SHB help / advice needed

RangerBrad · July 12, 2011, 07:40:13 PM

Checked a hive from a cut out made earlier in the spring that is still on sight of the cut out (haven't brought it home). This hive containes a deep of HSC frames and a medium of drawn wax foundation. During inspection I found SHB in the medium but not in the HSC deep. There was alot of brood in the medium. I found the queen in the medium and moved her to the deep then installed a queen excluder and proped the medium open so any drones born could get out. My intentions were to hatch off the brood in the medium then bring the hive home. I have 3 healthy hives in full sun on HSC here at the house with no sign of SHB, mites wax moths etc. I am terrified to bring this hive home and contaminating my other hives. What are yals suggestions on how to handle this and what are some good ways to destroy the SHB problem?
I was thinking of using some of those flat traps on bottom and top of frames for adults and spraying around the hive with GardStar. Any suggestions and advice on what I should do to keep from contaminating my other hives and destrying the SHB is appreciated. Thank's, Brad

P.S. I also need to start feeding these bees and wonder how that will effrect fighting the beatles if at all.

AllenF · July 12, 2011, 07:47:07 PM

Place the hive over oil trays and insert traps may take care of some of the beetles. With your other hives, the beetles will find your other hives soon enough.

RangerBrad · July 12, 2011, 08:21:55 PM

Thank's for the advice. I hope the others don't get them any time soon. The flat traps are the John Pluta traps. They appear very effective. Brad

AllenF · July 12, 2011, 10:05:35 PM

Just remember with those traps, only Checkmite is approved for use with those beetle barns inside the hive. I would not use the roach paste with honey supers on.

RangerBrad · July 12, 2011, 10:14:44 PM

I only discovered the beetles a few days ago(last friday acctually). Since I have not seen them in the HSC hive body is it realistic to remove the medium (moving it to full sun and no top near the site)then pack up the hive body with a new inner and outer cover and haul it back home then go some time in the future once the beetles have abandoned the medium and retrieve it and the covers or is it just wishful thinking and assume the beetles are everywhere and treat until I find no more of them before bringing it home? I'm desperate to solve this problem but want the right solution with 0 beetles. Been keeping for 3 years and this is my first parasite problem and jeez it has to be beetles. Brad

AllenF · July 12, 2011, 10:20:03 PM

Beetles are not just going to leave a hive, not all of them. And they can live outside of the hive also, they just find a hive easier for them to feed and they need a hive to reproduce.

RangerBrad · July 12, 2011, 10:22:20 PM

I could leave the medium hive for months open to the elements. Even scrape the wax off the frames. Heck I could even freeze them. Other than in the wood there would be nothing for them. Brad

AllenF · July 12, 2011, 10:25:00 PM

Freeze it and kill everything in it.

AllenF · July 12, 2011, 10:25:48 PM

That way you would save your drawn comb.

kedgel · July 12, 2011, 11:52:29 PM

Here in FL. SHB's are the bane of our existence. If they've made it up to your parts, welcome to my world! I have done many cut-outs and ALL of them have SHBs in them. I have tried just about all of the methods out there for eradication and control. In my experience, placing hives in the sun and installing oil trap bottom boards is the only thing that has worked. I agree with AllenF. If you freeze the frames you'll kill everything and retain the drawn comb. I wouldn't mess with waiting around for the brood in the top to hatch, etc. unless there aren't enough bees to cover the combs. Unattended comb allows the shb to go unchecked on those frames. As long as the bees are keeping them in check, install oil trap bottom boards and let the ladies chase them to their deaths. The trap will negate the need for Gardstar since few if any of the larvae will make it to the ground to pupate. If they are getting ahead of the bees and you have to consolodate, bag and freeze the frames and only add frames commensurate with the number of bees there to cover them. Once the number of dead beetles and larvae in the pan drops to just a few each week, you can relax and give the ladies room to expand. Don't put poison in your hives. Been there, done that got the dead bees to prove it. I put a trap with cupranil in it that was killing them just fine until I got a big rain storm that pooled water on the bottom board enough to wash the poison out onto the bottom board! I lost THOUSANDS of bees. Luckily, the queen survived and the hive eventually came back. AllenF is right, if you don't have the nasty little buggers in you other hives, you will eventually whether you bring in the infected hive or not. I would feed pollen patties to them very sparingly, as pollen patties are VERY attractive to shb's. I never feed mine with pollen since the help to the hive isn't worth the corresponding influx of shb. (Of course living in SWFL there is usually always a pollen source year-round--you don't have that luxury up there.)

