Anyone use Kelley's boxes with the aluminum frame rest? I notice the SHB have a nice little hideout! :-x
I trash the frame rest.
I had some back in the 70's and was cutting them down to eight frame mediums a few years ago... but I never had SHB to hide there... I don't care for metal rests at all, myself and especially that version of them with the gap under them..
I have new cypress deeps without the metal frame rest and want to be proactive about the beetles. Would it be ok to change the deep brood box while they are still building their nest? Frames 1 thru 5 are drawn out nice and they are drawing out frame 6 in a 8 frame deep. Would it be to stressful for them at this stage to change the box?
Beetles love to hide in any bodies box with gaps under/ around/ behind the frames.
I use metal frame rests in all my hive boxes. It saves on busted ends and I don't lose my religion trying to pry glued up frames out of the box. I rarely see any shb in my boxes now I've installed all sbb's on my hives. There is really no way to eliminate hiding places for shb. Cinnamon sprinkled in the space between the rests and the hive wall keeps them out of there if you have a bunch hiding there. The bees don't mind it, the shb hate it.
Picture of deep with metal frame rest where the beetles could hide under the frame, trough area.
(http://i960.photobucket.com/albums/ae89/seaheli/DSC01021.jpg)
When I removed this burr comb I noticed beetles trapped in little cells, the bees have created their own jail for the SHB.
(http://i960.photobucket.com/albums/ae89/seaheli/DSC01022.jpg)
Quote from: kedgel on July 28, 2011, 12:16:14 AM
I use metal frame rests in all my hive boxes. It saves on busted ends and I don't lose my religion trying to pry glued up frames out of the box. I rarely see any shb in my boxes now I've installed all sbb's on my hives. There is really no way to eliminate hiding places for shb. Cinnamon sprinkled in the space between the rests and the hive wall keeps them out of there if you have a bunch hiding there. The bees don't mind it, the shb hate it.
If you paint melted pariffin wax on the frame rests, the bees won't glue them down much at all. If you also paint the top bars, you won't have to worry about burr comb very much. It's really nice to slide those frames across the rest when it's had pariffin applied.
I'm wondering if a fellow painted paraffin on the walls of a TBH, if the bees would attach the comb or not. NOT that I'm getting back into TBHs...one disaster was enough for me!