How to get rid of titmouses in the apiary in the spring. Protection of bees from tits. Anti-war measures in the apiary

The greatest threat to the normal existence and development of insects and their families during the period of intensive honey collection are various kinds of pests.

The main danger comes from:

ants;
slugs;
wax moth;
butterflies "dead head";
hornets and wasps;
mice;
all murine rodents.

Among the birds are dangerous tits, sparrows, bee-eaters, bee-eaters, and shrikes.

Fighting ants

It will only take time to get rid of uninvited guests who steal honey, attack bees, destroy brood and can infect with pathogens.

Protecting bees from ants is easy and cost-effective

It is advisable to apply:

Salt. Salt solution (1 l of water + 200 g of salt) to process the soil around the hives, and sprinkle the bottom with salt inside.
Fresh tomato leaves. Their smell repels insects, so several of these leaves can be spread around bee nests.
Mustard. The persistence of mustard allows you to get rid of ants for a long time. It is enough just to sprinkle this powder around the hives.

Mouse

Protection of insects from mice comes down to the use of traps, mouse traps, traps. It is necessary to eliminate all cracks and holes in the hives. Protection against these and other rodents should be especially reliable in winter. Otherwise, having made their way into the hive, they can do very much harm. In winter, they eat bees, honey, and once they get into the soto storage, they destroy part of the combs. For the extermination of mice, it is advisable to attract domestic cats.

Wasps

Protecting insects from wasps and hornets is also of great importance for the preservation of the apiary. The danger of wasps is that they attack bees, penetrate into their homes and steal supplies of bee feed.

It is best to kill female wasps in the spring using homemade honey bottle traps. This is a kind of protection against annoying pests. And it is better to destroy wasp nests by spraying with chlorophos or fill it with carbon disulfide.

Titmouse

Protection of bees from tits is required in late autumn and winter. Beating on the wall of the hive with their beak, they watch and eat the crawling bees. You should not destroy the tits, but you also need protection from them. To save bees, you should scare away these annoying birds. You can make a canopy over the taphole from a metal or nylon mesh.

Fighting titmouse in the apiary

Tits in autumn and winter, in search of food, attack bees. Cunning birds sit on a plank at the entrance and knock until insects appear. This is how they destroy the bees.

Styrofoam hives should not be made. Birds pierce holes with their beaks and enter the house.

There are several ways to deal with such a pest:

Attach a mirror near the entrance. When a titmouse sits down on the flight board, it sees its reflection, gets scared and flies away. If you buy a mirror with a plastic base, you can simply glue it on.
Protection is provided by compact discs, which are suspended on a rope so that they do not knock against the walls of the hive from the effect of the wind. Such shiny and spinning things scare the tits.

Such a half-disk compact protects the entrance

Attach sloped plywood boards to the entrance so that only bees can move, or put a metal mesh.

Watch the video how to deal with titmouses

Fighting wax moth

The wax moth is a type of small butterflies that harm bees. The attitude of beekeepers to such insects is ambiguous. Some breed her, others fight. When eating bee products, wax moth absorbs nutrients, therefore it is considered medicinal. An alcoholic tincture is prepared on the basis of the larvae. However, in order to make such a medicine, an entire hive must be eaten. Not every beekeeper will take such a step.

Moth, shashel, bloodworm eats literally all beekeeping products, honeycombs and cocoons. The moth does not touch the bees, but if the colony is weak, it dies of hunger.

The problem is that during the daytime bees fly for nectar and study. The moth caterpillars go hunting only at night. The task of an adult is to find a male, mate and lay eggs, which he carefully hides in the crevices of the hive.

The use of insecticides is excluded, bees may die.

