Any luck with AJ's Beetle eater??

[MSbeekeeper]

I am noticing an increase in beetles and want to put them in check without the use of chemicals before they get going. Anybody try AJ's beetle eater??

[Mathispollenators]

Yes they work. Lay a piece of felt paper, the black stuff they put under the shingles on your roof over it. This will keep the bees from filling in the cracks and a honey bear is great for filling them with cooking oil. Also place it in the middle of the brood nest.

[mgmoore7]

They do work to at least some degree. I am not sure they will work well enough if the hive is weak.

Best defense is full sun and strong hives. After that come traps of various types and the AJ is one that is effective enough to have some impact without a large effort in management.

[MSbeekeeper]

Good deal, One hive is strong and both are in full sun. That's, I will give them a try.

[cyclobee]

If you have only a few hives, you might want to try a bottom board trap rather than these in-hive thingamajiggies. The latter fill up quickly and must be emptied frequently, which means more unnecessary disturbances of your girls. Bottom board traps have a tray that can be checked and emptied without disturbing bees.

[MSbeekeeper]

Yeah I am actually going for the bottom tray trap instead. It seems like a better trap and one that the bees aren't supposed to get into.

[Brent]

I'm new to beekeeping, but I had a question. I'm assuming this trap is used in place of an end frame. Wouldn't the bees make a burr comb mess under the trap? If so, a full size trap kinda like a division feeder would maintain bee space and the larger reservoir would increase the time between inspections. Just a thought.

[mgmoore7]

No, the trap sits between frames. It does not take the space of a frame.

[Brent]

Ok - thanks. I've only seen pics and didn't know how large it was.

[SlickMick]

I am using both AJ's and homemade bottom board oil traps. Both work but I think the bottom board trap works best.

Have a look at http://www.greenbeehives.com/. Mine dont cover the whole bottom board and these may be more effective

Mick

[StevenG]

I bumped this thread back to the top, since it's Beetle Season again!

Inspected all my hives the past two weeks, removed all traps for cleaning. I tried both AJ's Beetle Eater, and the cd jewel box case with bait. Put the cd cases in late last year. They caught nothing. AJ's traps caught quite a few... I rarely saw more than one or two beetles in the hive. In my recent inspections, saw a beetle or two in a couple of hives...time to put the traps back in.

In a two story brood nest, I put at least one trap in each box. Last summer, when I saw more than 5 or 6 beetles, I'd add another trap or two.
Regards,
Steven

[Grant]

I wasn't impressed with AJ's. They are hard to fill, and slow to fill. The gridwork is brittle and a couple of them have snapped in two. I covered my traps only to have the beetles take refuge in the teeth of the gridwork instead of diving into my oil bath. My CD cases worked well. The sandwich traps work well. I also like the Hood traps. I also bought 100 of the newer beetle blasters. I think they hold better promise.

Grant
Jackson, MO

[StevenG]

I looked at the Beetle Blasters, but they're disposable. So they'll last one season, and have to be replaced. In 4 years I've paid for an AJ's trap. So far in two years I haven't had any break, and most have had a lot of beetles in them. The propolis though... Going to cover them as recommended with roofing felt this year, see how that works.

The bees also propolised closed the entrances on most of my cd case traps... Between the freakin' shb, and the bees using propolis, a guy just can't get a break! :lpf:
Regards,
Steven

[hoodswoods]

cyclobee had it right - why mess around with an in-hive trap? And since the part that holds the reservoir in place between the frames snaps on - I almost guarantee that you will be pulling frames to recover that reservoir when it falls down between.

A super-tight and cranny-free hive is a must - depending on your feeder type - check it out & screen the hole on your inner cover.

[dave28210]

They have helped with my beetle problem some, in conjunction with pans of oil below. My one gripe is that I end up spilling oil in my hives sometimes upon installing these traps, but that is how it goes.

I think the best medicine is prevention. I am working harder to clear brush and get more sunlight down to my hives. I think that will do more than any IPM. But I'll use every resource I have. I hive tool every beetle I can on each inspection. Good luck.