# Entrance reducer with mouse guard?



## jglee920 (Nov 1, 2013)

Sorry for the dumb question but...if I put metal mouse guards on my hives for the winter do I also still need to use entrance reducers? I'm in Alabama so winters aren't terribly severe.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

If it's one of those mouse guards that runs all the way along the entrance it can pay to also confine the entrance to just the middle of the hive, when the cluster is tight an entrance at the edge can allow undesirables including other bees, easy access.

Here is a pic of what I use, both entrance reducer and mouse guard.


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## drlonzo (Apr 15, 2014)

Oldtimer said:


> If it's one of those mouse guards that runs all the way along the entrance it can pay to also confine the entrance to just the middle of the hive, when the cluster is tight an entrance at the edge can allow undesirables including other bees, easy access.
> 
> Here is a pic of what I use, both entrance reducer and mouse guard.


Looks very similar to what I use. Mine go under the edge of the box though.


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## Bugman610 (Aug 6, 2014)

drlonzo said:


> Looks very similar to what I use. Mine go under the edge of the box though.


What are the dimensions of the cut out?
Thanks


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## drlonzo (Apr 15, 2014)

Bugman610 said:


> What are the dimensions of the cut out?
> Thanks


I use a 3\8 x 4 inch opening. I use mine year round as well with an upper vent of 3\8 x 3\8


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## jglee920 (Nov 1, 2013)

Thanks for the info. I'm using one of these mouse guards. I was thinking about putting the reducer in first behind the mouse guard before I secure the guard to the hive. But I was just thinking, would that set up let the bees get rid of the trash on the bottom board through the reducer and guard?


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## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

I've got a couple like that. The holes are large enough to get trash out. If I want to reduce the opening due to robbing, I just use blocks of 2X4 to cover some of the holes on each side to give a center opening.


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

I am using entrance reducers with 1/2" hardware cloth across the entrances, a little more room than the mouse guards above. So far, none of our local mice have gotten past it.

I have found that in cold weather the undertakers tend to drop dead bees behind the screen instead of hauling them out. If a couple of corpses get jammed against the wire, cleanup tends to suffer. A lot of people recommend inverting the entrance, putting the notch up, in winter so dead bees don't block the entrance. And maybe checking now and then and cleaning them out would be worthwhile.


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

Reduced entrance with mouse guard incorporated. I will reduce it further when bees quit flying in afternoons.


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## jglee920 (Nov 1, 2013)

Wow Frank, wish I had thought of that and saved some money!


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## Dave Burrup (Jul 22, 2008)

Those wooden guards would not work for me. The mice would just chew the openings larger and move right in. I use a metal excluder in front of the wooden excluder.


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## thehackleguy (Jul 29, 2014)

Phoebee said:


> I am using entrance reducers with 1/2" hardware cloth across the entrances, a little more room than the mouse guards above. So far, none of our local mice have gotten past it.


This is what I use, I had it laying around so free is the best!


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