Folks,

There is  a lot in the archives on skunk predation but not much on coons
and possums. Here I have lots of all three and I suspect my hives may be
falling victim to one of these critters. I don't think it is skunk
because there is no lingering smell and I don't see scratch marks on the
entrance boards. The area around my hives is grassy so there are no
prints to be seen.  I did find one hive with the entrance reducer ajar,
but only one of  eight. Also, in front of all my hives, along with the
expected dead bees, are clumps of dead bees that appear to be scat
perhaps, or better yet, clumps of bees that appear were chewed up and
spit out. These clumps are right in front of the hives - if they were
scat I would expect them to be further away from the hive entrance than
they are - hence the theory that they are chewed up and spit out. Or, do
bees roll their dead sisters up in clumps like this in the hive to make
it easier to carry them out?

Anyway, is the above sign an indication of coon or possum predation?
I've set a live trap in the yard but I could catch just about anything
in it and it not be my target predator.

Thanks,

Billy Smart
Rock, KS

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