Being in the Houston area we have discussed different ways to keep crawling pests out of your hives.
I have posted up the use of a cotton rope ~5/8's that is soaked in oil drained then axle greased then tightly double wraped around a metal leg or wood support. I am going on 7 months and not had to regrease the legs of my multi hive stand nor has it made a mess as the cans and such that fill with water around here.
Playing with splits and nucs I have found that using cinder blocks like many do if you place one of the plastic for sale or political signs work great under the hive on top of the block. I have not seen any ants or such climb up and over the plastic and I am in the middle of fire ant country. Other than trash the only other use for these signs are portable shooting stands.
I have also pieces of them for front hive over hangs and a way to divert the water from dripping down on to the entrance by placing the piece of sign wider than the hive top and extending it out 6" or ". I am placing a piece of 2x4 the width of the hive or wider on top to keep the water from running under the sign and use a brick on top of that. You may not this problem but I was having a lot of water standing on the entrance board even with the desired forward lean on the hive.
I have posted up the use of a cotton rope ~5/8's that is soaked in oil drained then axle greased then tightly double wraped around a metal leg or wood support. I am going on 7 months and not had to regrease the legs of my multi hive stand nor has it made a mess as the cans and such that fill with water around here.
Playing with splits and nucs I have found that using cinder blocks like many do if you place one of the plastic for sale or political signs work great under the hive on top of the block. I have not seen any ants or such climb up and over the plastic and I am in the middle of fire ant country. Other than trash the only other use for these signs are portable shooting stands.
I have also pieces of them for front hive over hangs and a way to divert the water from dripping down on to the entrance by placing the piece of sign wider than the hive top and extending it out 6" or ". I am placing a piece of 2x4 the width of the hive or wider on top to keep the water from running under the sign and use a brick on top of that. You may not this problem but I was having a lot of water standing on the entrance board even with the desired forward lean on the hive.