Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => DISEASE & PEST CONTROL => Topic started by: Bob Wilson on July 06, 2019, 10:48:44 pm
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I am becoming convicted that I am spending too much time in my hive. They have started becoming a little cranky towards the end lately. I can be much less invasive with a quick SHB towel trap change out, and be gone in 2 minutes. But, how often are you guys checking on your SHB population and traps?
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Bobil,
Every time you take the hive apart to inspect the frames, you are giving the SHBs 2 days of free roaming in the hive, laying their eggs everywhere. The bees are so busy fixing everything that you changed that they ignore the SHBs. I see this every time I have to work in my observation hive. It isn?t until the third day that they lock the SHBs back up and remove the eggs and larvae. Opening the top in not a problem. It seems to bee the brood nest area that causes the most problems.
If you put 2 frames too close together the bees will have to cut through them and restore bee space. I once added a honey frame that was too wide and it ended up against the glass on when I closed up the observation hive. We watched them cutting wax and move the honey for several days. When they were done, it looked like the comb was cut with a laser.
Jim Altmiller
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Thanks Jim. Good advice. Since this is the the first year for the swarm, they have only filled out half the whole long lang. The empty side is where they are trapping a lot of the beetles. With the follow board closing off the hive proper, I can go in there once a week and kill the beetles without bothering them at all. I will stay out of the hive for the hot summer months except to shift the follow board with an empty frame as needed.