rats?

[rober]

I've heard a lot about skunks & mice but nothing about rats. I've got an offer to place some hives on some open land that's not too far from a grain handling terminal on the Mississippi river. as a kid I hunted rats with sling shots & pellet guns not far from this location. has anyone ever had a problem with rats ?

[BeeMaster2]

Same as you, never heard of it being a problem. Might have problems with them chewing on your hives. You might just want to do a test run with just one old hive.
Jim

[rober]

I did think about that. I could put a single box with some old drawn comb & residual honey there. this is all contingent on how many hives survive this winter.

[Joe D]

Last spring or the year before, I found a medium size rat on the porch of one hive. Guess the bees had killed it.  Where I store my supers for the winter in 55 gal plastic bags, have had a couple of bags eat into.  Good luck to you and your bees.




Joe

[beesNme]

i would think that if you put a old hive with no bees there that rats or mice would look to it as a new home, or possibly any animal that likes closed up spaces, at least if the bees were there their sting would kinda be a deterrent,

[marktrl]

A couple years ago I saw a field rat come out of the palmettos and eat dead bees off the ground. But he never bothered the hives.