straw bales as wind/snow barrier

[tandemrx]

Any reason not to use straw bales stacked around a couple hives to provide a winter wind and snow barrier?

I have some trees to the north, but I would like to protect my hives a bit more (especially if we get the snow we got last year).

Only concern I can think of with a stack of straw bales would be the potential to attract a bunch of mice/rodents who might make dens in the bales and then create a population of rodents who might like to bust into my hives and create havoc.

Any thoughts on this
? thanks

[Michael Bush]

Other than providing shelter for mice, they work well.

[asprince]

Yes, I have a thought.........glad that I don't have to worry about snow!

Steve

[annette]

I used them the first year and they worked really well. By the second year they started to disintegrate and I removed them.

[randydrivesabus]

i plan to do that with hay bales this year to block the south wind. theres some formula to figure out the wind block (and snow drift) distance depending on the height of the blocking material.

[tandemrx]

thanks for the info.

Here was an email I got that I thought had some very useful info (from a fellow beekeeper):

Locate some baled Soy Bean straw.  No feed in it for the critters, hence no critters.  We  used to use it around the foundation of the farm house we lived in and had no trouble.  First year we used wheat straw and were inundated with rodents.  They can feed on the straw itself in the case of oat or wheat straw and both usually come with some of the grain still in place on shorter stems.  Almost all the beans are gone from bean straw because pods are dry and shatter in the combine. - from gguidester

[jimmyo]

we put round bales in a line to break the wind. we have to store them outside anyway so let them help the bees too.
Jim

[Card]

I'm kind of thinking I might use plastic for a windbreak this winter.

I work in the construction business, and we throw away all kinds of big sheets of translucent plastic - large equipment like transformers and generators and such gets delivered wrapped up in it. I'm thinking with a couple of cheap engineer stakes, and some tie-wraps to attach the plastic, I might be able to build a windbreak that wouldn't attract any pests and would allow the afternoon sun to get through to warm the hives.

[jojoroxx]

I have read about the disadvantage of using a solid wind break, like hay bales or plastic, because they can actually create more wind/drifts on the hive because the air/snow hits it, goes up in an arc and then straight down onto the hive.  :? From what this newbee has read, a slatted wind/snow break is recommended. Like snow fencing or trees i guess are ideal because they break the wind. oops! excuse me. ;)

...I was thinking of using pallets held vertical by wiring them to 6' heavy duty contractor stakes that have been driven in the ground.  8-) Or even dig a cozy hollow in the hillside (steep terrain) and set them back into it...?

Still wondering how to keep the hive dry enough in the vertical rain we get around here. ...maybe Annette can come over with her umbrella :-D

dude! i love my bees :-*

[annette]

Actually the first year I used only the migratory top covers and rain blew in. Now I use only telescoping covers on top. 

You are way up there at the border??? Probably a whole different world up there??  Love that photo of your bee.

Annette

[Michael Bush]

I haven't tried them but the ones Mel uses look like a good idea to me:
http://www.mdasplitter.com/pics/articlePic3.JPG
http://www.mdasplitter.com/article.htm