Inspecting my squirrel-house hive this AM:
1. No bees to speak of, amybe 25-30
2. Dying larvae
3. Small hive beetles
There have been no reports of SHB in my immediate area(until now.) This was a swarm that had taken up residence in a squirrel house near a dense pine thicket. I burned the squirrel-house and the combs.
Lesson learned: don't bring home any more bees in squirrel houses, birdhouses, barrels, or anything else that has established comb involved.
SHB has been spreading from southeast north and westward. I wonder if they'll be able to survice in the cold winters of the Midwest and North? Surely some of these interlopers have made the trip north with migratory beekeepers....
Like Michael said, I am almost 100% convinced that hive strength is the most important defense against SHB, and also other pests and intruders such as wax moth and such. Wax moth run free in a hive because they can run ****ed fast as adults, SHB run fairly free because they are like little armoured tanks and 99% immune from getting stung, or extremeties yanked off. When a bees finds a SHB, the bees goes after it with a passion, but the beetle closes up and pulls in like a turtle and there is little the bees can do. In a strong hive, there are enough bees patrolling all over so that no matter how fast the moth can run it can't get away from teh bees, and SHB although can tuck in like a turtle, eventuall yhas to try and move, and each time it does the bees can pull it closer and closer to the exit.
In my weakest hive, the thing I have noticed most is the SHB seem to get corralled into corners here and there and a constant patrol of bees keeps them jailed up. Every once in a while one makes a break for it, but they get caught and driven in a another corner somewhere. THis is the best hte bees can do, because there aren't enough bees to drive the beetles out the door. I have seen bees hold the beetles jailed inside an empty cell, the bee constantly trying to get a hold of the beetle and the beetle not being able to escape because 1, the bee is doing everythign it can to get a hold of a get or antenna or something, and 2 because the bee itself blocks the entrance to the cell.
In my strong hives, I see a beetle presense, but I have only seen 1 or 2 in my whole apiary of 4 hives at the same time, and they get squashed on site. In my weak hive which is offsite, within a week I will see up to 15 beetles which all get squashed if I can get them all before they take flight...
Like Michael said, I am almost 100% convinced that hive strength is the most important defense against SHB, and also other pests and intruders such as wax moth and such. Wax moth run free in a hive because they can run ****ed fast as adults, SHB run fairly free because they are like little armoured tanks and 99% immune from getting stung, or extremeties yanked off. When a bees finds a SHB, the bees goes after it with a passion, but the beetle closes up and pulls in like a turtle and there is little the bees can do. In a strong hive, there are enough bees patrolling all over so that no matter how fast the moth can run it can't get away from teh bees, and SHB although can tuck in like a turtle, eventuall yhas to try and move, and each time it does the bees can pull it closer and closer to the exit.
In my weakest hive, the thing I have noticed most is the SHB seem to get corralled into corners here and there and a constant patrol of bees keeps them jailed up. Every once in a while one makes a break for it, but they get caught and driven in a another corner somewhere. THis is the best hte bees can do, because there aren't enough bees to drive the beetles out the door. I have seen bees hold the beetles jailed inside an empty cell, the bee constantly trying to get a hold of the beetle and the beetle not being able to escape because 1, the bee is doing everythign it can to get a hold of a get or antenna or something, and 2 because the bee itself blocks the entrance to the cell.
In my strong hives, I see a beetle presense, but I have only seen 1 or 2 in my whole apiary of 4 hives at the same time, and they get squashed on site. In my weak hive which is offsite, within a week I will see up to 15 beetles which all get squashed if I can get them all before they take flight...
Edgecombe County was one of the quarantined areas so they did not have to travel far. I saw them more last year in several locations than I have so far this year. I am hoping that ground drench treatment will take care of them.
speaking of pests in general, I always have earwigs and potato bugs living around around my top cover, and inner cover. Is this a problem?? they are not inside the hive.
Lot's of bugs take shelter in the recesses of a hive. I never worry about them if they don't seem to be hurting anything. I always find these tiny ants with all their eggs in tight spots where they squeezed in.
The small hive beetle has made it to our territory and I'm shaking in my boots. One of the ladies in Onslow County found them in one of her hives in Swansboro. She brought a couple of "samples" and a one gallon freezer bag full of dead bees to our meeting last night. Yikes! She's going to call the county and have them confirmed as SHB.
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