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Author Topic: What are y'all doing for the #!@#$& hive Beetles?  (Read 6668 times)

Offline PhilK

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Re: What are y'all doing for the #!@#$& hive Beetles?
« Reply #40 on: August 31, 2017, 12:54:00 am »
Thanks Bill but your bees would probably bee over run with SHBs in about a month. They would not know how to deal with them and the beetles would lay their eggs everywhere and then the bees would not remove them and the hive would be slimed.  When SHBS do enter your country it will take a while to find bees that have the genetics to survive with SHBs.
Jim
Jim SHBs are well established in Australia. I'm not sure where Bill is that he has no SHBs, but he'd be the only Australian beekeeper I've spoken to that hasn't got them. As far as I am aware he is in Northern QLD and that's one of the best places for SHB due to the heat and humidity.

Offline eltalia

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Re: What are y'all doing for the #!@#$& hive Beetles?
« Reply #41 on: August 31, 2017, 12:59:13 am »
Thanks Bill but your bees would probably bee over run with SHBs in about a month. They would not know how to deal with them and the beetles would lay their eggs everywhere and then the bees would not remove them and the hive would be slimed.  When SHBS do enter your country it will take a while to find bees that have the genetics to survive with SHBs.
Jim
Oh we got 'em Jim, since around 2009 in some parts. IIRC
Just my experience is only very recent as I relocated in retirement, and
to a 'wetter- cooler' environment where apparently SHB is around. Not at
my place tho'.. or at least aa far as I can tell. Come November I'll be taking
in this year's refugees from beehavers so I'll see if the pattern repeats last
year's.

Cheerio...

Bill

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: What are y'all doing for the #!@#$& hive Beetles?
« Reply #42 on: August 31, 2017, 12:59:24 am »
Thanks Bill but your bees would probably bee over run with SHBs in about a month. They would not know how to deal with them and the beetles would lay their eggs everywhere and then the bees would not remove them and the hive would be slimed.  When SHBS do enter your country it will take a while to find bees that have the genetics to survive with SHBs.
Jim
Jim SHBs are well established in Australia. I'm not sure where Bill is that he has no SHBs, but he'd be the only Australian beekeeper I've spoken to that hasn't got them. As far as I am aware he is in Northern QLD and that's one of the best places for SHB due to the heat and humidity.
Thanks Phil. I thought they were pretty rare there.
Jim
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Offline eltalia

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Re: What are y'all doing for the #!@#$& hive Beetles?
« Reply #43 on: August 31, 2017, 01:21:57 am »

Jim SHBs are well established in Australia. I'm not sure where Bill is that he has no SHBs, but he'd be the only Australian beekeeper I've spoken to that hasn't got them. As far as I am aware he is in Northern QLD and that's one of the best places for SHB due to the heat and humidity.

You beat me tuit Phil..heh.
Would video convince you!? I say again... no SHB on my place nor at my
two colonies up river (20Km away). And I came here from east of the Towers, no
SHB in any of that country along the Burdekin., but yep, typically around 30+C and
below 20% rH most of the year. Much wetter at the same temps here.

 : chuckles:

Bill

Offline PhilK

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Re: What are y'all doing for the #!@#$& hive Beetles?
« Reply #44 on: August 31, 2017, 05:48:14 am »
Oh I was picturing very humid north QLD, the drier weather makes sense

Offline eltalia

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Re: What are y'all doing for the #!@#$& hive Beetles?
« Reply #45 on: August 31, 2017, 06:40:43 am »
Oh I was picturing very humid north QLD, the drier weather makes sense

Nope... it's understandable that impression gets installed though what with
the tourism industry label "Great Green Way". BOM can deliver annual
summarys for each area but roughly there are "rain shadows" on the coast
at Yeppon, Bowen, Giru to Rollingstone (includes Townsville), Cardwell Range
to Bilyana and another narrow band from Ellis Beach to Port Douglas.
And like you'd think Tully signified the wet look best what with it's high
rainfall - and the ADF having their jungle training facility there -  but go
inland not 20Kms and your're in open woodland forest (bush).
There is why we differentiate between "scrub" and "bush", bee foraging wise.
Once your're on top of the range (Great Divide) where the scrub is most thick
your're in some very dry open woodlands, the Tablelands being the exception.
Out where the Merlin poster is from ( norWest Tabkelands) they have to irrigate
to crop, nice volcanic soils but poor (comparitively) rainfall. The only contact I
had out there moved his operation to Toowoomba, years ago, so it'd be nice to
know if SHB has moved in there yet.
That all means little to someone offshore as cyclones and floods have long placed
their stamp, geographicly, but these are very localised peaking events as you
would know.

Cheers.

Bill

Offline GSF

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Re: What are y'all doing for the #!@#$& hive Beetles?
« Reply #46 on: September 06, 2017, 02:57:20 pm »
This may be like beating a dead horse.., I'm having a bumper crop of small hive beetles this year.
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Offline Eric Bosworth

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Re: What are y'all doing for the #!@#$& hive Beetles?
« Reply #47 on: September 06, 2017, 03:11:16 pm »
This may be like beating a dead horse.., I'm having a bumper crop of small hive beetles this year.
I haven't seen a single one. Not something I want to see either.
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Offline Fishing-Nut

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Re: What are y'all doing for the #!@#$& hive Beetles?
« Reply #48 on: September 06, 2017, 03:20:21 pm »
Folks, I have 2 hives side by side. I did the Swiffer method on both of them. Both hives had a bunch of Beetles that would scatter every time I pop the lid off. In one hive I caught a ton of Beetles and now literally have a hard time finding one in it. The hive right next to it has seriously only caught 4 or 5 Beetles and there are still a bunch that scatter when I remove the lid. I wander what the deal is with that? They are literally 3 feet from each other, and I used the exact same method of beetle control on them. Hmm.
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Offline paus

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Re: What are y'all doing for the #!@#$& hive Beetles?
« Reply #49 on: September 06, 2017, 04:05:57 pm »
I think that some hives just don't like SHB and chase them.  Some hives try to ignore them, hey this sounds like people I know.  Either way resources are wasted which leads me up to my favorite soapbox, DSBB and oil tray or pans.  I found a more reasonable and much better pan than cookie sheets.  I went to a "Pot Luck Supper" and there were several empty aluminum throw away dishes going to be thrown away.  I asked for them and ignored the looks.  I "almost" cleaned them with a  water hose and shaped them by hand so they fit in the DSBB I  put old cooking oil in them from a fish fry,  works great.  I did have a lesson taught me by the bees on the only TBH that we have, make sure the DSBB is absolutely bee proof.  The bees found a small crack, and a lot of bees paid the ultimate price along with a lot of SHB.  The DSBB can be used on TBH by going under from both ends. works great now.  Still learning after 60+ years loving bees since I got my first bees.  I wish my experience had bee more on than off.