I have a hive that has built up from a commercial nuc and is now in a deep and covers 7 frames. Two of the frames that came from the nuc have top and bottom bars of timber but have plastic end bars that extend past the top bar ends that sit on the support ledges of the box. The end bars are hollow but are braced with cross pieces diagonally up the bar. I have just returned the hive to home and inspected it today.
The hive had a lot of SHB using the end the lacing in the end bars to hide from the bees. I killed at least 50 today and the oil trap also works overtime. If these frames were carrying honey or pollen I would not hesitate to remove and replace them however they are full of capped and uncapped brood and are in the middle of the cluster.
I could move them into a deep super with an excluder between them and wait for the brood to hatch when I would scrap them but they would be up there by themselves and I don't want to split the brood which is over 4-5 frames. I could shake some bees off a comb in one of my only other 2 hives but one has only just now reached 10 frames (not yet fully drawn or covered) and the other has 8. Both came from swarms but are doing well but with winter coming along and the temperatures now dropping towards our lows of 45 and tops of 75 I am reluctant to set these colonies back by stealing nurse bees off them.
And of course the SHB in our climate is 24/7 all year, and I am reluctant to leave these frames in the hive with the SHB so prevalent.
So the big question is how do I deal with the problem.
I haven't had to deal with a bad infestation of SHB so take this with a grain of salt. Is it possible to mix up a batch of rosin/wax or something else that you can trowel into the gaps to make it less of a good hiding spot until you can remove the frames? If so after doing that I would start to move those frames to the outside of the broodnest so that when the current larvae emerge the bees will backfill with honey/pollen and not new eggs at which point they could be removed. Just a thought.
That's a good thought. I wonder if bees tolerate silicon sealant.. then again I would have to wait until it cured and the frame would be out of the hive for too long for the brood. If I could soften the wax and force it into the end bars that might help or I could get something like plastic wood that sets quickly. I know that linseed oil based glaziers putty is tolerated by the bees as I use this in fixing the SHB trap tops into the bottom board. Will have to think this over. :roll:
The other thing is how long can the frame be out of the cluster before I damage the brood?
Thanks for your thoughts
Mick
Quote from: fermentedhiker on May 07, 2009, 08:10:47 AM
I haven't had to deal with a bad infestation of SHB so take this with a grain of salt. Is it possible to mix up a batch of rosin/wax or something else that you can trowel into the gaps to make it less of a good hiding spot until you can remove the frames? If so after doing that I would start to move those frames to the outside of the broodnest so that when the current larvae emerge the bees will backfill with honey/pollen and not new eggs at which point they could be removed. Just a thought.
I was thinking something like this as well but it would be alot of work and if it was wax, the bees may remove it.
I haven't tried it but I was told paraffin would to fill in voids.
Also told that wipe the tops & bottoms of frames [ wood or plastic ] with paraffin
and bees would not build burr comb on it, any body ever try this ?
I use all plastic frames. I like them.
Bee-Bop
That expanding foam insulation might work to fill the cavities created in the plastic end bars. Use the Brill Cream rule: a little dab will do ya.
Thanks for all of your ideas on this :)
Anyone have an idea how long the frames of comb can be out of the hive without putting them at risk? :?
Mick
Quote from: fermentedhiker on May 07, 2009, 08:10:47 AM
I haven't had to deal with a bad infestation of SHB so take this with a grain of salt.[...]
I read something about blocking the brood cycle of the shb - and that (the larvae?) have to go into the earth below the hive to complete said cycle - would salting heck out of the ground around the hives 1: harm the bees 2:break the brood cycle of the shb?
edit: sorry to pile on a question in the tread, I've noticed I do a lot of that - in future I'll try not to blurt and start a new topic.