Oil trap screened hive bottom?

[cao]

I haven't got pans on my long hives yet and there are 4 or 5 others that don't have pans.  But the rest of them do.  I will eventually have every hive have a pan with oil whether they need them or not.  If one hive has beetles then they all get oil in their pans.  I am not willing to chance it anymore.  I already lost a hive this year. 

As far as the hole size, I milled out two rectangular holes in the plywood bottom board.  The pan is what they call 1/8 size baking pan.  It is about 6" x 9" so the hole size that I cut out was as big as I could get.  The aluminum pans were less than $3 a piece.  Couldn't make anything else for that price. 

I think certain hives are better and more vigilant to the beetles.  I see some hives almost ignore them while other hives seem to continually harass them.

By the way the beetles in the pan in my previous post was just after a week after installing the modified bottom board.

[Ben Framed]

After my battles with the little buggers, I have found that you don't need a full tray under a full screened bottom.  A small pan slid under a small hole cut in a solid bottom board that is screened over can work  just as well.  This mean less oil less mess and less cost to convert a solid bottom.

That's awesome cao. I know from your writings that you have many hives. Do you have this pan system under every hive or do you have a special strategy? 
If you don't have these under each hive, do you find beetles from other hives are drawn to these trap hives by smell perhaps? In other words if you have these spaced out among your hives, do you find the beetles in the unprotected hives to be in small numbers now? I am asking because, if I remember correctly, Sawdstmakr said he did not have these under every hive after a period of time if I remember correctly.  Again, good job!!

I haven't got pans on my long hives yet and there are 4 or 5 others that don't have pans.  But the rest of them do.  I will eventually have every hive have a pan with oil whether they need them or not.  If one hive has beetles then they all get oil in their pans.  I am not willing to chance it anymore.  I already lost a hive this year. 

As far as the hole size, I milled out two rectangular holes in the plywood bottom board.  The pan is what they call 1/8 size baking pan.  It is about 6" x 9" so the hole size that I cut out was as big as I could get.  The aluminum pans were less than $3 a piece.  Couldn't make anything else for that price. 

I think certain hives are better and more vigilant to the beetles.  I see some hives almost ignore them while other hives seem to continually harass them.

By the way the beetles in the pan in my previous post was just after a week after installing the modified bottom board.

I bet you feel confident knowing that your beetle problems are all but over! That was quite a catch for a week..  Thanks for your answers and input....

[Ben Framed]

Cao the more that I look at your picture and set up, the more I like it. I will add your method to what I already have in storage from the first year of beetle (mania) if I need to go back into combat with these pest. Im sure its coming sooner or later.   

[cao]

>I bet you feel confident knowing that your beetle problems are all but over! That was quite a catch for a week..  Thanks for your answers and input...

Not confident at all.  Until I have no beetles in any of the pans, then I will be confident.  Right now it is just day to day not wanting to lose any more hives.  Having such a problem with beetles makes all aspects of beekeeping harder.  Splits become a liability if they don't make it.  Storing drawn frames can attract beetles if they have any pollen in them.  Harvesting honey and extracting it has to be done quick of risk losing it.  Just in general they can suck the fun out of keeping bees.

[Ben Framed]

>I bet you feel confident knowing that your beetle problems are all but over! That was quite a catch for a week..  Thanks for your answers and input...

Not confident at all.  Until I have no beetles in any of the pans, then I will be confident.  Right now it is just day to day not wanting to lose any more hives.  Having such a problem with beetles makes all aspects of beekeeping harder.  Splits become a liability if they don't make it.  Storing drawn frames can attract beetles if they have any pollen in them.  Harvesting honey and extracting it has to be done quick of risk losing it. Just in general they can suck the fun out of keeping bees

Yes that is true. You are on track for success.

[Ben Framed]

With the oil traps, you need to make sure to seal the tray snug and tight so the returning forages can't get into them and drown. been there done that.

I don't have personal experience here, but I'd think this would apply to diatomaceous earth traps as well.  The DE isn't harmful to adults, but if it gets tracked into the hive by the workers, it could be dangerous to the brood.

Member I?m sure you already know but for the benefit of those who do not, Paus, in reply 4, mentioned using # 8 Hardware cloth between the pan and the bees. This is how the beatles enter the trap as bees can not fit through. Works great!

Your question is a good one. Realizing your concern, I am speaking of oil. Once they hit the oil they are goners! I have no experience with diatomaceous earth.... (meaning, I do not know if they die on the spot or if they can crawl back into the hive dragging diatomaceous earth into the bee area? 




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[Ben Framed]

Do beetles die immediately after falling into diatomaceous earth? I would not think so. Are they able to travel further or work their way back into the hive?

[The15thMember]

Do beetles die immediately after falling into diatomaceous earth? I would not think so. Are they able to travel further or work their way back into the hive?

I was doing some looking at this, and I found that my comment earlier about DE being safe for adult bees was inaccurate.  DE is most effective on soft-bodied insects (provided they aren't slimy like earthworms, who are protected from DE by their thick coat of mucous), but it can and will also kill hard-bodied insects, like beetles and bees.  DE's microscopic particles have edges that are extremely rough which can get in between the joints of insects' exoskeletons and cause extreme irritation, and it can also wear away at the exoskeleton's waxy protective cuticle, which leads the insects to die of dehydration.  DE is considered safe for use around bees because it's easy to apply it in ways that the bees won't come in contact with, and I'd imagine that bees' hairy bodies also help to protect them from the dust more than a smooth insect.  But nonetheless, it can affect adult bees as well as larvae. 

So Phillip, I'd say no, beetles wouldn't die immediately from falling into the DE, since they have to die of dehydration.  My question would be: do does the DE incapacitate them quickly enough that they can't or won't crawl back into the hive?  Perhaps the DE all in their joints makes it too painful or difficult to move well?     

[Ben Framed]

Do beetles die immediately after falling into diatomaceous earth? I would not think so. Are they able to travel further or work their way back into the hive?

I was doing some looking at this, and I found that my comment earlier about DE being safe for adult bees was inaccurate.  DE is most effective on soft-bodied insects (provided they aren't slimy like earthworms, who are protected from DE by their thick coat of mucous), but it can and will also kill hard-bodied insects, like beetles and bees.  DE's microscopic particles have edges that are extremely rough which can get in between the joints of insects' exoskeletons and cause extreme irritation, and it can also wear away at the exoskeleton's waxy protective cuticle, which leads the insects to die of dehydration.  DE is considered safe for use around bees because it's easy to apply it in ways that the bees won't come in contact with, and I'd imagine that bees' hairy bodies also help to protect them from the dust more than a smooth insect.  But nonetheless, it can affect adult bees as well as larvae. 

So Phillip, I'd say no, beetles wouldn't die immediately from falling into the DE, since they have to die of dehydration.  My question would be: do does the DE incapacitate them quickly enough that they can't or won't crawl back into the hive?  Perhaps the DE all in their joints makes it too painful or difficult to move well?   

As always you come up with good stuff Member. Thanks....
 
"Perhaps the DE all in their joints makes it too painful or difficult to move well?"

Maybe so?

[Bob Wilson]

This is the reason I suffer with mineral oil in my jar traps, which can stink. I, perhaps irrationally, imagine the wind/breezes sending puffs of DE laden air around the hive while servicing the traps.