What I've learned about Small Hive Beetles

Satch · July 15, 2014, 11:48:24 AM

These past few years have been quite the experience with these Spawn of Satan bugs. Have done the oil traps, put the permetherin down, full sun, reduced entrances, strong hives, and regardless, the little buggers keep surprising me. I have about 60 hives that I deal with and have had limited sucess with all the above mentioned tricks until this year.

I had a hive that was busting at the seams the other day, getting ready to make splits and when I took off the top I saw at least 100 SHB running. They were everywhere and all the comb was filled with brood, larvae, honey or pollen.

Got to inspecting it a little closer and notice the clear exoskeletons in the bottom. Seeing SHB and their larve and getting mad. Thinking about going nuclear when I see a bee cleaning out an exoskeleton and another in the next opening. The SHB appeared to hatch, eat the developing brood and move to the next cell and do the same. After looking at some other hives, I noticed the same with them tunneling until they pop out of the comb. The bees fix it right back and use it, so it probably goes unnoticed.

I will be working on a better mouse trap to try to eradicate these creatures, but so far have not had much success with what has been suggested by others on this board, at meetings and talking to biologist.

Good luck to all who are dealing with them. And yes, they will survive the bitter cold right in the middle of the cluster all winter. The only think that kills them is when the hive dies.

Several commercial beekeeps that do not have problem mention that they move their hives so when the larvae matures there is no hive to come back to. may have to move the hives more frequently.

BeeMaster2 · July 15, 2014, 01:13:54 PM

Quote from: Satch on July 15, 2014, 11:48:24 AM
These past few years have been quite the experience with these Spawn of Satan bugs. Have done the oil traps, put the permetherin down, full sun, reduced entrances, strong hives, and regardless, the little buggers keep surprising me. I have about 60 hives that I deal with and have had limited success with all the above mentioned tricks until this year.

I had a hive that was busting at the seams the other day, getting ready to make splits and when I took off the top I saw at least 100 SHB running. They were everywhere and all the comb was filled with brood, larvae, honey or pollen.

Got to inspecting it a little closer and notice the clear exoskeletons in the bottom. Seeing SHB and their larvae and getting mad. Thinking about going nuclear when I see a bee cleaning out an exoskeleton and another in the next opening. The SHB appeared to hatch, eat the developing brood and move to the next cell and do the same. After looking at some other hives, I noticed the same with them tunneling until they pop out of the comb. The bees fix it right back and use it, so it probably goes unnoticed.

I will be working on a better mouse trap to try to eradicate these creatures, but so far have not had much success with what has been suggested by others on this board, at meetings and talking to biologist.

Good luck to all who are dealing with them. And yes, they will survive the bitter cold right in the middle of the cluster all winter. The only think that kills them is when the hive dies.

Several commercial beekeeps that do not have problem mention that they move their hives so when the larvae matures there is no hive to come back to. may have to move the hives more frequently.

SHB do not need our hives to breed but they do not survive freezing weather unless they are in a hive or some other warm place. they use rotting fruit to breed in.
The genetics of the bees is a major part in the bees surviving them. I also have oil trays on all of my hives for when they get out of control. Last year I was able to leave them all dry. Only have oil in a few of them right now but only because I have not cleaned them out yet. Had a serious influx of SHB when I moved the bees back in town.
Jim

Intheswamp · July 15, 2014, 02:00:46 PM

I'm thinking that lacing the brood/cluster area before shutting them down for winter with several Beetle Jail Juniors/Baitables or similar between frame traps might help work on the beetles over the winter. If the beetles numbers can be reduced during that time so when spring arrives there are few to breed then the bees have a better chance of controlling them.

Already having oil trays and in-hive oil traps I'm going to focus on entry protection better. Some way of directing the beetles into traps as they enter the hive. I like Beetle Jails entry traps but the cost is prohibitive for me...maybe I'll win the lottery if I ever will buy a ticket. ;) I'm tinkering with holes and slots in the entrance portion of my screened bottom boards, hoping that a higher number of beetles will seek refuge in these offered places. I'm still trying to figure out the cover protection, though. I tried some "fuzzed" Chux/Handi-Wipe type of material between the inner cover and top cover (escape holes screened over with #8) but those haven't done much good at all.

