[happybees]

I have heard that skunks feed on bees. From your experience, can they cause significant damage to the yard (hives)? I mean, is this serious problem? Last year I noticed skunks at my yard, where I usually keep about 100hives, but didn’t pay much attention. This year it seems that there are many of them. I saw two running in 2 different directions. How come they don’t get stung? Thanks.

 

[SwedeBee1970]

For one, Skunks usually like hives when they're close to the ground. The bees can't get to the tender skin on their bellies easily this way. See an example of my hives. I use these metal gussets to deter all animals and makes them climb up to expose things....

 

[Dave W]

Skunks not only eat bees they will scratch on hive to get bees to come out, and cause lots of "damage" just by disturbing the bees when it’s cold.

Bees can only "deter" a skunk if the skunk "stands up" and exposes its tummy area A well placed sting there only causes the skunk to "flinch".

I'm told by a very "well informed" very knowledgeable beekeeper that an aspirin inside a chicken eggs prevent the skunk from returning to apiary.

 

[CentralPAguy]

I live in town and have 2 hives in my backyard where in the summertime, massive amounts of bees would cool off on the landing board and outside of the hive. One day, I looked down in front of each hive and there was skat which appeared to contain undigested bee parts.

The only wild animals that run amouck in town are skunks and I made the assumption that skunks were dining. Though I never saw them in action, I took steps and fenced in my hives as my girls are too precious to end up as dinner.

When I create Beeyards, I automatically put a two foot fence around them and have had no trouble with skunks.

There are individuals in this forum who put their hive entrance at the top of the hive and not at the bottom and avoid this problem altogether.

 

[KQ6AR]

You could put some carpet tack strip out, too see if that keeps them away until you find a better solution.

 

[The Honey Householder]

Mix cat food and decon together, and put it under the hives. The ***** and skunks love it.
It might take a few feedings, but it gets the job done.

 

[SwedeBee1970]

Be careful with that. You could also start killing the neighbors cats or loose dogs. Worse yet, your own animals. If you poison those animals, whatever eats them if not disposed properly, becomes affected. Use caution with this one.....

 

[Jeffzhear]

I put cat food/tuna fish/fruit depending on what I want to catch, in a live trap. Gently put a old blanket over the trap after I catch them and walk them to the truck and drive them to another locale and let them go on their way.

 

[SwedeBee1970]

Don't they spray the blanket when trapped ?

 

[My-smokepole]

Jeffzhear you might be carefully with that one I know in the state of Oh to do that is illegal. That they need to be dispatch. I have a good on on that friend does some pest trapping. He got a call on a family of skunk living under someone out buildings. Over a series of nights he caught them. When he caught them he would release them in ONE local park. About a moth later he reads that the park is being over run by skunks
David

 

[11x]

if you want to know for shure go to your local sporting goods store and purchase a trail camera. you can get them for 50$ or so. it will take a pic of anything neer your hives. even people who might try to steal them. works for me. i have a friend who was gona destroy a hive cause thay got mean. he put up a trail cam and fount that skunks were harassing the hive making it defensive. when the skunk was dealt with the bees were back to normal in a few days

 

[SwedeBee1970]

Not a bad idea. Call your local Conservation Police and ask them to either dispose of them for you or how to do it legally. I know that if it's a problem, they'll take care of it. One lady I knew was overrun with bears and once was chased away in her own backyard ! Conservation took care of it and relocated the bear and her cubs. Skunks may not be nearly as serious, but seriously annoying.

 

[ACBEES]

Skunks, mice, toads are all a nuisance to bees when you have a bottom entrance on your hive. Read some threads about using top entrances for your hives. Seems to solve the nuisance problem and is possibly better for the bees.

 

[SwedeBee1970]

Or.......If you have outdoor cats. Plant some catnip near the hives.

 

[Jeffzhear]

Skunks, mice, toads are all a nuisance to bees when you have a bottom entrance on your hive. Read some threads about using top entrances for your hives. Seems to solve the nuisance problem and is possibly better for the bees.

Add snakes to the list also...had a mean hive last summer until I spotted the snake and removed it.

 

[honeyman46408]

Skunks (so far) haven`t been a problem for me but "*****" is a hole nuther story

This year I found out that if you don`t remove ***** in a live trap from the bee yard eairly in the morning the bees will kill them in the trap.
They sting them around the eyes and nose now I don`t if that will work with a skunk or not but if I catch one I think I will wait and see

 

[honeyman46408]

Add snakes to the list also...

Whoa that would bee a problem for me, I have a friend that opened an hive to find a snake on the innercover, now if that happened to me I would have a loundary problem--I don`t like snakes

 

[cow pollinater]

Yeah, I found a rattle snake under a pallet this summer... I shouted quite a few "audible ignorances" over that one.

As far as skunks goes, pokes a hole in an egg shell and suck out some egg. mix it with asprin and put it back in the shell. In the evening, put it close to the hives. Anything sneaking around has to be capable of withstanding some stings(they'll be more than just a little defensive at night if you have a skunk) and have a desire to eat a whole egg.

 

[ACBEES]

Of the 11 rattlesnakes I came across around my place this summer/fall, I was able to dispatch 9 of them. The other two got away because I didn't have my gun or hoe with me. Fortunatley, none of them were in or around my bee hives.

 

[Michael Bush]

>From your experience, can they cause significant damage to the yard (hives)?

Sometimes. I never had a problem until I moved here ten years ago, so for 25 years they were not a problem and then they were devastating my beeyard. My solution was top entrances and no bottom entrances and then I had no more skunk problems.

The "Apriegg" is three aspirin crushed and mixed into one raw egg. It seems effective on skunks and doesn't seem to interest the cats or hurt the dogs.