getting the frames in.

 
Maybe.  What would be backwards?  The plastic frame rests are L-shaped, and I just have them laying upside-down (for an L) on the groove cut in the wall.  I'm not really have trouble with the frames being difficult to move up and down out of the box, just side to side, and of course the bottom box had them stuck to the bottom board. 

[robo]

Strange.  What are the measurements on your boxes, Rob? 

Inside dimensions
14 3/4 width
18 1/4 frame rest to frame rest
19 frame tab to frame tab

Mostly Betterbee frames in this hive, I think, and probably a few Mann Lake and a few from a local guy who I know doesn't make the frames he sells, but nor do I know where he gets them. 

I have mostly Mann Lake with some honey super cell & some Kelley still hanging around.   Betterbee is the main seller of BeeMax so I would assume their frames would fit.

 
Maybe.  What would be backwards?  The plastic frame rests are L-shaped, and I just have them laying upside-down (for an L) on the groove cut in the wall.  I'm not really have trouble with the frames being difficult to move up and down out of the box, just side to side, and of course the bottom box had them stuck to the bottom board.

short leg of the L goes in the groove.

Not sure what is going on here, but something is not right.   I have many folks around here using BeeMax without issue.   Here is video where you can see me taking frames in and out without issue (around the 19min mark)

[The15thMember]

Inside dimensions
14 3/4 width
18 1/4 frame rest to frame rest
19 frame tab to frame tab

Do you have any mediums?  What is the depth of one of your boxes?  That is where I'm having the most trouble.

[The15thMember]

I also contacted BetterBee about it yesterday, and they told me that the BeeMax boxes are supposed to be 6 1/2 in., but their wooden boxes are 6 5/8 in.  So, yeah.  I also found today that the top box (which used to be on the bottom) has been chewed like crazy by the bees where the entrance used to be.  I'm starting to really hate these things.  The boxes, not the bees. 

[The15thMember]

Okay, so here is a video that Betterbee sent me.  Frame rest installation starts at 1:30.

Apparently they are supposed to go in with the L right side up and the short leg just stuck into the wall.  (Which may have been what you were trying to describe, Rob, and I just wasn't understanding. )  That might change the spacing enough to correct my problems.  They REALLY should have included that bit of information in the assembly instructions, that isn't even slightly intuitive!