Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => DISEASE & PEST CONTROL => Topic started by: SlickMick on September 19, 2015, 09:01:27 am
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What's the latest management thoughts on controlling the SHB?
Mick
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Not sure if there is a latest and greatest control out there that is universally adopted. I've turned to minimizing places for the beetles to hide inside the boxes.
I've thought about leaving something for the beetles to hide in on purpose on the inside cover. Something that would allow me to smash all of them at the same time when I open the cover.
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When I get hives I am probably going to use screened bottom boards and/or oil trays with hygienic bees. That said the beetle jail is kind of pricey but looks effective at catching all the beetles that are trying to enter the hive via the beetle jails landing board.
http://beetlejail.com/
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Its still the same full Sun strong Colonies and if that doesn't work Apithor Baits.
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Foxhound, I would like to hear more about your minimizing hiding spaces. I have been wanting to do something similar. What changes have you found to be effective so far? Thanks!
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Keep a high density of bees while not letting them get quite crowded enough to want to swarm.
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Just coming back into the game after a 3 year hiatus caused by increasing age, senility and plain old cussedness. This time I will have only one hive to keep my interest alive. Besides that I miss the little devils.
I was hoping to get a swarm but the chance of that seems to decline the further we get into spring so it may well be that I end up getting a nuc to get things started again.
I had been thinking that perhaps the feral hives been decimated and that there may the swarms around that there were a few years ago.
I was also hoping that some sort of miracle had happened and that the shb had been eradicated. Unfortunately not so, but it does seem that work has been done in managing the pest.
Has the move towards smaller cell size helped with management practices.
No doubt I will find out all in due course
Mick
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I caulk ever crack and crevice, On my frames I put a grove half way through on top. No other groves , I glue wax starter strip in with hot wax. Keep small stick dowel to chase and beetle I see. Like Michael says strong hives. Do not leave comb sitting around. Be careful with cut outs. Process honey from cutouts right away.
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Foxhound, I would like to hear more about your minimizing hiding spaces. I have been wanting to do something similar. What changes have you found to be effective so far? Thanks!
Sorry didn't see this until now.
Most of the space comes from the frames. Specifically the groove and slottled bottom bars. They typically always give the beetles a little space to live. Besides that, the joints where the boxes meet (depending on your maker) may have a spot for them to harbor.
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I have a wide area under and around my hives covered with fabric (used under mulch in flower gardens) over construction plastic. I seldom see beetles in my hives and I think that may the reason. I also do not have weeds to cut. The fabric extends under my electric fence (bear country). The larva/pupae can't get under the ground. I sometimes use beetle traps but very seldom find beetles in them.
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I had my hive in the city, with chickens on the lot. Definitely had some SHB but not bad enough to treat. Moved to the country and got ducks. Haven't seen a single SHB since. It might be the locale, it might be the ducks. I hunch it's the ducks.
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The beek that I bought my nuc from lives an hour west of Brisbane. He has been dealing with SHB since the beginning using a variety of traps and other means. With a lot of hives to manage it was too difficult for him to deal with. He reasoned that if the bees can eject the beetle fron the hive it may not be necessary to kill them.
So what he does now is cut two 3mm slots across the bottom board. This allows the SHB to escape harassment. I bought my nuc in October 2015, did as he suggested and in the 6 months since then have only seen fewer than a handful at any one time, today, durIng a full Inspection there was only one to be dealt with, so I was glad to see that.
I do think that keeping the colony strong and in full sun also contribute significantly in their control.
Mick
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So what he does now is cut two 3mm slots across the bottom board. This allows the SHB to escape harassment. I bought my nuc in October 2015, did as he suggested and in the 6 months since then have only seen fewer than a handful at any one time, today, durIng a full Inspection there was only one to be dealt with, so I was glad to see that.
Good idea.. I've been thinking of doing that with my bottom boards too, but adding some runners underneath with an oil tray to kill the buggers that fall through instead of letting them off scot free!
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'but adding some runners underneath with an oil tree'
Phil,
I am not familiar with your terminology here, ie oil tree. Do you mean a tray of oil, or something else?
I used oil trays under my bottom boards for some considerable time, found that they worked okay but took a lot of setting up and maintenance. I would like to kill also but find the slots work well enough me - hassle free
Mick
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'but adding some runners underneath with an oil tree'
Phil,
I am not familiar with your terminology here, ie oil tree. Do you mean a tray of oil, or something else?
Typo! I meant an oil tray. QBS at Sumner Park have long narrow plastic oil trays, so they're a bit less hassle I think.
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I have yet to see the small hive beetle in my two hives. They have only been up and runnign for 2 months though. Am I missing them or what?
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You are unlikely to see them outside the hive. I mostly see them when I take the top cover board off.
Mick
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Started three new hives this year to add to my present three. Two were packages and one wild caught swarm. Have had and lost hives to SHBs and have tried everything I could find. This year I started feeding early even before I got the packages or the wild swarm. Not trying to start a debate, or convince anyone of anything; just stating what I did. I feed with community feeders, (as in hanging chicken water buckets purchased from Farm Store) so my present hives received the same treatment at the new hives. When mixing the sugar water, 1lb sugar to 1lb H2O, I added essential oils: To 1/4 cup of nuked honey I added: 2 drops each of, Clove Oil, Oregano Oil, Tea Tree Oil, Lemon Grass Oil, and Eucalyptus Oil. (The honey will allow you to mix the oils with water). The new hives used this draw out cone, and the old hives fed, stored, and drew cone. I AM NOT SAVING ANY HONEY THIS YEAR, BUT AM TRYING TO GET ALL DOUBLE DEEP HIVES!
I have had terrible luck with SHBs, but as of today I have not seen one beetle in any of my 7 hives. NOT ONE SINGLE BEETLE! I had SHBs Winter over that I saw when I opened the hives this year, but they are GONE! I mean NOT ONE, not even a trace.
IT DOES NOT seem to have any effect on the bees as they are going GANG BUSTERS.
Take it for what it is worth, but I will continue to figure which Oil is the one doing all the good. I do use Essential Oils Myself daily.