Topic: Bees AND rats

[valentinelow]

I've got a bees' nest in my manure heap (not bumble bees, but apart from that not sure what they are).
To add insult to injury, there is also a rat living in the manure heap. Or possibly more than one.
If anyone has any bright ideas on what to do about these unwelcome guests...

[tonybloke]

I've got a bees' nest in my manure heap (not bumble bees, but apart from that not sure what they are).
To add insult to injury, there is also a rat living in the manure heap. Or possibly more than one.
If anyone has any bright ideas on what to do about these unwelcome guests...

bees nesting in compost heaps are almost certainly Bumbles ( several types, and they don't all look the same) leave them alone and they'll disperse in autumn after producing queens ready for next year.
why are bees unwelcome on an allotment?

[Robert_Brenchley]

I thought when I saw the thread title that youy'd got rats in a hive. It's a common problem, despite not being mentioned in a lot of beekeeping books. Bees in compost heaps are normally bubmbles, unless they're wasps. Either way they do a lot of good, no harm, and die out in autumn. If you don't bother them, they have no interest in bothering you!

Poison or traps should deal with the rats.

[Alex133]

I have a bumble bee nest in one my compost bins - they are Common Carders - consider it a privilege personally, they're wonderful creatures and incredibly important for pollination.

If you sprinkle red hot chilli pepper on a piece of bread or some bait on the compost heap you may well find the rats scarper - I've found they really don't like it.

[valentinelow]

Tonybloke: nothing wrong with bees on an allotment, it is just that I did not fancy getting stung when I started digging into my manure.

[Aden Roller]

Poison or traps should deal with the rats.

We had giant size ones (sometimes mistaken by plot-holders as rabbits which we don't have). Several took up residence under and then "in" my father's old shed.

I objected to being greeted by them on their hind legs when I went in and out for tools when I took the plot over.  :o When they made a nest on the canvas cover of the rotovator enough was enough.  >:(

They regularly pushed the empty bait tray into the centre of the shed floor for a refill and ate huge amounts of it.

At last they vanished when I demolished the shed and removed the ancient empty oil drum buried 60+ years before my dad had put his new shed up in 1959.

A change in ownership of the local takeaway also made a huge difference.  ::)