Author Topic: Small Hive beetle control measure (Read 11985 times)

GSF · « **on:** January 13, 2016, 08:18:01 pm »

Has anyone ever tried using a micro fiber cloth to control small hive beetles? A friend of mine says he cuts it into 3 inch wide strips and places them on top of frames toward the back. He swears by them. Get them at Dollar General for, yep - about a dollar. He says they get tangled up in it and can't get out.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #1 on:** January 13, 2016, 08:25:36 pm »

Interesting concept. Waiting to see if anyone has used it.
Jim

GSF · « **Reply #2 on:** January 13, 2016, 08:52:00 pm »

Here's some from an email I just got from him since I posted this;

You are welcome last year I placed one strip of cloth in a hive for 10 days and caught over 50 beetles ( if I remember correctly,)

I'd like to hear from others as well. I don't think I've ever saw more than 10 shb at one time in a hive. Oil trays & direct sunlight.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #3 on:** January 13, 2016, 08:54:45 pm »

Gary,
Thanks.
I will try putting one in the oil tray this spring.
Jim

LKBruns · « **Reply #4 on:** January 13, 2016, 08:59:05 pm »

Opened one of my hives last week here in south Texas. I saw several hive beetles. Are they reproducing this time of year?

I'm interested to see if others have success with the microfiber cloth

sc-bee · « **Reply #5 on:** January 13, 2016, 11:58:06 pm »

I have not tried it but have seen it posted multiple times on Fb. Seems some think standard brown felt from Hobby Lobby etc is better than the micro fiber cloths or handi wipes.

Internet Pic:

GSF · « **Reply #6 on:** January 14, 2016, 08:00:58 am »

Jim,

He puts his on top of the frames.

SC,

We might could do a side by side comparison just for the giggles and grins.

KeyLargoBees · « **Reply #7 on:** January 14, 2016, 08:04:11 am »

there are a lot of you tube videos about used dryer sheets....one assumes any of those types of cloths the beetles would get hung up in would be good.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 14, 2016, 12:20:29 pm »

Quote from: GSF on January 14, 2016, 08:00:58 am

Jim,

He puts his on top of the frames.

SC,

We might could do a side by side comparison just for the giggles and grins.

Gary,
I want to try it in the bottom to trap them without using oil or having to keep opening the trays to kill them. I have pulled out a dry tray of a 6 stack hive full of honey and found thousands of beetles in it. Way more than I could squash. I dumped it in the smoker can and put the lid on. It would be nice if they were all stuck to it. I suspect if they cannot move they will quickly die of starvation. Normally they will make the bees feed them to stay alive in the hives.

ed/La. · « **Reply #9 on:** January 14, 2016, 09:46:44 pm »

I tried Swiffer brand mop pad with limited success. micro fiber cloth worth a try. I will try anything.

Culley · « **Reply #10 on:** January 15, 2016, 12:26:43 am »

I used the kind of vinyl with a fibrous underside to make some of my inner covers. Before I was using Apithor, heaps of bees would get trapped in the vinyl fibres.

I tried chux wipes but they weren't as good as the vinyl. It was just a waste product I re-used, and I don't know what brand it is or where it came from, but that vinyl is the best thing I've seen for snagging beetles by their leg barbs. I made some prototype traps in CD cases with the vinyl glued inside them.

GSF · « **Reply #11 on:** January 15, 2016, 11:48:02 am »

Jim, (or anyone), would the SHB/Wax Moth larva get tangled up in it too? They have legs..,

KeyLargoBees · « **Reply #12 on:** January 15, 2016, 12:30:34 pm »

Ummm do Larva have legs?

