KNOCK KNOCK

Guess who? One of the most impactful threats to a Beekeeper’s charges, and one that you might not immediately think of, is the woodpecker. There are actually two types at large in Wales, the European green (Picus viridis) and their lesser spotted cousins (Dryobates minor).

The green woodpecker is the potential problem for beekeepers, since, a hungry Picus may decide to predate bee larvae and honeycomb. It’s hardly much of a stretch for a woodpecker to repurpose tree boring skills and make disturbingly short work of beehives walls.

Assaults by Woody Woodpecker are thankfully not that common, at least not around these parts, but they are a consideration if your hives are near woodland. Beekeepers who are plagued by a these arboreal sneaks are advised to wrap their hives in chicken wire for protection and, to presumably keep a listening ear out for the well known chorus. Ho-ho-ho ho ho! ho-ho-ho ho ho!?

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