Skunks are doing serious damage to my honey bee colonies this winter. They seem to be targeting a handful of hives, and I’m worried those bullied colonies won’t make it to spring. I’ve posted about critters eating my bees a couple times in the past. During those times, the frequency was more sporadic and the damage was less severe. All winter—each time I visit my bee yard—I’ve found entrance reducers removed and big wads of chewed up bees on the ground. I’d put the entrance reducers back on the hives, and the next day they’d be removed again. It was relentless. I while I tend to single out skunks for the sake of brevity, but I’m pretty sure possums and armadillos are playing a role too. Armadillos are new to central Missouri, as their range extends north with the warmer temperatures. In fact, I’ve seen armadillos darting out of my bee yard and into a nearby creek, and I wouldn’t be surprised if their presence accounts for the surprisingly consistent attacks on my hives this year. One thing I’m sure of—I can no longer sit idly by while my bees wage a nightly, losing battle.
A winter evening in the workshop; coming up with a game plan to ward off skunks and other nocturnal bee eaters
In devising a game plan, I considered a few options, including live trapping, erecting a fence around the apiary, and the ever-so-popular carpet tack strips on the landing board technique. The live traps lose their appeal when you consider “success” would consist of carrying a live skunk to a new home (and no, I won’t kill them). Fencing off the bee yard had a few downsides. First was the cost of materials and the time required to build the fence. Second was the idea of having to move the fence (or install multiple gates) to get my tractor or truck up next to the hives. Third was the prospect of having to re-build the fence if the bee yard moves or expands beyond its current size. So I looked for something else.
I settled on a plan to put rolls of fence in front of each hive. In theory, these should serve as obstacles and annoyances to any skunk, possum, armadillo, or racoon that tries to sit in front of the hives and lure bees out. For about $40, I got a couple rolls of 3’ by 50’ chicken wire fencing, plus some stakes to hold them in place in front of the hives. I unrolled about 6-7” of the fencing, cut it, and wired it in a roll with a 2’ diameter. I secured these in front of each hive by using a few stakes. As seen in the picture above, I had to cut “slits” into some of them so they’d fit around my hive stands. The whole process was cheap and easy. It’s been a few weeks since I installed these skunk fences, and so far the critters haven’t figured out how to get around them. There have been no signs of nighttime invaders—a relief to me and reprieve for my bees. I only wish I had done this sooner, and hope my colonies haven’t been too weakened to see springtime.