my bee eating oposums are back! i need some advice.

[buford]

i noticed, not long ago, that my bee eating oposums have returned.

i have entrance reducers in the hives (set at the smallest notch), an inner cover (that also has a notch), and my outer covers pushed forward so that a bee could use it as an upper entrance.

when i discovered signs of the oposums, i duct taped the entrance reducers and hoped that the bees would figure out that they could use the notch at the top (under the overhang of the outer cover).

however, since i've done this (almost two weeks ago) i've seen no signs that the bees are using it (no dead bees pushed out etc.) and the highest temp. was in the mid. 40's F (i usually see a couple bees taking cleansing flights at this temp, but didn't see any from these hives).

anyway, am i doing the wrong thing? how long can bees stay confined in a hive before they start to have problems? all my hives have SBBs, so there is plenty of ventelation.

part of me thinks that bees are smart critters and they'll find a way out if they really want to, i'd just like some opinions.

thanks. smile.gif

[Dave W]

buford . . .

IMO, I do more WITH the possums. Maybe something like laying a pc of fencing on the ground in front of hive. Or, pc of old roofing w/ nails pushed through. In other words, make it hard for the critter to walk or stand in front of hive. Maybe trapping, shooting or both. Make him feel unwanted smile.gif

I would remove the duct tape.

"Bees may not learn new tricks in cold weather" smile.gif

Are your SBB open?

[BjornBee]

Shoot the possum, make stew, have dinner, and sleep good at night.

[Jim Fischer]

Attach carpet-tack strips to the leading edge
of the bottom board (if you have the projecting
"landing board") or just below the entrance.

This is effective against both small mammals
and larger, beekeeper-sized mammals, so
some red paint might help to remind you that
now your hives have a "stinger".

I've eaten possum. Never again.

[Cyndi]

I had a possum show up the other night at my cat food bowl. Scared me cause they are soooo ugly. Anyway, he was kinda cute in his ugly way and he hasn't been bothering my beehive...so maybe if you feed him some cat food he'll be on his merry way and then you won't have to do the nasty dreaded thing...by killing him. Did you know that possums are one of the oldest living creatures on earth and they do NOT have the ability to carry rabies. They are scavengers and will eat anything...I do mean anything.

[ December 13, 2005, 11:02 AM: Message edited by: Cyndi ]

[honeyman46408]

LIVE TRAP + 22CB=problem solved :D

BjornBee;
Dave I have had possum stew, I PASS!!

[Kieck]

I always wondered whether possums would eat bees. I use "skunk guards" over the bottom entrances of my hives; basically a piece of wire mesh that prevents the skunks/possums from getting right up to the entrances.

Bees can stay confined to a hive for a long time (entire winters in northern locations), but I would get that duct tape off as soon as possible. If they're used to a bottom entrance, I'd let them use it.

[buford]

thanks for the help.

i've tried the rug tack, but i'm still finding the soft bee pellets in front of these hives. when using the rug tack, to i put it close to the edge of the landing board or closer to the hive body?

two of the hives just have wire mesh, folded in a 'v' and shoved in the entrance. these seem to be doing a little better than the ones with the tiny opening, but i don't REALLY know.

thanks.

[Michael Bush]

>"Bees may not learn new tricks in cold weather"

That quite often true.

In the long run I've found the top entrances have solved all of these problems but maybe now isn't the best time to implement it if they don't already know the way out the top.

Another thing people have said works is to roll up a little chicken wire and tack it to the front. It makes it hard to get to the front of the hive to scratch on it.

[Aspera]

"they do NOT have the ability to carry rabies"

They can and do carry rabies. Rabies is a reportable disease more dangerous than HIV. All mammals have the ability to carry rabies, and blood to blood or saliva exposure from a sick possum or other mammal means that the animal's intact head MUST immediately be submitted for testing. Anyone who told you otherwise is jepardizing pulic health. On the East coast, rabies is most commonly found in skunks and foxes although it is well documented in every native and introduced mammal. It is an extremely unpleasant disease and invariably lethal once clinical signs are apparent.

[Michael Bush]

>and invariably lethal once clinical signs are apparent.

