SHB Rmoval

jclark96 · October 08, 2009, 08:26:59 PM

I have checked the bees a few times since my last post. They are doing alot better. Only two or three beetles in the hive today. I rearranged the frames to give the queen more room to lay, they have responded very well. In two weeks they have drawn out three frames, not speedy, but it is October. Today I switched them to 2:1 syrup instead of 1:1. The hive was full of bees and they still had 5 frames of brood going.

So, I plan to continue to kill any beetles that I can. I also have a tray under my SBB, this winter I am going to build a better one so I can put oil in it. So, my experience suggest that strong hive will defend themselves, weak hives might need intervention.

TwT · October 09, 2009, 12:20:21 AM

Quote from: KD4MOJ on October 07, 2009, 03:42:46 PM
Quote from: TwT on October 07, 2009, 12:46:05 PM
look at these new traps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0mO-cYTZ58

Very interesting... what is the bait in the tube????

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

he even offer the bait tube stuff with the traps here on this page

http://georgiabees.blogspot.com/2009/09/small-hive-beetle-traps-pstpaid.html

Mason · October 09, 2009, 11:43:20 AM

The bait in the video looks hauntingly similar to the roach killer bait you can get at Walmart for a few dollars. Even though the homemade plastic corrugated board traps do clog after a couple of months for pennies a piece you can just throw them away. They store well too. I have some extras made up that I keep in my bee tool bucket and just throw a couple in when I see the old ones are clogged. Another nice thing about them is you never need to empty them. The bees clean out all the dead beetles.

I made some traps out of CD cases that can be re-used but prefer the disposable type.

Why spend money if you don't have to?

KD4MOJ · October 13, 2009, 09:17:20 AM

Quote from: TwT on October 09, 2009, 12:20:21 AM

he even offer the bait tube stuff with the traps here on this page

http://georgiabees.blogspot.com/2009/09/small-hive-beetle-traps-pstpaid.html

He's kinda expensive on those traps. Rossmans had the same one (stamped Beetle Barn on the plastic) for half the price. Just bought a few to test out... had about 100 SHB's in the trap below the SBB in one day. Had to do something since the SHB's exploded over the summer this year. Didn't have the same problem in '08 but from what I've read on-line, seems to be the year of the SHB!

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

TwT · October 13, 2009, 09:25:56 AM

Rossmans are .50 cent cheap per trap, ha wonder why he is tring to sale his that much higher, the thing I wonder about is he is a Dadant sale outlet and I need to see if they sale them traps as well, I was under the impression that he came up with these?

Animator · October 14, 2009, 01:39:58 AM

How do you make 'em out of CD cases ?

Mason · October 14, 2009, 11:38:45 AM

CD case trap,

real easy. I just opened it up, took out the inner cardboard and labels, some cases have 4 small rectangle holes on each corner other do not. Just make sure if there are no rectangle holes to drill a few on the edges. Then just put the roach bait sold at Walmart in the syringe looking tube for a few dollars in the case, close it up and that's it. I just put a circle of bait about 2 inches in diameter in the middle of the CD case.

That roach bait at Walmart appears to be exactly what is pictured in the video. He does take care to keep the label facing the other way but it's the same stuff.

I didn't like the reusable traps and prefer the throw away plastic corrugated board traps I made better. It's just easier to throw them away then always be cleaning out the propolis and dead beetles. I have not done the math but I am sure I am making them for under a nickle a piece.

I had thousands of beetles. I put 4-5 traps per hive and in 2 days there was not a single beetle in my hive. They were all lying dead outside the hive and didn't have to clean any dead beetles out of anything. Now I just keep a couple in each hive and replace them when they get nasty or I start to see a few beetles. I make up some extras when I am watching TV and keep them in my bee equipment tool box for easy access.

I was really freaked out when I saw all those beetles but have found them easy to manage

Cindi · October 14, 2009, 12:09:44 PM

Hmm, thankin' my lucky stars we don't have the small hive beetle in our area, period. I keep reading about all the devastation that they do to colonies and the methods that the human use for combating them, so neat, human inventions.

Something that someone may be able to elaborate on a little for me would be wonderful. I always need to know things, not nosey, (sometimes though, smiling).

Having no clue about the SHB and their MO, tell me this. The beetles fly into the colonies. Why don't the guard bees prevent the beetles from entering. Why do the bees corral the beetles instead of killing them. I just don't get this. There must be good reason, but does anyone know. I am sure that I could look it up on the internet, but I am too lazy, oops!!! did I just say that? Only lazy about some things, smiling. Have that most awesomely wonderful and great day, beautiful health. Cindi, aka, that nosey gal.

KD4MOJ · October 14, 2009, 12:35:05 PM

Quote from: Mason on October 14, 2009, 11:38:45 AM

That roach bait at Walmart appears to be exactly what is pictured in the video. He does take care to keep the label facing the other way but it's the same stuff.

So what is the bait, chemical I mean? fipronil, Hydramethylon, something else????

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

jclark96 · October 14, 2009, 10:31:29 PM

The walmart syringe bait is fiprinil.
The beetles are very quick. The guard bees don't have much time to react. The bees don't kill them because they can't. They squat down like an armadillo. The bees will catch them and fly away with them, but it is only time before they fly back.

SlickMick · October 14, 2009, 11:30:27 PM

Whilst the traps are too small for bees to enter and a nice size for the shb, the use of fiprinil in the hive is just something I dont like.. it is pretty bad stuff

Mick

KD4MOJ · October 15, 2009, 08:38:31 AM

Quote from: Cindi on October 14, 2009, 12:09:44 PM
Hmm, thankin' my lucky stars we don't have the small hive beetle in our area, period. I keep reading about all the devastation that they do to colonies and the methods that the human use for combating them, so neat, human inventions.

Count yourself lucky Cindi! Don't know what happened this year but the beetle population seemed to have exploded in this area. At a recent beek meeting, everyone was experiencing the same problem. Treated last year with the oil pan under the SBB but the traps seem to be doing the job better this time around. Only been a week since I put the traps in but the kill rate is several hundred percent more than just using the veggie oil method.

Wish I only had to worry about mites!

...DOUG
KD4MOJ