The reason I bought them is too complicated to go into here. Let?s just say it wasn?t my first choice either, I had 6 days and needed $800 worth of supplies from Dadant. I had to do what I did? Next year will be different.
So, in another forum, Dive master pointed out to me that ez frames are a hive beetle heaven. Is there something, a substance, like silicone caulk that anyone one of you knowledgeable folks would recommend for application into the cavities in ez frames that hive beetles hide in? Something to fill these cavities and rob hive beetles of a place to hide? :wink:
Peanut - I have no direct experience but how about Bondo? It would be fast and sets hard.
I'm thinking that with you being where your at, my choice would be to keep the population down. From what I've read the best way is a SBB with a pan of oil or diatomaceous earth. I can't say which is better, they're nothing but a pest up here and not worth the effort to reduce the numbers.
I think maybe we misunderstand the impact of things. The bees NEED somewhere to corral the small hive beetles. They will round them up and then propolize them in. Problem solved. The cracks will be filled with propolis and small hive beetles... no need for bondo.
Here in the south, SHB's are a real threat to the hive. The more SHB's that are in a hive the better the chance for them to take over. Every time the hive is stressed, like a full inspection, swarming, robbing attempt or the loss of the queen, the bees stop paying attention to the Beetles and make repairs. This can take 2 to 3 days. By the third day the beetles have saturated the hive with as many eggs as they can. The bees then switch to normal duties and clean them out. If they do not get them out in time the hive is slimed and the bees are forced to leave.
How do I know this, I have a Observation Hive in my house and have seen it happen over and over.
I had seen these frames in other beeks hives, with lots of beetles hiding in them.
I recommend you fill them in with something the SHB nor the wax moths can penetrate. Try just a little bit of gorilla glue. Let it expand and then when hard shave off the excess.
If you have a large SHB I recommend you use screen bottom boards with an oil tray. Just make sure the bees cannot get in the tray. I and a neighbor have killed tens of thousands of SHB with the oil trays.
Jim
3 of my hives have bottom boards with screens, two do not. Today finished building and painting two more bottom boards with screens. This Saturday I will swap the bottom boards out. They have slots to hold pans.
Next question, where do I find pans that are 14.5 inches wide X 18 long?
Quote from: Peanut on April 28, 2016, 09:16:30 PM
3 of my hives have bottom boards with screens, two do not. Today finished building and painting two more bottom boards with screens. This Saturday I will swap the bottom boards out. They have slots to hold pans.
Next question, where do I find pans that are 14.5 inches wide X 18 long?
I make they out of galvanized steel. I started out clamping wood boards,one above and one below the metal and using another long hard board and a hammer to bend the edge over. do the same to all 4 sides and then bend the corners over and use a hammer to flatten them to the sides. Then I screw one side of a board that fits into the area behind the tray so that it seals the bees out of the tray. I also staple a window screen directly below the oil tray to keep them out from that direction.
Jim