One of the most important winter prep items for the beekeeper is a good mouse guard, and ours is one of the best out there. Not only does it keep mice out in the winter, it can be flipped over to completely close the bees inside the hive. This is handy for moving the hive, or keeping the bees closed in while the neighboring farmer sprays nasty chemicals.
The side brackets are installed on the hive body with thumb tacks or screws (not included), and the guard easily slides in and out of the brackets.
Note: this mouse guard is designed to fit either a European hive or a Langstroth hive, so you'll need to snap the end pieces off to fit a standard 10 frame hive. They snap off very easily by hand.
