bottom board with a rear removal West trap

[Keith Benson]

Anyone got one of these?

http://www.gabees.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=32&products_id=425&osCsid=48e2569be40b5c7d8b0acf09b8489093

I have one West beetle trap. I gave it a whirl just for fun. It collected lots of Beetles, but was a huge drag in terms of removing a cleaning it out, putting it back in etc. etc. this seems to potentially solve the problem. My only concern is that I thought the bees basically chased the beetles through the slats, it is a screen between the slats and the bees, will they really be able to chase the beetles through them?

Also does anyone know if anyone's making the West hive beetle trap in an eight frame size? Have had some recent trouble with my shoulder and eight frame mediums are looking more and more attractive everyday.

Keith

[Grant]

I also had tried West traps and I like them as one resource and modified several of my bottom boards to accept them. I've shifted to using soapy water in place of oil. It's cheaper (about a half-cup of liquid dish soap in a gallon milk jug) than oil and not near so messy when you pull out the trap.

Perhaps, if no one makes an 8-frame West Trap you could simply modify a 10-frame bottom with a rack and side rails to hold the narrower 8-frame hive bodies. It would make your base wider, but you'd still be able to use the West Trap.

**I also have been having trouble with my shoulders and elbows. I tried a leftover bottle of over-the-counter glucosamine HCL with "MSM" made by Schiff Labs. My daughter was a cross country runner and didn't finish the bottle when the season ended. I was ready to try anything.

HOLY COW! The relief was almost instantaneous. You can get this stuff at Wal-greens. I was considering going to 4-frame shallows as my pain was getting that bad.

Grant
Jackson, MO

[longrangedog]

I built several bottom boards using the plans from a net site I found. Table Saw Bottom Board is the phrase I googled. The bottom board is a screened bottom board. I modified it by making dado cuts so that I can slide the West traps in from the back of the hive. The West trap is under the screen. I started with vegetable oil then tried soapy water. The oil made a real mess with all the debris from the bees plus the beetles while the soapy water evaporated so fast that a refill was required every few days. Leveling the hive is critical to maintaining the liquid in the tray. Both oil and soapy water killed beetles. My early concern was that the effectiveness of the trap would be lessened by the screen. I don't think the screen is a big hindrance. I got lots of beetles in the trap. My latest attempt is to use diatomaceous earth (pool supply stores- 16$ per 25 lbs) in place of oil or soapy water. A level hive is much less critical with the DE and I'm hoping the maintenance be reduced to once every few weeks. The DE kills beetles.

[Alex Cantacuzene]

The diatomaceous earth will work, just make sure that it cannot be contacted by any pets such as dogs or cats!

[SL Tx]

The diatomaceous earth at pool supply places is a filter media that is too coarse for use as an insecticide. Lowe's and Home Depot (as well as most nurseries) sell the inexpensive DE insecticide that you want to use (it even includes an insect attractant). The white DE powder is the ground and seived skeletal remains of diatoms (tiny sea critters) and kills bugs by physical injury. Its effect on insects can be compared to the effect of broken glass shards on people. Don't worry about your pets; in fact, it is fed to livestock to kill internal parasites.

I use DE in the plastic trays under my screened bottom boards (I had to make covers for the slots they slide into to keep out stray bees). From time to time I bait the tray with the wax moth/hive beetle lure in a jar lid.

[longrangedog]

Are you saying that the dozens of motionless beetles in my West traps with pool supply DE aren't really dead?

[SL Tx]

old age?

[Texas Bee]

The diatomaceous earth at pool supply places is a filter media that is too coarse for use as an insecticide. Lowe's and Home Depot (as well as most nurseries) sell the inexpensive DE insecticide that you want to use (it even includes an insect attractant). The white DE powder is the ground and seived skeletal remains of diatoms (tiny sea critters) and kills bugs by physical injury. Its effect on insects can be compared to the effect of broken glass shards on people. Don't worry about your pets; in fact, it is fed to livestock to kill internal parasites.

I use DE in the plastic trays under my screened bottom boards (I had to make covers for the slots they slide into to keep out stray bees). From time to time I bait the tray with the wax moth/hive beetle lure in a jar lid.


Hey, SL TX, do you have a picture of your bottom board with that screen on it ?

[sierrabees]

<Have had some recent trouble with my shoulder and eight frame mediums are looking more and more attractive everyday.>

Hi Kieth,

I find that if I just get stung a couple of times a day those problems dissapear. It's easy. Just take off your gloves and use a free hand to brace yourself against the top edge of an open hive and sooner or later you will put that hand on a bee who will let you know she don't like it. Seriously, I have had severe spinal disk pain for about thirty five years and when I started back beekeeping I got about 90% improvement within two years. but it only works if I don't take too many precautions to keep from getting stung.
In the winter when I can't work the bees I have to get epidural cortizone shots about three times to make it to the next beekeeping season. I just can't bring myself to keep some of the girls around and deliberately make them sting me all winter.

[SL Tx]

I have SBB's that I bought and others that I just cut the bottom out a bottom board and replaced it with 6 ga screen. They are all under hives so I can't take a photo.

[Dearth Vader]

I'll have a couple when Rossman sends my order. They must be swamped as I ordered ~3 weeks ago.
Dearth

[Keith Benson]

old age?

I dunno about old age, but older than young age.

I recently had surgery to repair a SLAP tear, in PT now, but haven't really been able to do much with the bees. I also think I am just interested in working smarter not harder. Of course I look at all the 10 frame stuff I ahve and the 5 frame nucs and I am reluctant to switch. Maybe I will just go to 10 frma mediums.

Keith

[Keith Benson]

Hi Kieth,

I find that if I just get stung a couple of times a day those problems dissapear.

I have been trying it when I can. we will see if I am one of the folks that responds. I can't really get stung on the hands much as I use them for fine manipulation fairly frequently and scrub before hand. Scrubbing a swollen knuckle is a drag.

Keith