# Skunks digging holes, and scratching up hives.



## grumpybeeman (Jan 10, 2014)

As if wood peckers aren't enough to tear up hives and ruin equipment. Has anyone noticed any small holes dug in front of the hives during the summer? Scratches all over the front by the entrance?... Bees that are usually calm that are all of a sudden nasty & mean when you check on them? Now you kiddies know the cause of it! It was a bad bad year for skunk digging, hive tampering, and dog spraying!!! Most of the hives had dig holes, and both of the dogs got sprayed this summer when the old fishing boat in the grass by the extra hive pallets was moved. Has anyone else out there had the pleasure of the bees meeting the skunk?


----------



## KPeacock (Jan 29, 2013)

I've got bees, and I've got skunks, but so far they have been happy to leave each other alone. If I do have trouble, I'm in the country so the problem is easily solved under the current Nuisance Animal Population Suppression program. One minute they are doing damage to something, the next minute they are taking NAPS.


----------



## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

caught one yesterday here, it had been eating my bees. this is what i used:

http://www.snareshop.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ADC6


----------



## KPeacock (Jan 29, 2013)

that is a pretty ncie looking trap.


----------



## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

works good. i put a small tin of cat food in for bait. the possums and ***** i catch get taken down the road and released. the skunks are dispatched by submerging the trap in the creek, no risk of getting sprayed.


----------



## grumpybeeman (Jan 10, 2014)

I get these at the local farm store...I've had mine sitting around for years now. An old well pipe works to pick the trap up, or a trash sack over it to keep from being sprayed.

http://www.havahart.com/store/live-animal-traps/large

I use old chicken bones, or fat scraps from meat cuts.


----------



## High-On-Burlap (May 6, 2013)

If you do trap them and plan on releasing them elsewhere you should check to make sure you are legally do so. Around here we can trap em but can't release em elsewhere, which is fine by me because I've got a good 22 to shoot em at 100 feet while they are still in the trap. A mosin works just as well, but makes bigger dents in your wires.


----------



## KDM (Jul 12, 2007)

Could it be that the skunks are eating small hive beetles from the holes they are digging.


----------



## grumpybeeman (Jan 10, 2014)

They claw at the boxes leaving scratch marks...Trying to get to the honey and brood. Free food for a skunk.


----------



## bowhuntaz (Dec 30, 2013)

Generally, skunks are considered vermin, and are not releasable once trapped. 
Definitely check your local game laws. 
Skunks are known carriers of numerous contagious diseases, like rabies, and are usually put down on sight. 
We're having a bumper crop of both skunk and **** here, and I get calls often to trap nuisance animals.


----------



## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

I had lots of skunk problems in all of my yards this year also. They decimated the populations of many hives before I realized what was happening. Then I noticed the digging in the ground in front of the hives, no scratch marks on the hives though. I used aspirin eggs, but I think there may have been other things eating the eggs too because they were being eaten as fast as I could replace them. A trap would be nice but I don't have a gun to shoot them with once caught. Our little dog got sprayed once too, I could still smell that skunk in her fur for two months and multiple baths afterward.


----------



## Mike Gillmore (Feb 25, 2006)

I used to have terrible problems with skunks terrorizing my hives. It seemed like when I got rid of one, two would take it's place. It was a never ending battle. And no doubt about it, they will make your bees very grumpy when they have been messed with all night. 

Closing off the bottom entrances and going with upper entrances took care of the problem. Now, if I can just train my Golden Retriever to know the difference between a cat and a skunk ....


----------



## Snookie (Dec 13, 2013)

Mike Gillmore said:


> Now, if I can just train my Golden Retriever to know the difference between a cat and a skunk ....


To my black lab Daisy Mae if it moves it's subject to dire consequences :}

It's her job to guard the perimeter of our home and she does a THOUROUGH JOB...I like dat me!:applause:


----------



## laketrout (Mar 5, 2013)

My bear fence keeps them out its set 4'' off the ground to stop twigs and debris from shorting out the fencer but low enough to stop the skunks .


----------



## Tiny Barn Farm (Dec 22, 2012)

Put some carpet tack strip down on the landing board(upside down so spikes are side up). That's what everyone around here uses and it works great. Plus you can get it free lots of times from a flooring guy when it's replaced. When the skunk scratches it cuts it's paws and it leaves. You can also just elevate the hives more supposedly the skunks don't like to have there belly exposed and it's easier to mow under them.


----------



## KDM (Jul 12, 2007)

I made hive stands with 2x6 boards setting on bricks. Have not had skunk problems in years.


----------



## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

it's also illegal here to release skunks. by 'dispatched' i meant drowned in the creek. the hives are elevated but that didn't stop the skunks.


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

After I went to top entrances only, my skunk problems went away...


----------



## Sharpbees (Jun 26, 2012)

I run a wildlife control business and here in KY it is illegal to release animals unless you have permission from a land owner who has at least 100 contiguous acres. Drowning isn't a legal dispatch method for land caught animals here. You can use carbon monoxide to dispatch them. All you need is a sealed box and a hose running to it from a car exhaust. Shooting is also allowed here but you stand a greater risk of being skunked. Be sure to check your local laws when working with nuisance wildlife.