I'm thinking of maybe adding a large piece of window screen over the top of the #8 covered holes. The #8 will keep the bees from propolising the window screen. I figure if the edges of the window screen extends to rim of the inner cover that the beetles will come in and most likely land on top of the window screening and then travel to the aroma of the hive being emitted from the escape/feeder hole and the window screen will keep them out. It might keep them out long enough for you to find them and pressure test them. Or, maybe even a small sticky trap on top with some rotted fruit in the middle of it in case they get desperate for a snack. It's a thought.

Thankfully, right now, the beetle numbers are very low...but I don't want to get to complacent and open up a hive and find a horror story inside. :-\

Ed

Santa Caras · July 15, 2014, 05:38:04 PM

I do the SBB/oiltray, the oil traps that fit tween the frames and my hive tool. It's a constant battle. A comercial beek at our meeting says he uses an insecticide called TriStar (I think thats the name) that he sprays underneath the hives and it kills the larva b4 they have a chance to pupate. havent checked into that yet but I'm leaving that option open for the future.

Do some of the mite-a cides that go into the boxes work on SHB????

Satch · July 16, 2014, 02:28:52 PM

Quote from: sawdstmakr on July 15, 2014, 01:13:54 PM
Quote from: Satch on July 15, 2014, 11:48:24 AM
These past few years have been quite the experience with these Spawn of Satan bugs. Have done the oil traps, put the permetherin down, full sun, reduced entrances, strong hives, and regardless, the little buggers keep surprising me. I have about 60 hives that I deal with and have had limited success with all the above mentioned tricks until this year.

I had a hive that was busting at the seams the other day, getting ready to make splits and when I took off the top I saw at least 100 SHB running. They were everywhere and all the comb was filled with brood, larvae, honey or pollen.

Got to inspecting it a little closer and notice the clear exoskeletons in the bottom. Seeing SHB and their larvae and getting mad. Thinking about going nuclear when I see a bee cleaning out an exoskeleton and another in the next opening. The SHB appeared to hatch, eat the developing brood and move to the next cell and do the same. After looking at some other hives, I noticed the same with them tunneling until they pop out of the comb. The bees fix it right back and use it, so it probably goes unnoticed.

I will be working on a better mouse trap to try to eradicate these creatures, but so far have not had much success with what has been suggested by others on this board, at meetings and talking to biologist.

Good luck to all who are dealing with them. And yes, they will survive the bitter cold right in the middle of the cluster all winter. The only think that kills them is when the hive dies.

Several commercial beekeeps that do not have problem mention that they move their hives so when the larvae matures there is no hive to come back to. may have to move the hives more frequently.

SHB do not need our hives to breed but they do not survive freezing weather unless they are in a hive or some other warm place. they use rotting fruit to breed in.
The genetics of the bees is a major part in the bees surviving them. I also have oil trays on all of my hives for when they get out of control. Last year I was able to leave them all dry. Only have oil in a few of them right now but only because I have not cleaned them out yet. Had a serious influx of SHB when I moved the bees back in town.
Jim

The SHB lay their eggs in the capped brood and take 3-5 days to hatch and start eating. That's where I found the Exoskeletons fom. The tunneling is something I had wondered about and proved to myself as well. Just had another Beekeeper that is experiencing similar situations. WE are tagging up on solutions right now.

GSF · July 16, 2014, 02:41:16 PM

So.., the larva of both the wax moth and SHB both burrow through the comb?

GenXr · July 16, 2014, 03:16:56 PM

This is a Clemson publication regarding SHB. It should be required reading as it outlines the lifecycle and IPM suggestions.

