What size hardware cloth to keep mice out?

LampBurner · Sep 15, 2014

Hi,
Last winter I had a problem with mice getting onto my hives and really messing things up in there. This winter I want to prevent that. The time is approaching.
I plan to use hardware cloth at the entrances but not certain what size and there is this: I want to use a size small enough to keep the mice out but big enough that the bees have very much room to go in and out as they do and not tear their wings or wear them down rubbing against the hardware cloth. What's a good size for that?

Thanks

RayMarler · Sep 15, 2014

!/4" mesh is the size to use. Bees go through it fine but mice can't quite squeeze down that small, so it works great.

Huntingstoneboy · Sep 15, 2014

I like 1/2"....I think the bees lose less pollen.

Agis Apiaries · Sep 15, 2014

I have watched mice squeeze through 1/2" with no problem.

Rader Sidetrack · Sep 15, 2014

I believe that mice (at least some of them) can get through 1/2" hardware cloth.

The NY Dept of Health says ...

Mice are much smaller than rats, but they can still do a lot of damage. They destroy food, books, furniture and even appliances with their gnawing, urine and droppings. Worse, mice in the home have been linked to a number of human diseases, including asthma. Because of their small size, they can fit through crevices as small as 1/4 inch wide, making them hard to control.

http://www.health.ny.gov/publications/3206/

Note that the holes in 1/4" hardware cloth are slightly smaller than 1/4" due to the diameter of the wire.

Huntingstoneboy · Sep 15, 2014

Interesting....1/2 seems plenty small....guess the 40 mouse guards I just made would be better used as kindling! Most are on hives already...will let you know how it worked out in the spring. Better go with the 1/4" LampBurner.

David LaFerney · Sep 15, 2014

Maybe he will chime in here but I'm pretty sure Michael Palmer uses 1/2 x1/2. 1/4 makes it hard for them to get dead bees out. I've had mouse damage, but never through a 3/8" entrance reducer - just lucky?

Rader Sidetrack · Sep 15, 2014

For Michael Palmer's mouse guards see post #26:

http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...howthread.php?290052-Workable-mouse-guard&p=1015934&highlight=mouse#post1015934

Note that while he is using 1/2" cloth, he is folding it into a Vee shape. That effectively reduces the size of the hardware cloth holes once inserted into a hive entrance.

Mr.Beeman · Sep 15, 2014

I've used 1/4" before, but removed two vertical (a few inches apart) wires to make the openings 1/4" x 1/2". Still made it hard to remove the dead bees.
I now switched to 1/2" for this winter season. We will see how it goes. Our mice are real fattys here, so I doubt they will be able to squeeze through.

Michael Palmer · Sep 15, 2014

Mr.Beeman said:
Our mice are real fattys here, so I doubt they will be able to squeeze through.

Mine are fatter than yours.

WWW · Sep 15, 2014

1/4 or 1/2 inch slot is not the same as a 1/4 or 1/2 inch square, I would really like to see a mouse fit through a 1/2 x 1/2 inch square hole. I have always used 1/2 inch hardware cloth with no problem.

Michael, I have never seen a brindle colored mouse before, very interesting

.

Jim 134 · Sep 15, 2014

Most of the time if a mouse can get his head in it will fit through.Look like if its back feet is mid air they can't get through LOL

You use 3 mesh galvanized hardware cloth for mouse guards

http://www.tinyurl.com/mzoe6pd

BEE HAPPY Jim 134

crofter · Sep 15, 2014

I drive an upright row of thin nails in the entrance reducer slot. Space about 5/16" apart.

Michael Bush · Sep 15, 2014

Back before I had top entrances, I used 1/4" hardware cloth with good results. A mouse can squeeze through a 1/4" wide crack but not a 1/4" by 1/4" square... they have to flatten themselves pretty well to get through the 1/4" crack and then they are much wider than 1/4".

What size hardware cloth to keep mice out?

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