Virtually, although there is at least one well documented case of a human surviving without treatment and one other reasonably well documented case. Of course two in all of written human history isn't very good odds...

[Cyndi]

Actually, that is not exactly true Aspera where oppossums are concerned. I checked into this once a couple of years ago when I rehabed an injured oppossum. I copied this from the US Oppossum Society Webpage:

Question: Do oppossums carry rabies?

Answer: Any mammal can get rabies. However, the chance of rabies in an opossum is EXTREMELY RARE. This may have something to do with the opossum’s low body temperature (94-97º F) making it difficult for the virus to survive in an opossum’s body.

http://www.opossumsocietyus.org/frequently_asked_questions.htm#Will%20an%20opossum %20attack%20my%20pets?

[ December 13, 2005, 04:02 PM: Message edited by: Cyndi ]

[Aspera]

The following is a link and an quotation from the CDC, published also in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. rabies is not common in ANY mammal, but please do not risk your life or anyone else's by spreading misinformation. While Micheal is right as usually, I wouldn't count on medicine to save you.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/Professional/publications/Surveillance/Surveillance01/text01.htm

"Other wild animals - Puerto Rico reported 70 rabid mongooses (Herpestes auropunctatus) during 2001, an 18.6% increase over those reported in 2000 (Fig 9). Other wildlife in which rabies was reported included 49 groundhogs (Marmota monax), 28 bobcats (Lynx rufus), 7 coyotes (C. latrans), 5 otters (Lontra canadensis), 5 rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), 3 beavers (Castor canadensis), 2 badgers (Taxidea taxus), 2 opossums (Didelphis virginiana), 1 chipmunk (Tamias striatus), 1 deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and 1 ringtail (Bassariscus astutus). All cases of rabies in rodents and lagomorphs (primarily groundhogs; 47/56 cases) were reported by states in which rabies is epizootic in raccoons.24 No cases of rabies in coyotes were associated with enzootic transmission of the dog/coyote variant of the rabies virus in regions of southern Texas (Fig 9)."


Mammals with 97 F body temps that can contract rabies. It is primarily a HIGH body temperature, like that of birds, which imparts some protection. At that, I think that I remember an article stating that even birds could sometimes be infected, if they were made artificially hypothermic.

[Cyndi]

Your right, I would never rely on modern western medicine to save me, that is for sure. In the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which I do, rabies is generally not that big of a deal in comparison to other diseases and is treatable without the use of painful shots, they use herbs and acupuncture. Also, if you are not aware, they have eliminated the use those series of shots that used to be so painful and have discovered new methods to treat rabies. Another words, modern western medicine is on the brink of discovering what other traditional medicines from other cultures have known for thousands of years.

I'm sure all your technical data is correct, based on their knowledge, but it's not something I'm going to loose any sleep over nor am I going to kill all the oppossums and other wildlife I see based on that nor am I going to live in fear about it. Modern medicine does not have all the answers. There are other cultures that have been living harmoniously with nature for a long time.

But, I will get my dog vaccinated for rabies due to the fact that it is a law and should he bite someone (he's a Rottweiler) he would be accused of all sorts of things. Also, because in this culture, they do not have a complete understanding about the true nature of Rabies period.

[Aspera]

Rabies epidemics are so common in China that it is common practice to forbid dog ownership and shoot all canids on sight. More people die of rabies in China than any country in the world, with the possible exception of India. There are some rather gruesome descriptions/videos made by Indian public health officials of individuals with "hydrophobia".
Vaccination works, and it is not to protect the individual person or animal, but rather all of us. This is why Canada and the United States spend $$$$ to drop millions of doses of oral vaccine baits annually. As for post exposure prophylaxis (the painful shots), it is at best a poor solution, but it has saved innumerable lives since its discovery by Pasteur, Henle and Koch. An interesting bit of history: the first human ever treated by Pasture was a young boy bitten by a rabid dog. Remarkably, the boy lived and went on to work as a guard at the Pasteur Institute for many decades.

