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ground under hives

3K views 9 replies 9 participants last post by  greif 
#1 ·
Hi
newbie here. Hopefully will be getting my bees this week or next. I have read that SHB larva live in the ground under hives, what can I put down so they cannot live there? Would stone work, 3/4" limestone that has sharp edges?

thanks
gary
 
#7 ·
Do not under estimate these devils. They are not suppose to be able to winter in colder climates. Well they seem to be doing just fine here in Maryland. I got whacked already with larva on two spilits I created on April 6th. Even with temps dropping to 30's at night they reproduced. I guess I did not put enough bees in my spilits. And to think I did not see any SHB until two years ago.
 
#8 ·
If they get into the ground, you're too late. Put traps in your hives, and deal with them before they lay eggs. I run 2-4 traps in each hive, and have no problems with shb. I maintain the traps regularly, and don't bother to treat the ground.
Regards,
Steven
 
#9 ·
This is the start of my second year so last spring when I got my first two colonies started, I put AJ's beetle traps in each brood box and left them in all summer until I took them out in the fall and they were still free of beetles. I don't know that its safe to say a beetle never attempted to enter all I know is that I never caught any. Maybe I was being overcautios cause I dont know if they're even a threat to me where I am. All I know is that I will be putting them in again cause Id rather catch a few beetles looking for a home rather than try to rid an entire colony of them after they have already set up shop. Unless I guess somebody can tell me that these specific traps arent a good preventable step.
 
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