Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => DISEASE & PEST CONTROL => Topic started by: labradorfarms on December 04, 2014, 09:19:31 pm

Title: Clean up or clean up and repair
Post by: labradorfarms on December 04, 2014, 09:19:31 pm

I know when its cold pest move in reguardless of what we do... Waxmoths , mice etc.....

Around here is has been 30 one day 60-72 the next.....

My question is on a warm day will the Bees kill these pest and clean it all back up and rebuild??? Or do they wait until the spring arrives again to do a full clean up and repair the damage?
Or do they merley just kill the pest and clean up and save repairs for spring?

Title: Re: Clean up or clean up and repair
Post by: Culley on December 10, 2014, 02:34:04 am

It's not very cold where I live - but wax moths only get a foothold in weak hives here, or if there is way too much room in the hive.

Title: Re: Clean up or clean up and repair
Post by: Michael Bush on December 11, 2014, 09:05:34 am

I have never seen a colony kill a mouse in winter.  They will kill a mouse in summer sometimes...

Title: Re: Clean up or clean up and repair
Post by: cam on December 11, 2014, 03:37:09 pm

I agree, I've seen mice nesting right next to the cluster without a care in the world until I open the hive.

Title: Re: Clean up or clean up and repair
Post by: Paul Reyes on December 14, 2014, 06:43:35 am

Bees are not that much aggressive in the winter, but summer time kill waxmoths and I've even seen them kill rats as well.