There are the following methods of dealing with moths:

Heat treatment of frames. The wax moth does not like high and low temperatures. Therefore, in winter, the hives are stored at temperatures below +10 degrees, and the frost for insects is fatal. In the summer, frames are treated with hot steam. At a temperature of +50 degrees, all individuals die at any stage of development.
Salt treatment. The wax moth is sensitive to any changes in PH. Heat treatment is short-term, and saline is long-term. The agent is poured into the sprayer and the honeycomb is treated.
Frames damaged by moths are folded into a separate hive. Then an 80% vinegar solution is prepared at the rate of 200 ml per 1 sq.m. surface. The material is impregnated with a product and the honeycomb is covered, the hive is wrapped with polyethylene. The processing time is 3 days.
In the fight against moths, the immortelle plant is used. Dry raw materials are crushed to a powder and sprinkled on honeycombs. Also, the moth does not like the smell of walnut, oregano, mint, hops, wormwood, elderberry.

Some beekeepers use formalin, which is strictly prohibited, because honey is a food product.

The appearance of a wax moth on damaged honeycombs

Watch the video on how to deal with wax moth

How to get rid of mice

Bees are often visited by uninvited guests. - double trouble, honey will eat and stir up the nests, so beekeepers have invented a lot of ways to combat pests.

Mice are dangerous in winter. There are simple ways to get rid of rodents:

penetration protection;
mouse traps;
toxic substances.

Mice enter the hive through cracks. In addition, they can gnaw through the house. Therefore, it is important to cover up all kinds of cracks. Also fence with metal nets. The bottom and the roof must be upholstered with iron sheets, and grates must be placed on the entrances.

Mousetraps and traps are homemade, but can be purchased at the store. Fishing items are placed next to the hives.

Homemade mousetrap from a plastic bottle

Fast-acting poisons are not a humane way, but bees are more expensive than rodents. The following chemicals are used:

zinc phosphide;
thallium salfate;
fluoroacetamide;
zoocoumarin;
ratindan;
fumarin.

Mice also dislike the smell of plants:

black root;
elder;
mint;
coriander;
chamomile.

Each beekeeper decides for himself what is more profitable to use to combat rodents.

How to get rid of ants

Not only are ants unwanted neighbors for bees, but also. During a cold snap, insects look for a warm place and triple between the walls of the hive. Here they breed and feed on the bees' reserves. Therefore, you should get rid of the anthill near the apiary in the summer.

Ants and eggs in a bee hive

The following chemicals are available: supersulfate, DDT and hexachlorane. Ant paths are treated with drugs. The method not only removes, but also kills insects.

Less costly alternative methods, including:

Spread chopped and peeled onions in the apiary.
Sulfur not only makes the ants go away, but also kills.
Table salt is also effective, it is poured near the houses.
The spice cinnamon helps to get rid of insects for good.
The opened anthill is sprinkled with tobacco dust.

You can make a moat and pour sweet water into it. The bees will drink, and the ants will not be able to crawl to the hive.

Family swarming prevention

Swarming bees is a natural process that allows you to enlarge your apiary in spring. But more often anti-fighting methods are used, it is easier to prevent than to lose bees. This process causes the insects to leave the hive. This exit often happens without a beekeeper. The swarm is grafted onto trees, bushes. One such cluster contains up to 50,000 bees and takes up to 3 kg of honey with it.

Roy is the foundation of a future family

How to prevent swarming:

the beekeeper must constantly expand the nests, change frames in a timely manner, add with foundation and fresh honeycombs;
carry out breeding work in time and remove drones;
do not allow the houses to heat up, ensure good ventilation;
form anti-war layers;
use multi-hull structures and sun loungers.

Some beekeepers believe that it is necessary to get rid of the queen cells. However, this method does not solve the problem, which prolongs the swarming, the bees build new honeycombs.

Anti-war measures in the apiary

There are various anti-attack methods that direct insects to collect honey. The best are those that have been tested by beekeepers in practice.

# 1 The Dymari Method

The method is only suitable for double-hive hives.

In one house, the queen and brood are left, in the other, the frames are removed. The housings are separated using a lattice. After a while, they put frames with foundation and honeycombs.

