Where are these HIVE BEETLES coming from

[J-SiN]

My uncle and I have 3 hives
2 on his property and one on mine

everyting has been going quite well so far.

well one of his hives is a swarm we caught wild a few months ago and they have been doing good

he put a hive top feeder on it and we notcied within days hive beetles in the top getting the sugar water

they are almost always in the top

he had about 20 so far (in 2 months)
we always smash them

he thinks when he bought the hive it was infested , can this be true?

or are they just attracted to the sugar water?

he checked the established hive with no feeder and it had 2-3 inside

its hard to grab em with pliers while holding the frames

we are going to check mine today and put a feeder on since there is no nectar here in the charlotte nc area


so can hive beetle infestations be bought?

and if not where are they comin from and what can we do?

[BjornBee]

They can be from a bought hive, or they can be coming from any number of sources in the surrounding area. SHB can live outside hives indefinitely, and fly miles per day in their search for food and hives, which they really like. ;)

[Jeffzhear]

I thought I read in a few places that hive beetles can fly up to about five miles per flight. They could have come from another location near you as well.

[mike haney]

in my opinion hive top feeders are comercialized garbage. get you some gallon paint cans and save some grief. good luck,mike

[dhood]

Could the beetles be breeding in other places besides hives? Seems like they are populating the nation too quickly to be just a hive beetle. I read that they are a sapp beetle. Are there certain trees that they hang out in?Just a few questions that have been on my mind that is somewhat related to this post.

[tecumseh]

j-sin writes:
he thinks when he bought the hive it was infested , can

tecumseh replies: the shb is a very successful scavanger and it could have come from anywhere. I have always had a lot of problems with cut outs and removals during the summer months mostly attributed to the shb.

how far could those little black devils come from? well a little story.

in austin texas the hottest attraction going is the bats under the sixth street bridge. people come from literally half way around the world to see the bat exit at dusk. the bats feed on insects including boll weevils (another little black devil) that originated the prior evening along the mexican border. the boll weevil during the late evening will fly up very high, catch a fast moving northernly direction wind and in a matter of a few hours is in austin (actually way above austin) where the bats feed on those little black devils.

effective strategies for dealing with shb invested hive are (do both) boosting with sealed brood and feeding. also in the hive in question is in any shade??? move to full sunshine.

good luck.

[HAB]

Just yesterday, after two days of rain went to check on my hives. Was nice so pulled up a chair for a few minutes. Over a period of about ten minutes I killed eight SHB as they landed on the sunny side near the migratory cover. They seemed to be flying in from a nearby wooded area.

[J-SiN]

checked in on em today and wow

I SAW about 12 SHB's in different areas

they are hard as heck to get

mopst got away but I did get 4 of em with tweezers and smashed them

anyone tied the SHB trap that u can make?

I gotta do something they are makin me crazy

[tecumseh]

I haven't tried the traps. my most effective strategy to date is to boost with capped brood and feeding. i use a boardman style feeder set into a migratory for the very problems you mention... plus another problem for young weak hives which is the constant threat of robbing.

[nursebee]

I'd encourage you to focus on the hive, not the beetles. Keep your hive healthy and the beetles will not bother you.

Your powers of observation are better than mine if you see them coming from somewhere. If they are truly doing that it might not be SHB. From what I know they have what they need with the hive and ground, no need to fly.

Yes you can buy beetles in existing hives. I have tried one style of the traps (AJ) and with my minimal attention to it I never had a dead one in it.

Don't chase them with tweezers, scrape with hive toolor smash with same, much easier.

Extract your honey fast after pulling.

[Dr.Wax]

Keep your hive healthy and the beetles will not bother you.

I have not found this to be true. I have very healthy bees and they are constantly under assault by SHB.

Your powers of observation are better than mine if you see them coming from somewhere. If they are truly doing that it might not be SHB. From what I know they have what they need with the hive and ground, no need to fly.

Trust me. They fly.

I have seen them many, many times flying right into the entrance unimpeded. Most of their time is actually spent outside of the hive. They only come into the hive to eat and lay eggs.

[SnowyOwl]

Sorry/corrected post below

[SnowyOwl]

My uncle and I have 3 hives, 2 on his property and one on mine
everything has been going quite well so far.
well one of his hives is a swarm we caught wild a few months ago and they have been doing good.
He put a hive top feeder on it and we noticed within days hive beetles in the top getting the sugar water. . . .
We are going to check mine today and put a feeder on since there is no nectar here in the charlotte nc area. . . .

so can hive beetle infestations be bought?

Definitely. If you can't inspect the nuc or package first, you won't know if the SHB or its larvae are there. Same thing happened to me with a nuc from Florida. However, they can also be in your area, and come from other nearby sources to infest your hives.

and if not where are they coming from and what can we do?

Hi J-SIN--another NC beek here. I've also had problems this year with SHBs, but using traps has helped and they are under control. The other replies suggested location as a factor--yes, sunnier spots help to keep the SHB levels down. They like cooler damp hives. Ventilation can help--are you using a SBB (screened bottom board)? Some suggest ending supplemental feeding, since the SHBs are also attracted to sugar water, but during a dearth your bees need the support. So I don't do that; I'd rather focus on helping the bees and controlling the beetles. First year hives may not have the stores to survive without some backup feeding.

Have you done much research or tried different SHB traps? They do work, and I've used three with varying results. I haven't tried the largest West traps, since I use all 8-frame equipment, but they go under the main hive body and are full size, and you can remove a tray to check on the SHBs killed, so I've been told. They're sold on many sites, and are usually $11-12. Another type is the Hood beetle trap, which hangs nailed on one frame in your upper brood chamber (use position one; it does take up one frame). Very inexpensive, and uses mineral oil (FGMO=food grade mineral oil, found at drug stores) plus cider vinegar in separate chambers. I think its inventor, Dr Hood of SC, is a member of BeeSource. That trap is sold by Brushy Mtn Bee Farm among others.

Another I tried with some success is the newer AJs Beetle Eater--a small black plastic tray that is filled with vegetable oil (not olive oil) 3 ml deep, and hangs suspended between two frames in the uppermost brood box. The Australian inventor has written on here (do a search) and other forums, and recommends covering it with a vinyl sheet to stop the bees propolizing the openings. That is the biggest negative (in summer reduces ventilation, somewhat) though it works. Dadant sells that trap for just a few dollars.

Linda Tillman, (Tillie on BeeSource) author of Linda's Bee blog from Atlanta, has successfully used the homemade Sonny-Mel beetle traps, and I just installed those. They are easier to check since they are placed higher in the hive, over the top bars or even over/inside the hivetop feeder. You might have to add a shim/shallow super to accommodate them depending on your space, or if small enough you can place it inside your hivetop feeder. Plan the size of your trap so it will fit. Linda has excellent instructions for making the traps, and the recipe for the bait, on her website, including a video. See the links below.

From Linda's Bee blog--the video is the second link below for Sonny-Mel traps, and the last links are for different Hood beetle traps:

http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2...mall-hive.html

http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2...trap-saga.html

http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2...-of-today.html

http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2...s-working.html

http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2...begins-at.html

And you can do a search for more SHB solutions on her site, as well as here on BeeSource. Good luck!

[J-SiN]

wow thanks SNOWY

my hive is in a dappled area I could go full sun but woudl have to find a good spot cause its sparsely wooded throughout my property

I'm gonna have to try one of these traps soon

last inspection there were at least 12-15 beetles


drives me crazy

thanks!!