[warrior]

Okay yep and what ever you say Cyndi. While I admire your open mindedness to other ideas to rule out everything that research over the centuries have provided is just plain pig headed. It smacks of a form of self hatred since you are obviously a benefactor of western culture.
Now on to the possum trap and kill is the best method. You could try erecting a circular fence. Something like a tomato cage out of 4' hardware cloth. This would do for a few though for the professional or large number of hives trap and kill are far more economical.
Okay for those that are squeamish about killing, relocating is an option as possums do not have a propensity to return like coons do. Though in some states that is not a legal practice and I would avoid areas where folks got poultry as possums like chicken dinners.

[ December 13, 2005, 11:04 PM: Message edited by: warrior ]

[nursebee]

As far as I know, possums have not bothered my bees. They have eaten fruit off the vine and tree. I bought a live trap for about $100 from an Agri SUpply Company (they do have a modest online site). Caught many possums with this. JUST MAKE SURE YOU SHOOT THEM AFTERWARDS, I reckon everyone could be fooled once...

[Cyndi]

I apologize for getting anyone's dander up. I really wasn’t looking for an argument relating to the rabies issue, nor do I have hateful feelings about anything except when I see and hear people killing animals of any kind, which really just makes me sad. I practice Traditional Medicines and was stating an alternative. Yes, I understand that this is not the normal and it is very controversial, but as a former wildlife rehabber, even though we know there is always a possibility that rabies will be present, it is well known that oppossums are least likely to be carrying this disease. I really do not like killing animals and wildlife and I just think it’s not necessary. You might as well go kill all your bees too!!

As for the China issue....Just because the news and media are making claims about rabies in China, some may be true, probably most of it, but, they did not state how they treated rabies in China, which is what I was referring to. I don’t always trust what the CDC in Atlanta has to say always because their information is not always complete with what I know. China is basically overpopulated – period. The government is totally corrupted and they do not vaccinate the animals properly - they don't here in the US either. BUT, they do have methods of treating rabies that is not as intense and invasive as western medicine, because they look at the human body as a working system with nature and it’s a totally different method. Their traditional medicine is over 2,500 years old and it is wonderful and effective. They have problems just like all of us do, with the main one being overpopulation. It's happening in the US too. I’ve been a TCM practitioner for over 10 years now and study it with Chinese Doctors. Also, Eastern medicine is beginning to show up in our western world and in our western medicine more than you realize. Vet’s are doing acupuncture now (my dog gets acupuncture and it is much more successful than the vet medicine). Some of the ingredients in the Flu medicines going around are traditional herbs that have been used for a long time. The reason India doesn’t have a high amount of rabies, is because (my husband is Indian by the way), they mostly use Ayurvedic medicine which is one of the oldest methods in the world. China’s traditional medicine is very similar, but because they are leaning more towards the modern world, their traditions are not being kept up as before, therefore, more health problems are showing up. Same as in India's problems too. But, that’s another topic altogether on a different forum. I am really NOT pushing what I do, that is not my intention so consider this the end of this conversation about it.

So, my concern these days are the beekeeping practices that are being implicated here in the US. I’m really looking at some of the Queen Rearing practices that are being done and the use of chemicals for mite treatments and such and can’t help but wonder if some of this is really harmful to the bees…in the long term.

[nursebee]

I wish the Tailgater forum were still open!

Regardless of what form of "medicine" you practice the end result is the same, we all die. So does it really matter what we believe in for health care? There is good and bad in all. Some of those that practice Ayurvedic medicine in India also believe that it is good for their health to swim in the Ganges, drink cow urine, and avoid garlic.

If a possum deprives me of the food that I plant for myself I feel no ill will it shooting it D E A D.

[Cyndi]

I guess it all depends on the quality of how you would like to live Joe. My experience with Western Medicine is that of low quality. I suppose that's why they call it alternative here in America. Drinking cow urine does have some really good medicinal benefits, provided the cow is not fed with hormones and antibiotics. You eat cow don't you?? Did you know that most American cows are fed all kinds of growth hormones and antibiotics, not to mention how the cows are mistreated and kept in poor horrible conditions before they kill them...which to me is far more worse than drinking cow urine.

So, what is this tailgater forum?? I thought that was related to football.