We are talking about the squiggley maggot looking things right?

capt44 · « **Reply #13 on:** January 15, 2016, 01:41:07 pm »

I'm interested in trying some of the micro fiber sheets to catch small hive beetles.
In the spring they hit hard here in Central Arkansas and anything that will grab those things and hang on is worth a try.
Okay what type of cloth or fiber material are we talking?
I've been afraid of dryer sheets until I read more about the results of it's use.
Any information will be greatly appreciated.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 15, 2016, 01:51:52 pm »

Quote from: GSF on January 15, 2016, 11:48:02 am

Jim, (or anyone), would the SHB/Wax Moth larva get tangled up in it too? They have legs..,

The larvae are in the comb. Not where they would ge snagged if they did have legs.
Jim

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #15 on:** January 15, 2016, 01:54:20 pm »

Quote from: capt44 on January 15, 2016, 01:41:07 pm

I'm interested in trying some of the micro fiber sheets to catch small hive beetles.
In the spring they hit hard here in Central Arkansas and anything that will grab those things and hang on is worth a try.
Okay what type of cloth or fiber material are we talking?
I've been afraid of dryer sheets until I read more about the results of it's use.
Any information will be greatly appreciated.

Capt,
These are the wash cloths that have real fine fibers. Usually advertised as micro fiber.
Jim

Joe D · « **Reply #16 on:** January 15, 2016, 07:49:32 pm »

Back a few years ago we talked about using things like dollar general dry cloth refills for the Swiffer sweeper, and Clorox brand handi wipes multi-use reusable cloths. It works good for some and not much for others. I think I first read about this on the Aussie forum. You will get a few bees caught in it also.
For your oil tray I started using a cheap dish washing liquid in water in my trays instead of oil. In the summer every now and then you have to add more water because of evaporation. Soapy water kills bugs just like oil, it doesn't smell as bad when you have bugs in it and is a lot easier to clean and refill.
If I had enough SHB's to catch 50 on a cloth I would have reinstalled the DVD cases with a teaspoon of Crisco in the center and a ring of Fipronil around it. Take a heated ice pick to make a coupe of extra holes in the side, leave top and bottom solid. Don't make the holes big enough for bees to get in. I have put them on top of the inner cover, and once in a while on the top frames. If you have them bad, You can put the just inside the hive at the bottom.

Good luck to you and your bees

Joe D

GSF · « **Reply #17 on:** January 15, 2016, 10:06:35 pm »

Jim, I was thinking about when they tried to return to the ground

I knew I had saw it somewhere before, wax moth larvae does have legs in the front. 3rd one down on the left shows the legs located in the front;

https://www.google.com/search?q=wax+moth+larvae+images&biw=1280&bih=625&tbm=isch&imgil=20ppWoX8BsYwKM%253A%253B0S_trBz5bM9NtM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fmistressbeek.com%25252F2011%25252F09%25252F05%25252Futter-hive-destruction-signs-of-a-dead-beehive%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=20ppWoX8BsYwKM%253A%252C0S_trBz5bM9NtM%252C_&ved=0ahUKEwjry7jDnq3KAhXGOyYKHXPdBrIQyjcILw&ei=o6SZVqvuF8b3mAHzupuQCw

same with SHB about #5 to the right or #6 down on the left;

https://www.google.com/search?q=wax+moth+larvae+images&biw=1280&bih=625&tbm=isch&imgil=20ppWoX8BsYwKM%253A%253B0S_trBz5bM9NtM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fmistressbeek.com%25252F2011%25252F09%25252F05%25252Futter-hive-destruction-signs-of-a-dead-beehive%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=20ppWoX8BsYwKM%253A%252C0S_trBz5bM9NtM%252C_&ved=0ahUKEwjry7jDnq3KAhXGOyYKHXPdBrIQyjcILw&ei=o6SZVqvuF8b3mAHzupuQCw#tbm=isch&q=small+hive+beetle+larvae+images

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #18 on:** January 16, 2016, 06:20:08 am »

You are right Gary, they do have legs. I could not remember if they did, that is why I said "if".
When you get slimed, and there are thousands of young larvae crawling through the wax, it is hard to see legs.
Jim

Culley · « **Reply #19 on:** January 16, 2016, 08:17:15 pm »

I've never seen the larvae get caught in anything, though... Has anyone else?

SlickMick · « **Reply #20 on:** January 16, 2016, 10:47:37 pm »

Unfortunately, no. It would solve a lot of problems though.
Imagine if you could attack the beetles at both stages of their life cycle.