For many beekeepers use the Dymari method.

The mother is left on the combs, the young bees are moved to another hive. The printed brood is removed, but the open brood with the queen bee is not.

No. 2 Dernov method

This method has 3 options:

In the daytime, the swarm is transferred to the basement, the brood is taken away. In the evening, they return to their place and put a store extension. Insects begin to work, young animals are added to a weak family.
Flying bees are transplanted into another hive, which is placed in the place where the individuals swarmed. The house with insects is turned upside down near the empty one. The bees stop swarming and destroy the queen cells. Then they put the hive in place. Flying insects return to their uterus.
They get rid of the old mother, leaving only the sealed mother. To reduce the number of queens, they are removed.

No. 3 Taranov's method

Fumigate the nest with the bees so that they collect honey in the goiter. Separate the swarm, place a gangway not far, insects form a ball with the uterus, you need to collect it in a swarm. Place the swarm in the hive every other day.

Watch a video about Taranov's anti-combat method

Method # 4

When bees are actively working, they forget about swarming. Separate the nest with an empty extension. Insects do not like empty spaces, so they begin to actively fill.

Do-it-yourself graft for catching swarms

Making a scion is very simple. Knock down the box and paint it green. Then place the honeycomb. Rub the outside of the box with propolis and wax. Hang on a tree. When all the bees have occupied the box, transfer to a new hive. Scions are placed in early spring or summer.

Hello!

Our world around us, our nature cannot even be imagined without such a cute and cheerful bird titmouse. But many beekeepers are of the opinion that titmice pose a considerable threat to the apiary. I even know one who periodically shoots them off in his apiary and in the vicinity.

Here, I leafed through several books at my leisure and in each of them in the chapter "Enemies," there is a section "Birds". And the titmouse is clearly distinguished separately and proudly against the background of all other birds-enemies of bees: bee-eaters, shrikes, etc.

Today I want to understand this: can a tit really be so dangerous for bees, what is this danger and how to deal with it? And most importantly: is the tit really the enemy of bees?

I must admit, I read earlier that tits partially satisfy their nutritional needs at the expense of bees and easily find food for themselves in the winter. That these fidget tits sit on the landing boards and begin to knock on the hive with their beak until the "sleepy" bee leaves the entrance. Here the bird presses the bee with one paw, pulls out the insides with its beak, sucking the cherished nectar and eats the poor bee entirely, often leaving only chitin. But I did not think that I would feel the significant damage from these barnacle beauties, and I did not particularly notice them in the area before.

What exactly is the danger of the presence of tits in the apiary

The problem, in my opinion, is specific to and. And it is not at all that the titmouse will eat several bees a day. The main problem is different.

Firstly: the titmouse with its knocking excites the peace of the wintering bee colony, the club can begin to loosen, the bees get excited. An overcrowded gut and a hustle and bustle are not good company. Diarrhea is possible and, as a consequence,. Plus, bees will not use honey from the worn-out frames for nutrition in the future.

Secondly: my loved ones do not at all withstand the pressure of these hooligans.

Protecting bees from birds in winter is a very important measure when hibernating bee colonies in the wild. This problem is especially relevant in cold, snowy winters, when the birds actually have nowhere to find food for food.

The primary enemies of bees at this time are tits and woodpeckers. But if woodpeckers can still find food for themselves by gouging trees, then tits can become a real natural disaster for the entire apiary.

They massively devour dead bees that leave the hive, having exhausted their vital resource. But this is not enough for them. When hunger cannot be satisfied, they sit on the landing boards of the hive and lure the bees outside. In this article, you will learn how to protect bees from birds in winter.

When done correctly, most hives are placed in orchards. The gardens themselves are home to most birds.

But, if in the spring, summer and autumn there is enough food for them (the orderlies of our gardens devour various caterpillars, butterflies and flies), then in winter the situation changes. They can harm the apiary.

