Attached photo shows beetles that ensnared in a trap that sits on top of the honey frames. A quick estimate is that there is somewhere around 700 dead beetles in the trap.
If the bees need to be kept from the stuff, a replacement frame with one side ply, the fuzzy stuff contact cemented to the ply, and a closure of #8 hardware cloth might do the job.
Attached photo shows beetles that ensnared in a trap that sits on top of the honey frames. A quick estimate is that there is somewhere around 700 dead beetles in the trap.
I tried using a wire brush on it and it teases it up quite a bit. I'm going to deploy some oil trap bottom boards that I haven't been using, and put some samples of different materials in them to see what happens. Polyester quilt batting Looks promising - available at any fabric store including the ever-present Wal-mart. Felt, carpet scraps, cotton balls, fake sheep skin, dust balls from under the bed - if we try enough different things something will do it. Come to think of it I've seen bugs all gummed up in dust bunnies before....
Has anyone used a stickey board on top of the inner cover hole with the sticky side up away from the bee's? A sticky board could be cut into 6 or more equal pieces and still cover the hole.
I would like to try the "crickey cloth" if someone can come up with a name of the material and where we can find it.
Myron Denny
I found something on amazon that looks like it will work. I'm going to try it this coming weekend, mainly to see if the bees get caught it in. I think it will work, thou I don't know how active SHB are now that it's cooling off. I ordered batting material, like they make padded blankets with. I bought one the size of a crib and it rolls out to about 5 feet. I've been using oil trays and they work, but they are expensive. I'm hoping to find something that works so I can move trays around. Right now I've got one under every hive, but they cost 30 bucks each. That adds a lot of cost to a hive. I'll respond back to this thread next week, but it's going to freeze her the next two nights which is pretty unusual for this time of year...
I want to find a source for hardware cloth that the bee's will not drop through and SHB will drop through and I can drown the SHB in cooking oil. No 6 is the size I have been told works. If this is not correct please let me know. Will aluminum hardware cloth cause problems? I will try the table cloth on top of the frames if someone can come up with what it is called and where I can find it other than Austrailia.
Myron Denny
Suppliers are telling me that No 6 hardware cloth is what the SHB will fall through, if I use a No 6 screen bottom board with oil pan and a No 6 screen instead of an innercover, then put stickey material above the top screen that is replaceing the innercover, is this over kill?
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