After some 40 years of beekeeping, I finally found something that works
well for me.

Get some good 'signboard' from a lumber yard...caution, I've never seen
Home Depot or Lowes carry this.  You want the high-quality plywood that is
used for making signs; not the standard grades of outdoor plywood.  I use
1/2", but 3/4" or 1" is fine.  Cut the length exactly the inside width of
your bottom board, and 2" to 3" wide.

Take an 'ordinary' piece of plywood, or pegboard, that is sold as 1/4" and
cut a piece that is, again, the exact width of the inside of your bottom
board, and about 6" wide.  On one side of the width staple and glue a piece
of wood that measures about 1" high by 4" long.

Now, the 1/4" plywood or pegboard actually measures 3/16th.  Perfect to
keep out the smallest mouse or shrew.  Push that into the hive entrance.
This is called a shim.  Take a piece of the signboard and mount it on top
of the shim.  Hold firmly down and put a screw into each corner and into
the front of the hive.  When done, remove the shim.

You have just created a mouse-proof entrance.  Ours go on in October and
come off in April/May.  We have found that if somehow we forget one the
bees still seem to do just fine, but we are just 150 miles south of Canada
and in a warmer part of the country they probably need more ventilation.

When we need new pieces of signboard we 'start' the screws in the shop so
they only have to go into the hive.  We did not paint our signboard and the
strips have so far lasted 8 years without delaminating.  We store them in
the honey house during the off season.

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