In winter, it is often seen, especially in the mornings, that tits are sitting in flocks in the garden. They, sometimes, go down to the hives, and it seemed that they did not carry any threat to the bee colonies. But this is only at first glance.

The instinct of every bee colony is to protect its nest from outside interference in winter and summer.

But if in the summer the family can easily fight off any attack of an animal, insect, then in winter the situation is slightly different.

Bees are also inactive outside of it. Not only are the bees sluggish because of the cold, but every individual that breaks away from the team is subject to death, freezes.

But the instinct to protect their nest is not lost even in winter. This is what the tits use.

Protection of bees from birds and wind in winter.

After collecting dead bees, the tits switch to living ones. They sit on the landing boards at the entrance and lure out the bees.

It is believed that they knock at the very entrance, and some bees react to the noise (instinct is triggered) and leave the hive. This is what the titmouse needs, the sluggish bee quickly turns into food.

In my practice of beekeeping, I have never seen titmice knocking at the entrance.

I think that for this you need to install a hidden camera and record everything on video. The birds are too timid, and when a person approaches, they fly away.

But I think that the titmouse not only knocks, but the very presence of an extraneous living creature at the entrance already excites the bees in winter.

They react with a friendly hum, and if the aggressor has not left or has not flown away, then they stick out in the entrance. And feathered predators need it.

Thus, the harm from tits is double. Not only do they devour our workers, but they also excite the entire bee family.

And because of this, wintering worsens. The winter calmness of the bees is disturbed, they consume more feed. Because of this, their intestines are more loaded with feces.

As a result, bee colonies will be weakened in spring. And this is a direct dependence on the honey apiary in general.

All protection of bees from birds in winter is based on the principle of not allowing birds to reach the hive entrance. But at the same time, bees need to leave proper ventilation.

Also, do not forget about free passage in the entrance for 1 - 2 bees, since, again, their instinct is laid that the dying bee leaves the hive during the winter, so as not to harm the whole family.

And the last principle is the ability of bee colonies to make a cleansing flight during warming.

Protecting bees from birds in winter in my apiary

Protection of bees from tits in winter.

Analyzing the above principles of protecting bees from birds, beekeepers use various devices at the entrance.

Sometimes the whole apiary is blocked with fishing nets, but this is too expensive and laborious. Also, nets kill birds too much, and they also benefit our gardens.

You can also place bird feeders to distract them from the apiary. In some cases, the feeders work, and in some they do not.

The most reliable way is to protect the entrance.

To close the entrance, wooden blocks or slats are used, which block direct access to birds.

A wooden block or slat is placed on the landing board and set at a certain distance from the hive wall to make a passage for the bees.

It turns out that a titmouse, sitting on such a block, will not reach the entrance. Now it will be difficult for her to disturb and lure the bees, no matter how hard she tries.

Also, beekeepers, instead of a plank, put a whole board, which closes direct access to the entrance. But the principle is the same.

The birds do not reach the bees, but they can freely fly around or leave the hive to die.

Also, beekeepers make special grates. The base of the lattice is a wooden frame. A mesh is attached to the frame, the material of which may be different.

Beekeepers often use a potato mesh. The size of the mesh allows bees to freely pass the cells, but prevents the passage of tits.

This design can be made in size, both individually for each entrance, and for the entire front wall. The mesh completely blocks the access of birds to the entrance.

The net has the advantage that it can be installed immediately in the fall and removed in the spring.

If wooden blocks are placed on the landing boards of the hives, then the beekeeper must remove them during a possible cleaning flight (sometimes there are warm days in winter), and then put them back. Since they partially block the sun and the flow of warm air into the hive.

In this article, you learned how important it is to protect bees from birds in winter.

The birds not only devour bees, but also disturb the entire bee colony, which worsens wintering.

Watch a video about how another beekeeper solved this problem of wintering bees in the wild.

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