Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: bwallace23350 on March 10, 2017, 10:56:04 am
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ARe these things worth it? I have not used them and have had no trouble with hive beetles. I don't even see many when I open the hive up
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I've got screen bottoms with an oil pan on about half my hives. I've killed thousands of beetles with them over the last few years. IMO they work very well when needed. If you only see a few when you open your hive the I wouldn't worry. Just use the hive tool on them. I've noticed that the beetles tend to pick out the weak hives. Last spring I had one in my yard next to six others that had hundreds of beetles when the rest had maybe a couple. I filled the pan with oil and removed an empty box. Over the next couple of weeks the oil pan probably killed a couple hundred beetles from that one hive. The bees were then able to take care of the rest of them.
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I will keep an eye out for them then
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ditto cao.
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I have tried the traps. I think they are a waste of time. Usually all they do is spill oil on the bees and make a hiding spot under the top piece of plastic.
I've got screen bottoms with an oil pan on all of my hives. I have killed thousands per month per hive when I put oil in them. Between my hives and a neighbors hives, we really knocked down the local SHB population.
Jim
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Super newbie here ... Any special pan ? I'm guessing essential oils, what kind ? I need to start a list :wink: of other things
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Simon,
I make my oil pans out of a roll of 18" wide galvanized steel. I bend a 3/4 inch lip on all 4 sides. You have to have the pan closed in so that the bees cannot get to it. Put a #8 wire cloth on the bottom of the hive so that when the bees harass the SHBs, they drop to the floor and go through the #8 wire. I build the bottoms of my hives with the wire for the floor and add a board around the bottom edge so that the pans rest on it and I staple window screen over it so that the bees cannot get to the pan. I staple a board onto the rear side of the pan that is cut to the size of the opening in the back side of the hive. I put a little handle on that board so that I can pull the board/pan out easily for cleaning.
I use vegetable oil because it is low smell and the cheapest one I can get. If I could get mineral oil at the same price, I would use that.
Jim
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I use a cheap cookie sheet pan(11x17) with mineral oil. The main thing is make sure that the pan is bee proof.
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I have installed the Joe May type SHB trap.
You can use a 70 mm or 2 3/4" hole saw and fit a Mason or Ball jar lid in the hole, cut a round circle of No. 8 hardware cloth inside the cover.......remove the lid that comes with the jar, put 3/8" of mineral oil in the jar and screw it on.
I haven't seen my first SHB yet so I haven't put the oil in the jar yet.
If interested you can Google Joe May SHB and it comes up.
Thanks
Bruce
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If you open a hive and lots of beetles in it you have a problem!Usually queen gone bad and population dying off.They willtake it over quickly and slime it like you would not believe!UGHH
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Every time one of my hives swarms the beetles move in before they actually swarm. They also do it if I totally rearrange the hive due to splitting or fixing a problem.
One of my strongest hives had over 300 SHBs in the dry oil tray right after they swarmed.
Jim