SHB life span and cycle

[BjornBee]

Here in the north, are there any chances that SHB in the ground, will hatch out in spring? Or do they always pupate and then enter the hives for winter? Coming out of winter, are all the SHB you see the only ones to make it?

If you were to go frame by frame, and kill as many SHB as possible first thing in the spring, would any future SHB come from missed SHB that over wintered and propagated, or would new beetles be hatching out from the ground and re-infesting the hives?

Thank you.

[AllenF]

That sounds like a plan, if you could open up every hive while they were in the cluster and kill them, but I would wonder about the adult beetles that are wintering in other places outside of the hives.   I know in the summer they are surviving on pollen and plant matter outside the hive, but need the quantities of food inside a hive to reproduce.  And I do think the young can winter in the ground.  Maybe a ground drench would take care of them if they are not too far from the hive.   

[scdw43]

There is a good article about SHB written by Mike Hood in the Feb 2009 BC.  The ground freezing kills the larva.  He did the research about 20 miles from my house it was on feeding pollen sup in winter. His research stated that in my area you could feed pollen sub from 10 Dec to 20 Mar without adverse effects in most years of normal temps, as the SHB could not reproduce in the soil because of the low soil temps. The patties that were used were 4% pollen Global Patties.  I quote "The results of these investigations indicate low risk by beekeepers who feed their colonies pollen substitute patties in winter in temperate areas of the world when conditions are unfavorable for SHB reproduction. Apparently, the SHB larvae were dependant on the warmth from the cluster for survival and no damage to comb occurred in the brood area." end quote

[asprince]

Here in the north, are there any chances that SHB in the ground, will hatch out in spring? My guess is no.

Or do they always pupate and then enter the hives for winter? yes

Coming out of winter, are all the SHB you see the only ones to make it? yes

If you were to go frame by frame, and kill as many SHB as possible first thing in the spring, would any future SHB come from missed SHB that over wintered and propagated,  yes

or would new beetles be hatching out from the ground and re-infesting the hives? no

Thank you.

My answers to your questions have no data to back them. I will say that I have never lost a hive to SHB in the winter. I see lots of beetles in the winter but they seem to lay their eggs and slime the hives in the summer. It is like they need the cluster warmth of the hive to survive.

My two cents worth,

Steve

[NWIN Beekeeper]

My observation is that I only see them in the spring among the cluster.
I have accidently left out old combs in a solar melter over the winter-spring, and not observed them nested/nesting in it.
I think they are reliant upon cluster heat/food until spring/summer temps increase.

[the SHB could not reproduce in the soil because of the low soil temps.]

That is consistant with the population increase that see through the late summer/fall.

I think exterminating in the spring does nip some of the population in the bud. But, at least in my area, there are far too many feral colonies in trees that are likely to be just as warm and harboring SHBs as anywhere else. So those efforts might be a little futile.

[kdm]

 Have you seen compost rotting & creating heat. I think they could over winter in it.

[sc-bee]

Bj

See link to videos by Jamie Ellis. I believe he states "some suspect SHB to overwinter in the ground." I suspect that depends on where the ground is :-D