Bees in beetle traps?

Carol · July 02, 2014, 01:51:20 PM

I installed a Green Bee HIve SHB trap but am finding a lot of honeybees in it. Too many to suit me. Did get plenty of beetles at first..now not so many but lots of bees. I have natural cell honeybees...could that be the reason?

Intheswamp · July 02, 2014, 02:20:28 PM

I could be wrong, but I think GBH uses #6 mesh for their traps...which small bees can get through. Being as your bees are on natural comb then they may be a bit more petite than your run-of-the-mill Italian package bees. One option would be to replace the #6 with some #8 mesh. #7 is supposedly the perfect mesh size, but it is almost impossible to find, though for close to $400 rolls you could get some from Kelleys. :roll:

Another option would to get in touch with O J Blount down below Andalusia, Alabama (Queen's Castle Bee Club?). At one time he was selling sheets of stainless steel that was perforated with 5/32 holes...$15 a sheet, but that was truly at about his cost.

The last option would be to get some fat bees. (Sorry, I had to say that.) :)

But yes, it is probably because you have natural cell size bees....or, there's a crack somewhere that they're getting into the tray other than through the screen.

Best wishes,
Ed

GSF · July 02, 2014, 10:21:59 PM

Carol; That was happening to me once before from the same folks. (Ray taught me this) look and see where the biggest pile of bees are. Go to the screen in that area and see if the holes have been damaged/made wider. If so, call them. They will send you another screen at the drop of a hat. Or.., J & B weld. I put some tissue down under the screen and coated the area with J & B weld. Fixed it right up.

Those folks up at Green Bee Hive are great folks. Small time business folks who still want to please their customers.

Carol · July 03, 2014, 07:42:16 PM

GSF....I'll check it out but didn't notice anything. We're going to try remodeling it. Couldn't find any smaller screen in our area.

marktrl · July 03, 2014, 11:00:53 PM

Carol, the Ace hardware in Oviedo usually carries # 8 hardware cloth. If they don't have it, there is a hardware store on Winter Park Drive just off Redbug that carries it.

BeeMaster2 · July 03, 2014, 11:43:10 PM

I have #8 under my hives. I still have a few hives that get into the oil trays. What I have found is that the landing board warps and develops a gap between it and the board below it or the board rotted and developed a hole. I have two 5 box hives that I do not put oil in the trays because when they beard they get under the screen. They both need a screw added to close the cap they go through.
Jim

Carol · July 04, 2014, 02:28:01 PM

MarkTrl....I tried Ace in Oviedo...no stainless hardware cloth. We remodeled it a bit...will install it tomorrow and see how it works. Jim put a 2 x 4 in the front part where the bin is...to give them some landing board space...maybe they are crowding each other into it. Had to make the pan smaller also. Catching more bees than beetles so maybe I can just put a very small amt of oil in it...just to wet the bottom.

I have one for the second hive but it is doing very well and don't want to mess with it until I get the problem solved. Will keep looking for smaller hardware cloth.

Intheswamp · July 04, 2014, 04:46:34 PM

I don't think you're going to find "stainless" hardware cloth...just galvanized. If there's no gaps, cracks, holes, whatever than the bees are getting to the oil through then they must be going through the mesh itself. Replace it with #8 galvanized mesh and your problems should be solved.

#8 is too small for the exceptionably large shb from going through it and into the oil but it will let probably 95% of them through but ZERO bees.

Ed

RHBee · July 04, 2014, 06:00:55 PM

Carol,
Has the trap always had bees in it or has this just started? The only times I've had bees get trapped is when one of the wires on the aluminum screen shift. It doesn't take much of a shift to allow bees to enter. I've also had them get in through the rear of the tray. The #8 mesh galvanized isn't as effective but if your screen isn't damaged and your bees can fit through the existing screen you don't have much choice. As Gary noted look around where the greatest number of bees are piled first.
Ray

Carol · July 04, 2014, 06:51:00 PM

There were a couple of bees each day I checked it...then was gone a week and had a lot of bees when I got back.They are spread out in the pan...but most are at the front. That is why we added a 2x4 in the pan area toward the front. Just incase they are crowding at the entrance. There is really no place for them to sit other than on the screen. If that doesnt work and I can't find smaller screen we'll just put the old bottom back on.

Wolfer · July 04, 2014, 06:54:17 PM

I run the I p k trap on all my hives. I also am mostly foundationless and have a lot of small bees.

One of mine started getting lots of bees in the tray. On close exam the screen was raised slightly at the entrance in one spot.
It was very difficult to see. Once stapled down it fixed my problem.

It's common to have a few dead bees in the tray. I suspect a lot of these were already dead and possibly shrunk enough to go thru.

Carol · July 05, 2014, 12:47:05 PM

We placed the modified IPK trap under the hive. When I looked at the one we removed... I noticed 5 dead bees lying on the screen. They were not from lifting up the deep...guess they are natural bee die-off. At least I hope that is the problem. Had a hive beetle in the tray when I went to put mineral oil in.

I like the idea of them having more area to sit on inside the hive...we'll see how it works.

Wolfer · July 05, 2014, 04:54:06 PM

Can I assume you changed the screen size or are you just talking about the 2x4

I looked at mine several times and couldn't see anything wrong but it was probably picking up 200 bees a week.
Finally I just sat down in front and watched a bee go under the screen. Stapled it down and now I just get a bee once in a while.

I feel that if they lay on the bottom dead a day or two before the house bees get them drug out maybe they shrink enough to go thru.
I hope that's what it is anyway.

These things are death on beetles for sure.

Carol · July 05, 2014, 05:06:32 PM

I didn't change the screen size. I thought this was stainless but guess it's aluminum? at any rate...I can get galvanized that is smaller but was afraid it would rust.

We just added the 2x4 to give them room to navigate when they come into the hive or sit to fan when it's hot.

If others are using galvanized then I might try it on the second one, but I was encouraged when I found the 5 dead bees on the screen....I may have been in a panic for nothing. Glad we switched them or I would not have known it.

BeeMaster2 · July 05, 2014, 05:49:56 PM

Carol,
I have about 20 SBBs. I built the first 4 of them in 2010. I have not seen any sign of rust on them.
Jim

rookie2531 · July 05, 2014, 08:05:50 PM

When I couldn't find the right size, I just bought the bigger sized stuff at the hardware store and layered it on top of each other and were the two were not wanting to lay flat, wired it together so it would lay flat. It is a heck of a lot cheaper than 300. A roll of the right size.

Carol · July 06, 2014, 02:46:27 PM

SawdustMakr... thanks...I might try galvanized on the second one. I did find a lot of bees this morning...but only had a little oil in the tray....I removed them and the oil...wiped it down....one bee this afternoon. So maybe it is natural die off and they arn't bringing them out...just dumping them through...

marktrl · July 06, 2014, 11:16:54 PM

"#8 is too small for the exceptionably large shb from going through it and into the oil but it will let probably 95% of them through but ZERO bees."
I've never seen a SHB that won't fit through #8 hardware cloth. It's what I use on all my hives and there is always lots of beetles in the trays.

Intheswamp · July 07, 2014, 12:20:26 AM

Some earlier discussion of beetle size...

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php?topic=25060.0

Carol · July 07, 2014, 10:57:30 AM

marktrl....is your #8 galvanized?