SHB Discussions please.

[rmcpb]

Over here we get kitchen wipes called Chux. I put them over the frames in my hives and they catch LOTS of beetles initially then the number drops off as the population is lowered. Problem is you lose a few bees which can get caught in them but I am trying the CD case trap with the wipes in them to see if they are effective and saves the bees.

[Michael_C]

Over here we get kitchen wipes called Chux. I put them over the frames in my hives and they catch LOTS of beetles initially then the number drops off as the population is lowered. Problem is you lose a few bees which can get caught in them but I am trying the CD case trap with the wipes in them to see if they are effective and saves the bees.

Are the Chux dry or do you put something on them or are they already wet with something..How does it work?

[rmcpb]

They are used dry. I generally give them a good knock around to get them fluffy as the beetles are physically caught by the fluff on their spines. Just need to stop catching bees, hence the trial in the CD cases.

[Michael_C]

They are used dry. I generally give them a good knock around to get them fluffy as the beetles are physically caught by the fluff on their spines. Just need to stop catching bees, hence the trial in the CD cases.

Thanks, sounds like you are on to something! I may have to find a source for Chux. I had never heard of it.

[rmcpb]

In the kitchen cleaning area of the supermarket usually with the sponges. They are very thin, blue cloths called Chux Superwipes and come in 10 packs.

[DJS]

DJS,

The dry limes burns them up almost as soon as they come in contact with it. I buy mine from our local CO-OP. Sometimes it is refered to as hydrated lime & sometimes as dehydrated lime. Not sure if there is truely a difference or not, just know both have worked for me. Also if you go to FatBeeMans website he has a video on making bettle traps that are dirt cheap & work great. Go to youtube and search FineShooter. Should find his easily.

I will try to find some Hydrated lime all I have seen is powdered garden lime or pellets. I could see where lime would be safer then oil to use, less chance of spilling out of traps on bees, also wonder if you can clean the lime that you use in SBB tray by running it through a filter of some sort.
DJS

[beeman2009]

DJS,

Have not tried to filter the lime as it is pretty cheap but I don't see why you couldn't use a strainer to filter out SHB & reuse it. Think I will try that this year and see what happens. Thanks for the idea.

[Goldprospector]

OK, so the OP asked to hear from other TF beekeepers about dealing with SHB. Has that happened?
Goldprospector, what final word are you looking for? The only final word that can be said is that SHB's are showing up in hives. I see them in my hives. My method for dealing with them is to keep strong hives and smash any I see when inspecting a hive. This is purely for the sport of it. Have you lost hives due to the beetle?

I believe I have lost one hive to Beeltle infestation and Another local guy seems to believe he has lost 4 due to beetle problems.
Noone can really say for sure what makes a hive abscond, but when there are tons of beetles in the hive, with fermented honey..I really think that is what happened.

[Goldprospector]

That's very interesting, I'm keen to hear about that. Do you have acidic soils in your location?

I have some hives under Pine trees which is acidic due to the pine needles, the ground is extremely hard clay. Can't really even dig it with a mattock. No SHB's in those hives...even a weak one doen to 3 frames of bees.

[Lburou]

I'm wondering if frost depth isn't pivital in survivability of the small hive beetle. Upon departure from the hive the larva wander for 3 or 4 days. During that time, they have been reported to travel more than 100 meters. They then burrow 2-8 inches (5-20cm) under the surface where they pupate. In the Southern USA, frost does not penetrate very deep into the soil and won't kill the beetle in its final steps of maturation underground.

Average frost depth in my area is one inch. That leaves the beetle's life cycle untouched by frost. Up North, frost can penetrate up to three or four feet. If you look at the majority of reports, beekeepers with high SHB populations are most often in the South or border the South. Those with less tend to be reporting from areas with more cold. Has anyone seen literature reporting a correlation between cold and smaller SHB populations?


I have found this article very informative in understanding and dealing with the SHB.

I am affectively muzzled in the TF forum, so can't say how I treat the ground under my apiary. Read between the lines.

[rmcpb]

The CD case adaption for the Chux trap worked. I opened my hives yesterday and had a look and there were no beetles wandering around. However, the traps had a few in them but the bonus was that there were no trapped bees

[FlowerPlanter]

They are used dry. I generally give them a good knock around to get them fluffy as the beetles are physically caught by the fluff on their spines. Just need to stop catching bees, hence the trial in the CD cases.

The CD case adaption for the Chux trap worked. I opened my hives yesterday and had a look and there were no beetles wandering around. However, the traps had a few in them but the bonus was that there were no trapped bees

Try placing one in the screened bottom board, might be cheaper, easier then oil.

[Intheswamp]

Try placing one in the screened bottom board, might be cheaper, easier then oil.

I think you mean in the oil tray beneath the screen(?)....interesting thought.

Ed

[Tom Davidson]

GP,

SHB are a big problem here in TN. In fact, the biggest problem I have to deal with. I use food/feed grade diatemateous earth as a dust around my hives, app a 10' radius 2 - 3 times a year just before a rain or wet the ground afterwards in late evening. It kills the larvae in the ground. Inside the hives I use bettle traps with hydrated lime instead of oil, higher kill ratio. That's usually about it as the DE is so effective the numbers inside the hive are small.

Beeman, I'm getting ready to deploy diatemaceous earth after a recent sliming of 5 nucs. How heavy should the application be? Would DE hurt insect-eating nematodes that could wipe these pupating beetles? What kind of traps do you use, and is hydrated lime considered a chemical?

[GeorgiaBasser]

Beeman2009, I still don't follow how your applying the lime. If you're not using a sbb, then are you just placing 1/2" lime on top of your solid bottom board? Doesn't the lime burn the bees up too?

[Rusty Hills Farm]

GeorgiaBasser~There are a variety of traps available that hang between the frames. Usually they get filled with oil. It sounds like Beeman fills his with lime instead. Personally I use oil-filled trays beneath screened bottom boards. Works great. Another kind of trap that can use lime is really easy and cheap to do. You can see videos on how it works on the FatBeeMan YouTube site http://www.youtube.com/user/fineshooter?feature=mhee

HTH

Rusty