The honey bees have now settled down for the winter. They have taken down the sugar syrup which is their winter feed. They were very hungry this year - each colony had taken about 5 gallons (25 litres) of syrup - the norm would be about three and a half gallons (17 litres).
The entrance to the brood box is covered by a metal grid called a mouse guard. The bees can still come and go, but the mice can't get in, which, given the chance they would as the hive makes a nice dry and warm home for the winter. Each hive is covered in netting to hopefully give protection against Woodpeckers as they can detect the larvae and will attempt to get in for an easy meal. The nets are weighted down by a brick on the roof, this will also stop the roof blowing away in heavy winds
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