I can't post links, but simply Google: clemson shb eb160.pdf

sc-bee · July 17, 2014, 12:08:28 AM

Quote from: GenXr on July 16, 2014, 03:16:56 PM
This is a Clemson publication regarding SHB. It should be required reading as it outlines the lifecycle and IPM suggestions.
I can't post links, but simply Google: clemson shb eb160.pdf

Here is the link for GenX:
http://www.clemson.edu/psapublishing/Pages/Entom/EB160.pdf

KD4MOJ · July 17, 2014, 10:28:21 AM

They are really bad this year. Lost two nucs to them. One of the state inspectors recommended Advion cockroach gell put in the beetle barns or other SHB traps. This does not contain fipronil like the other roach gels.

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

GenXr · July 17, 2014, 11:35:13 AM

Probably because they are being selectively bred into super beetles.

Intheswamp · July 17, 2014, 12:09:51 PM

Why would you think that they are being bread into super beetles? The only factor that I can see that might contribute to this would be that some overgrown sow beetles might not be able to go through some #8 mesh screen into an oil bath and possibly create some slightly overgrown offspring. I would like to hear your thoughts on reasons for why super beetles may be being bred, GenXr. I'm seriously interested in what you think as beetles have been of special interest to me since before I got my first bees several years ago. I think they're *everyones'* interest, actually.

So, what's your thoughts?

Best wishes,
Ed

GenXr · July 17, 2014, 02:29:51 PM

What I mean by super beetles are not Hurculean and massive, but those that have developed resistance to pesticides by inappropriate or mismanaged application.

For example, Mavrik contains the same pesticide, fluvalinate, as Apistan, but at a much lower cost. Apistan is in a controlled dose and Mavrik is not. To save a buck, beekeepers applied Mavrik by soaking cardboard or rags instead of using the more expensive Apistan. As such, the dose dissipates quickly and required higher concentrations to contol varroa until it was ultimatly ineffective. Now we have resistant varroa. This is the same thing that is happening with indescriminate use of antibiotics and the rise of drug-resistant strains of bacteria. This can easily happen to beetles, if it hasn't already.

But wait! It gets better . . . Studies have demonstrated that queens raised with high levels of fluvalinate and all the other chemical soup constituients had significantly less weight. So maybe you didn't apply this stuff to your hive . . . I didn't, but we're still not out of the woods. Tests on 5 of the major suppliers foundation waxes, which are basically recycled waxes, had significant residues. So there becomes a situation where there is practically no way to avoid being exposed . . . the bees get smaller and less productive and the bugs won't die.

All of the information is out there, if you look for it.

jredburn · July 17, 2014, 09:04:34 PM

There is one fact about SHB that most people ignore. That the beetles hate light can be used to control them.
Just about any beetle trap can be made many times more effective by the simple act of replacing the top cover and inner cover with a sheet of Plexiglass.
The light drives the beetles down into the bottom of the hive and into the trap.
The bees don't mind the sunshine.
If you don't like the oil bath type because it is so messy and needs to be level, try painting a piece of paper black and gluing it to the bottom board. Cover the paper with sticky board glue that they use in roach control boards.
Or spray the paper with a medium tack spray glue and sprinkle diatomaceous earth on it.
Either way put a 1/8" wire mesh over the top of the trap so the bees cannot get into it.

BeeMaster2 · July 18, 2014, 12:59:33 PM

Quote from: Intheswamp on July 17, 2014, 12:09:51 PM
Why would you think that they are being bread into super beetles? The only factor that I can see that might contribute to this would be that some overgrown sow beetles might not be able to go through some #8 mesh screen into an oil bath and possibly create some slightly overgrown offspring. I would like to hear your thoughts on reasons for why super beetles may be being bred, GenXr. I'm seriously interested in what you think as beetles have been of special interest to me since before I got my first bees several years ago. I think they're *everyones'* interest, actually.

So, what's your thoughts?

Best wishes,
Ed

Ed,
As far as size goes, I am seeing the reverse this year. More and more I see beetles that are half the size that they were even last year. The only thing I can attribute this to is that they are being kicked out of hives by the bees sooner than normal, before they are fully developed, which, I see a lot of small ones in my pans, and they are going into the soil to pupate as smaller larvae. They may bee crawling out of the dry pans and dropping onto the ground.
Jim