----------



## Snookie (Dec 13, 2013)

Sharpbees said:


> Shooting is also allowed here but you stand a greater risk of being skunked. Be sure to check your local laws when working with nuisance wildlife.


With a scope at 30 yards, I usually don't end up smelling anything but gunpowder:}:shhhh:


----------



## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

thanks sharpbees, to honest i had not checked into the laws here. this is what i found:

"Alabama game and fish regulation 220-2-.27 allows for permits to take protected wildlife causing crop damage, property damage, or concern for human safety. A property owner or tenant is allowed to take one squirrel, rabbit, raccoon, opossum, beaver, or skunk per incident that is causing damage to said individual’s property without a permit."


----------



## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

this is quoted from the law itself:

"A property owner or tenant shall be allowed to take one squirrel, rabbit, raccoon, opossum, beaver or skunk per incident that is causing damage to said individual’s property without a permit.
Persons taking, capturing or killing wildlife under the provisions of this regulation shall abide by all state and local laws and ordinances. Live caught animals may not be relocated across a county line or a major river drainage."

i believe what have been doing is in accordance with this law, thanks again for prompting me to check it out.


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>With a scope at 30 yards, I usually don't end up smelling anything but gunpowder

That was my first solution. But I discovered, it costs me a night's sleep, and there are always more skunks who are already members of the same family and already know where my hives are...


----------



## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

michael, i don't know if you happened to catch my posts on other threads regarding my colonies ignoring empty supers of comb at the top of the stack last spring, but I am wondering if the entrances were at the top instead of at the bottom if the bees would be less likely to do that.

so far i have always found that the cluster overwinters in the single deep at the bottom of the stack and then grows up into the supers as spring progresses. with your upper entrances, do the bees show a preference for where they overwinter and do they tend to move up or down as spring progresses?

(sorry off topic for skunks)


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>michael, i don't know if you happened to catch my posts on other threads regarding my colonies ignoring empty supers of comb at the top of the stack last spring, but I am wondering if the entrances were at the top instead of at the bottom if the bees would be less likely to do that.

In my experience, when the bees have to fly through the empty supers they are more aware of them and more likely to use them. Yes, it might help with your problem.

>so far i have always found that the cluster overwinters in the single deep at the bottom of the stack and then grows up into the supers as spring progresses. with your upper entrances, do the bees show a preference for where they overwinter and do they tend to move up or down as spring progresses?

I think this is a regional thing. When I had bottom entrances they spent the winter at the top of the hive. When I had top entrances they spent the winter at the top of the hive. Everyone I know in Nebraska who I have asked, has told me they see the same.


----------



## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

many thanks michael. i am in the process of lowering my stands to make working the hives easier. i have been using notches in the inner cover for venting, but screening them to keep pests from getting in there. i think i'll try unscreening those and screening the bottom instead on some of the hives and see how it goes. i believe the bee informed survey reported less winter losses with those using top entrances. it would be nice not to have to worry about skunk predation.


----------



## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

The bear fence we're installing is based on a tiger enclosure I once saw. This will be 7' high with 44" post spacing, well anchored, grounded remesh for fencing, and three runs of electric fencing all around. Anything getting between the electric fence and the grounded mesh is gonna feel it, including bears. Skunks and raccoons should no longer be an issue ... we have both.


----------



## grumpybeeman (Jan 10, 2014)

Mike Gillmore said:


> I used to have terrible problems with skunks terrorizing my hives. It seemed like when I got rid of one, two would take it's place. It was a never ending battle. And no doubt about it, they will make your bees very grumpy when they have been messed with all night.
> 
> Closing off the bottom entrances and going with upper entrances took care of the problem. Now, if I can just train my Golden Retriever to know the difference between a cat and a skunk ....



Mine got it twice in 5 yrs, and 1 torn ear off a barbed wire fence/stitches and a vet bill besides.


----------



## Beeonefarms (Nov 22, 2013)

new bee here... learning from the successes ,,,, keep on sending out the knowledge Ill keep filtering what will work for me ( time will tell ) 

One honeybee at a time...


----------



## JellyB (Jan 6, 2014)

My Blue Heeler got sprayed last night, so he spent the night in his crate in the greenhouse. Went this morning and picked up supplies for cheap homemade skunk scent remover, This stuff works like a charm every time. Mix a Quart of Hydrogen Peroxide, a 1/4c. Baking Soda and 2T. Lemon or Orange scented Dish Liquid then add 1 Quart Warm Water. Using rubber gloves and a sponge suds-up the dog real good and leave it on for 20 minutes. Rinse with clear water allow to dry and then spritz with 1 part vinegar to 4 parts plain water. Avoid getting either of these concoctions in the dogs eyes, ears or mouth.
I finally moved back to the farm after 20 years of city-living. At least the skunks out here do not know how to operate the pet door. 
Now onto the bees-
I'm placing my hives near where my neighbors hives are, its a good location. Both groups of hives will be about 25ft off the property line. We are currently splitting the cost of Fencing that line and installing a gate at the field access drive. He put his hives near that drive to deter people from using it, and it worked. We are also going to fence off the Bee Yard. He is Amish so "they" can not put up an electric fence but I can. I plan on using a Solar fence package. Will this be sufficient.


----------