[nursebee]

No, it was the forum for talking about non-beekeping things like TCM

[Aspera]

Cyndi,

I do NOT typically eat cow for ethical and health reasons (well, maybe 4-5X anually) and of the thousands of cattle that I have seen on American dairies and in slaughterhouses, I'm happy to say that there are few cases where our bovine friends are clearly being mistreated (usually by some jerk who would probably do the same to their own children). That said, I geuss that there is always some room for improvement. Get to know your local farmer. Local food is healthier, better tasting and educational. Don't take the package's word for it, go out and see food for yourself. You might just like what you see.

[Cyndi]

Thanks Aspera,

I don't eat cows..organic or non-organic. However, I do eat organic venison, chicken, wild caught fish and pork...but, I am mostly vegetarian for health and fitness reasons. As for getting to know the local farmers, I know some of them and like most of them. I mostly shop at Whole Foods Mkts and Earthfare type places that I KNOW the quality of my food is going to meet my high standards...otherwise I'd just live on Peanut Butter & Homemade Jam with Banana's, smile.gif I take a trip to Atlanta every 2 weeks or so to get my food supplies.

Anyway, I have no problems with hunting and eating wildlife...it's the unneccessary killings of wildlife that I have a problem with. Like, if you kill it, you should be required to eat it. Therefore, be careful about your kill, you might not like it, smile.gif

[Joel]

[wild caught fish]

Which are frequently loaded with harmful chemicals due to the pollution of lakes and streams. NYS publishes a guide every year telling us how much fish it is safe to eat from each body of water (and it isn't much) due to the many toxins that build up in the meat from pollution. Something to think about from the people at Getty (who contribute their fair share)

[Cyndi]

Not if you get your seafood from reputable and clean waters. When I say wild-caught fish, I really mean wild caught seafish. It's hard to find, but you still can believe it or not. It's always nice to know someone with a deep sea fishing boat too. Also, here in the mountains...you can't beat our fresh trout from non-polluted streams in the national forest.

[drobbins]

I spend quite a few weekends up around linville gorge
mmmmmm, trout smile.gif

Dave

[iddee]

I feed the opossums outside my back door nightly. I have seven hives 50 feet behind the house. I had a litter of opossums raised in my basement this year. I have never seen a opossum at any of my hives. Never seen a mark on a hive that looked to be made by an animal.
If I do have a problem with an opossum, like when one comes into the house, I just pick him up by the tail and carry him back to the woods, while giving him a gentle shake when he starts to climb up his own body. My father ate them, which means I did until I was large enough to find food away from home when my mother cooked opossum or a few other delicasies I would rather pass on. If they do eat bees, it must be about as seldom as they get rabies. I do not research much, but of the hundreds of rabid animals I have heard reported on the news, none have been opossums.

[FordGuy]

the discussion about possums and rabies gave me a chuckle. I don't know who's right, but I still ain't kissin no possum!

[iddee]

You don't know what you're missing. Big, juicy, french kiss. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM tongue.gif tongue.gif tongue.gif tongue.gif

[Michael Bush]

I've got nothing against possums per se, but I've caught them eating the chickens and the bees before. The bees would kill them if they could. So would the rooster that cornered the possum. I just help them out. After all, I am on their side (the chickens and the bees).

Of course now that all the "tame" chickens have already been eaten and the bees have top entrances, I don't seem to have any more problems with possums and skunks. The mice still get into the stored combs sometimes but not the hives anymore.

[Aspera]

I personally encourage eneryone to eat culture mussels. They remove slime, purify water and remove unwanted N, P and particulate that kills fish and sea grass. Best of all, you can though the shells right back in the bay and they'll become habitat for the next generation. As for wild caught seafish, I love to catch it and eat it, but the truth is that our fisheries are hugely mismanaged and have largely dissapeared or will soon. Does anyone eat much cod anymore? Used to be that we used the stuff for fertilizer and ships came from around the world to fish cod in the North Atlantic. Shark and tuna are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. As for trout, I'm proud to say that fly-fisherman have done more for clean water and stream habitat than the last three decades of congress.