John Pfaff · July 13, 2011, 08:27:13 AM

Does HSC allow/encourage control? After removing hive top feeders and getting all wood and wax frames out of my hives, I have found one hive beetle. Full sun in MS until 1:00 pm. With wood and wax in hive, dozens of beetles in each hive.

RangerBrad · July 13, 2011, 10:34:50 AM

HSC is fully drawn plastic comb so it will remove their ability to bore through comb. I normally use 1 gal plastic pails on top of inner cover to feed. Are you suggesting I use boardman feeders while trying to eliminate the hive beetles? Thank's, Brad

RangerBrad · July 13, 2011, 10:45:30 AM

Here is my plan. I have sent for John Pluta's beetle traps. This afternoon I am removing the medium with wax and shaking the bees out of it and freezing it and moving the main HSC hive body miles away to a place with full sun, hard pack earth and placing a tarp under and around it so the beetles can't pupate and as soon as I recieve the traps placing them till I find no more sign of beetles.
I know everyone says I'm fighting a loosing battle and just get used to the idea of having a few beetles around but, I have had hives for 3 years at my home apairy and not 1 sighn of parasites till now and would'nt have them with the exception of this wild hive. Shurlly something is going right at my home apairy and I don't want to bring home an infected hive. With the measures I'm taking what are my odds of eleminating these beetles? Thank's, Brad

Tommyt · July 13, 2011, 07:53:24 PM

You can start trapping them right now
go get you some CD case's that is what some for sale items
are mimicking but beware of the poison used in them.
You can also order beetle barns fill them with mineral oil
You can start today everyone has Cd's all you need
is the case,you can make a beetle barn out of PVC with a screw cap
so you can empty it,use your imagination as to how to place or hang
it,Drill holes big enough for beetles not bee's, use mineral oil it in
I've read that used cooking oil works
I tried it and found it did but other bugs seemed to like the cooked
oil,so I am on a 50/50 oil mix
If you go CD route be careful as to placement of them.
FYI shb's fly

Tommyt

AllenF · July 13, 2011, 09:24:26 PM

You can buy beetle barns cheaper through the supply houses at around $1 to $1.25 depending on how many you buy. I think the best way, well the most enjoyable is using your thumb. Smash them all. Use lots of smoke in the hive to drive them to the top. Back in the day I have used the blow torch and just torched the tops of the frames as soon as I opened it. Gets in the corners around the ends of the frames good but melts the bee glue also.

shorty3 · July 13, 2011, 10:56:10 PM

use screened bottom board with oil trap then powder sugar all boxes on top of frames check oil trap about 15 minutes later this will get rid of most shb quickly, it will make the bees agressive when you powder sugar the hive. keep the oil trap on this will help keep shb population low

sterling · July 14, 2011, 01:50:45 PM

The SBB with oil pans work good for me also.
You might try this also if you have a high number of beetles in a hive. Take the frames out one at a time and and hold over the telescoping top turned upside down, hold frame at an angle and give it a good tap on top bar with the hive tool, the beetles and some of the bees will fall in the top then take the hive tool and mash the beetles. Turn frame over and tap again more beetles will fall off smush again. Do each frame but be gentle with frames with brood in them. Do this every few days until you have the numbers down then your oilpans should be able to control em. Worked for me and a beekeeping friend last year when they got real bad.

John Pfaff · July 14, 2011, 04:40:44 PM

Regarding the feeders, any place extra to hide in the hive allows beetles to stay. Making all areas of the hive accessable to the bees reduces beetles.

Larry Bees · July 14, 2011, 05:13:21 PM

Quote from: RangerBrad on July 13, 2011, 10:34:50 AM
HSC is fully drawn plastic comb so it will remove their ability to bore through comb. I normally use 1 gal plastic pails on top of inner cover to feed. Are you suggesting I use boardman feeders while trying to eliminate the hive beetles? Thank's, Brad

Where could I get more info on HSC plastic comb? Larry

Larry Bees · July 14, 2011, 05:43:14 PM

I found it!