Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: saltybluegrass on September 13, 2019, 02:23:49 pm
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My two hives next to vacant overgrown lot has tons SHB I?ve installed traps because the population is too high - as I pan across the yard hive #3 is out in the open. H3 has no beetles. I?m tempted to move next hive H4 and H5 over there.
Anyone else have an idea of their environmental control that saves your hives.
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Full sun all day equals NO or very few beetles.
Full shade all day equals hundreds of beetles.
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MY EXPERIENCE, MOVE TO SUN AND PLACE AN OIL PAN IN A DSBB. TROUBLE,YES, BUT IN THE LONG SCHEME OF THINGS. It is well worth the trouble, My hives are almost SHB free, Some trapped swarms are still in the shade with an oil pan and I sometimes see 3-5 SHB but those in the sun and oil pan WE see no SHB. If oil is a problem use water with a drop or three of Dawn. Add Sodium hexa meta phosphate used in some hard water treatment, swimming pools and even foods. Add a little to the water and it reduces the surface tension and bugs sink rather than using surface tension to stay on top of the water. If you can't find SHMP, The active agent in Calgon is SHMP. I like water better but it evaporates in a few days in this weather. If you think and plan oil works for months, with NO mess.
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ID and Paus are correct. Small hive beetles do not like sun baked dry soil for their larva to pupate in. The beetles look for shaded hives, like mine, with moist shaded soil for the larva to bury into.
Van
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Would lime in the soil in front of a hive kill the larva? I would think so.....anybody tried lime in the dirt????? Should burn the skin of larva. Anybody?????
Van
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Would lime in the soil in front of a hive kill the larva? I would think so.....anybody tried lime in the dirt????? Should burn the skin of larva. Anybody?????
Van
How about diatemecuous earth as well?
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Diatomaceous earth does not work if it mixes with water. Diatomaceous earth when wet sticks together in clumps. Must be a powder to get in between the joints where soft tissue is. I use diatomaceous earth in the trays of the screened bottom boards, kills those beetles in the tray.
Salty, when are we getting another video? I super enjoy your videos.
Van
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I tried DE in the tray in the DSBB and after a few days it had turned to a clump, because of our humidity. I also worked DE in the soil at edge of the roofing material under my stands, hoping this would get the larva of SHB. I believe the oil is doing an excellent job of controlling SHB, but the roofing material keeps me from having to clean or weed eat under the stands, I just make one pass around the hives with the lawn mower ,duck my head and go some where else ASAP.
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Yeah they aren?t liking my weed eater
Van I thought that was the drawback to DE. Getting wet. Guess I?ll use it in the garden and toothpaste -
I?m still cooperating with Dr orders. Oh, and my car died. I have 2 hives from the cutout and swarm I caught. Hopefully I?ll record those - Thankyou
Just found my ?swarm? hive throwing a full grown wax moth out the door.
This location is the one that got over run by WM and SHB
VERY DANK AND HUMID AREA
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Full sun drives down the humidity which helps a lot at keeping the eggs from hatching. You can buy nemotodes to treat the ground around the hives.