Never had to deal with them before, well, this is only my second year but Im having to deal with them now. I havent seen any damage done but have seen them in all hives. Placed beetle blasters, hope they work. I broke down a box I was hoping the girls were going to draw out, and smashed about 20. The bees were keeping them corralled. Man, I hate those little bastards. Then on what few plastic frames I had scattered, they love the crevices. Those things are going in the trash. Also, no more split bottom rails on frames. Like I said, the girls are relentless towards them but all they can do is corner them and harass them. No killing I guess. Looks like those bees could be of much better use in the field. On a bright note, They are bringing in plenty of nectar and beginning to start back-filling in prep for winter. Now If i can just kill those little black bastards....................... G........... :chop:
I hope I never have to deal with them, but I am sure I will. And when I do I think I'm going to use that chemical Jel and put it in those beetle traps and put them everywhere. I'll try to work the hives when the best time for not messing with honey, but if I can't then it will be for them to use in winter.
One of the problems that a bee will have with a SHB is they can't grab hold of it. It's like trying to catch a greased pig to them. The shell is hard and slick. I place my hives in direct sunlight and use the IPK oil trays from www.greenbeehives.com (http://www.greenbeehives.com) The bees chase the beetles and the beetles dart through the screen and plunge into the vegetable oil. I'm in SHB country and the most I've seen is always less than 5.
I find dead SHBs in the bottom of my observation hive on a regular basis. I think it is a genetics thing. Some can, some cannot. I used to think that they would not bee a problem in a hive in the sun. Then I opened the oil tray of a large hive in full sun that is in an old cement kennel. It had over 400 SHBs in it. I checked my other hives that are in the shade, very few SHBs.
Jim
I filled all the gaps in the plastic frames I own with cheap walmart silicone ($3.50/tube). And all plastic frames have been "inflicted" on one hive.
I won't be buying anymore. However once they are drawn out, the bees don't seem to care anymore. They don't like to draw them out though.
8-)
SHB hate light. That's why the recommendation to put the hives in sunlight. What works even better is to replace the metal top cover and the inner cover with a sheet of Plexiglass. The light drives the beetles down into the darkness at the bottom of the hive. If you have an oil bath trap on the bottom, it will collect the beetles and kill them. Any of the beetle traps will work well with this method.
One thing you can do to improve an oil bath trap is eliminate the oil and instead, spray the bottom with black paint, spray heavy tack adhesive on the paint and sprinkle DE(Diatomaceous earth) on it. Put a 1/8" screen over the top of the oil bath tray to keep the bees out.
Quote from: jredburn on September 06, 2014, 07:59:38 PM
SHB hate light. That's why the recommendation to put the hives in sunlight. What works even better is to replace the metal top cover and the inner cover with a sheet of Plexiglass. The light drives the beetles down into the darkness at the bottom of the hive. If you have an oil bath trap on the bottom, it will collect the beetles and kill them. Any of the beetle traps will work well with this method.
One thing you can do to improve an oil bath trap is eliminate the oil and instead, spray the bottom with black paint, spray heavy tack adhesive on the paint and sprinkle DE(Diatomaceous earth) on it. Put a 1/8" screen over the top of the oil bath tray to keep the bees out.
Thanks J. G :chop: