Hive Beetles Tapering Off Here

[Ben Framed]

I noticed for about three weeks I was catching a reasonable amount of small have beetles. Even though very few were making it into the hive itself. Very few were jailed as Mr Van describes the corralling.  Most were in the oil pain. It seems that now, the wave is over. Of in a small hive beetle dearth? Out of nine splits, just inspected. I saw less than 10 total Beetles which made their way to the frame area. These splits were lite, weak splits to boot. Thankful.
Phillip

[BeeMaster2]

Phillip,
How dry has it been there. If it has been dry for a few weeks that may bee helping.
Jim Altmiller

[Ben Framed]

Phillip,
How dry has it been there. If it has been dry for a few weeks that may bee helping.
Jim Altmiller

It was raining cats 🐈  and dogs 🐶  here for most of the spring. And yes, it has tapered off in the last few weeks. Even still more rain than normal for my area. Everything here is still a luscious green as compared to some years.

[van from Arkansas]

Phil, I am glad you mentioned as I have noticed a decline in beetles, lately too.  Like just in the last week.   Last July was a doozie for beetles.  I don?t know where all the beetles came from??  But what do I know?  I figured a feral hive in a tree as there are no registered hives within two miles of my apiary.  Usually if there is a feral hive, the hive dies out and the beetles abruptly halt visits to my bee yard.

I have experienced a feral hive that abandoned their tree and swarmed landing on back of my beehive in September.  A sept swarm is an abscond to me.  I tried to save the swarm by providing a hive body with lots of food, honey frames, but they didn?t make it to Spring, to weak by the means that caused the abscond, I figured.

To bad as the swarm had a beautiful bronze color queen, much darker than my Italians and Cordovans.  A color of queen that I have not seen so I was really hopeful.  Kind of cool as by chance I was in my apiary when I hear a bee roar so I looked to see which hive was swarming and there was none.  Then to my great surprise, out of the sky all these bees drop down between the trees and settled on the back of a beehive.  To bad I could not save them as the queen was gorgeous.
Cheers
Van

[Ben Framed]

Mr Van that was a very good description. I could almost see the wonderful sight in my minds eye of the bees coming in!! It would have been nice to have been able to keep such a nice colored bee, at least you tried, doing your best....  Like you said, Probably previous pest problems was the cause of them not making it. Thanks for sharing your story, always something to be learned with bees as well as beekeepers. Just another good quality point of this Beemaster forum.
Phillip