Mick

KeyLargoBees · « **Reply #21 on:** January 19, 2016, 09:26:27 am »

Ok so maybe Larvae DO have legs :-)

I woudl assume what gets caught in the microfiber is the chitenous "hooks" on the insect legs....so while Larvae/caterpillar/maggots may have leg like appendages they aren't hard and wouldnt have any hooks on them to get caught.

Best bet for the larvae stage is a SBB and an oil tray or gravel/pavers under the hives. My hives have developed a "symbiotic" relationship with the ants....they stay out of the hive and the ants carry off dead bees and any other organic stuff that falls out of the SBB including SHB larvae :-)

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #22 on:** January 19, 2016, 01:31:16 pm »

Jeff,
What type of ants are they.
The carpenter ants that I have are not beneficial to my hives.
Jim

KeyLargoBees · « **Reply #23 on:** January 19, 2016, 02:21:52 pm »

I am pretty sure they are "Big headed" Ants....majority of the workers are slightly smaller than a fire ant then there are the brute soldier....never bitten me and they live in between the paver stones and around the edges of the gravel pads I have my hives on. See the link below...third one down. Even though it says they feed on sweets I have never seen them in the hive in any numbers....have had them come into the house and get into my cats food....a little diatomaceous earth took care of them then though :-)

http://www.fmcprosolutions.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=dsESXNRwKA0%3D&tabid=1232&mid=2082

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #24 on:** January 20, 2016, 12:19:31 pm »

Thanks Jeff. I saved that link. I do not think we have them here, YET.

DJS · « **Reply #25 on:** January 25, 2016, 11:28:03 am »

I live in the Central Arkansas and used the swifter brand and cut them in half and put under the inner cover and on top of the inner cover in a couple of hives. Some of the hives I had caught 50+ on one cloth and changed it out after 10 days and did it again. I also found that if you cut them into to small of strips the bees will try to pull them out of the hives. I did have 2 or 3 bees get caught in them. It does not seem to be the answer to the SHB problem but it is a tool to use to help control the.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #26 on:** January 25, 2016, 01:02:59 pm »

Any time that you can pull 100 SHB out of a hive and not let them lay eggs with out using chemicals, that is a good thing.
Jim

cao · « **Reply #27 on:** January 25, 2016, 08:53:00 pm »

Welcome to the forum DJS.

Blacksheep · « **Reply #28 on:** January 26, 2016, 03:30:52 pm »

I took a garden spade and went all around my hives sticking the spade in the ground and moving the handle back and forth and then pouring in some termite treatment stuff so I poisoned the soil around my hive whic will last 5 years. The small hive beetles when in the larva stage will go out into the ground till they mature and then come out and try to go bqack into the hives.So the ground is not a friendly place for the larva.
My other methods are,Narrow entrances,full sun,termite strips on the hives, and I will be putting on the fiber cloth when it warms up enough to open the hives.

D Coates · « **Reply #29 on:** January 26, 2016, 03:52:13 pm »

Has anyone here tried moving their hives into full sun to control SHB's? I had trouble with them until I was so fed up I listened to another beekeeper who kept telling me to move them into full sun. Out they went. No tree line, no shade. The SHB's numbers dropped to 10% of what they were. Where they went I don't know but the high majority left for greener pastures. The only time I have SHB issues is with nucs just starting off or nucs or hives that are having queen issues. I keep nucs in the shade until their strong enough to effective regulate their heat. Once they're strong enough to do that out into full sun they go. The SHB's don't follow.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #30 on:** January 26, 2016, 06:31:51 pm »

D,
I have my hives in mostly shade and have lots of SHB. I used to have one hive at another house on my street that was in full sun and on an old cement dog pen. Most of the time, that was my best hive. I opened the SBB one day and there were in excess of 300 SHB in it. So many that I opened my smoker can and dump them in it and put the lid on.
Jim

Culley · « **Reply #31 on:** January 26, 2016, 11:46:00 pm »

Quote from: D Coates on January 26, 2016, 03:52:13 pm

Has anyone here tried moving their hives into full sun to control SHB's?

Yes, I tried this, but I found it wasn't enough. I figure our high rainfall and humidity means they can still do well in the sun.