Small Hive Beetle controls

[Jeff Steinhauer]

Hello All,
During my inspection yesterday I noticed several adult SHB.  I was going to use the CD jewel case with Crisco and Boric acid, but I don't have Crisco.  Will lard, bacon grease, coconut butter or peanut butter work as a substitutes?  Would anyone be willing to do a oxalic acid fogging for me ($)?

Thank you in advance,
Jeff S.

[Joseph Bessetti]

A couple SHB aren't anything to be worried about IMO.  I've never lost a hive to them.  I would waste your time on them.

What I have noticed is that SHB will generally only ever find their way into weak hives.  If the hive is weak or has a lot of open space not yet covered in bees the beetles will hang out.  Later when the hive is stronger they should get evicted. 

Joe

Sent from my U.S. Cellular® Smartphone

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "madbees" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to madbees+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/madbees/289ed211-ed4b-4bd6-bbc0-a3c18fd1b7d5%40googlegroups.com.

[marvin]

Ya, what Joe said.  They usually come in with packages and shipped-in nucs, and once the hive is strong, the bees push them out.  A few years back, I actually experienced a real outbreak.  They were troublesome in weak hives, but even then the stronger hives pushed them out.  They don't overwinter well.  But if you talk to southern beekeepers, the story is a whole lot more gruesome.  Let's hope it never comes to that.

[Jeff Steinhauer]

My oil trap is doing a good job of killing SHBs. I still want to put some on top of my bars.

[Paul Zelenski]

I’ve actually seen quite a few hive beetles already this year. Maybe the mild winter let them overwinter here, maybe they just moved it quickly with the migratory guys. Usually they don’t make it through winter and don’t cause much trouble. The bees usually keep them under control. Guess I’ll need to keep an eye on any comb not in a hive, though.

> On May 24, 2020, at 6:33 PM, Jeff Steinhauer <jsteinh...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> My oil trap is doing a good job of killing SHBs. I still want to put some on top of my bars.
>

> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "madbees" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to madbees+u...@googlegroups.com.

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/madbees/bb042ffd-e400-478a-af5b-b7ac399512bb%40googlegroups.com.
> <20200524_182353.jpg>
> <20200524_182350.jpg>
> <20200524_182346.jpg>
> <20200524_182343.jpg>

[Greg V]

I have never seen one yet. Of course, I never bought a package either.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/madbees/1807C571-CFFA-405B-94C4-EA09FF5456B6%40gmail.com.

[Paul Zelenski]

Hive beetles can be in packages but not very common. They are much more common in nucs from down south. They are most common if you have hives near migratory bees. They come in with the hives and spread from there. Some keepers are better at controlling them than others. Since most of your bees are in suburban locations, I would expect them to be rare. 

There are also a lot of native beetles that will end up in the detritus at the bottom of hives in spring that are often mistaken for shb. 

On May 26, 2020, at 9:15 AM, Greg V <voro...@gmail.com> wrote:



To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/madbees/CABg%3DAC5Kuh%3D87Zx0dG1UndarSP24zFpiQfRji%3DUMogLqH11eDQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[Jeff Steinhauer]

On either the 31st or the 1st, I am going to empty the oil trap, screen out the beetles, and do a count.  I have some beetle barns on order for the top of my frames. I'm erring on the side of caution this year, and trying to keep my bees as happy & healthy as they can be.  I'll post the beetle count and some pictures next week.

Best wishes,
Jeff S.

[Corey Johnson]

Didn’t even know we had the battles here 

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "madbees" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to madbees+u...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/madbees/73a343f9-9a58-4146-b031-54c6ed9a49f2%40googlegroups.com.

--

Corey Johnson
608-567-7123

[marvin]

They're pretty distinctive.  They have club shaped antennae that are kinda unique.