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Small Hive Beetles?????

3K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  Grizz270 
#1 · (Edited)
Our new hive is only two weeks old today and upon my second inspection I think we have a SHB. I attached two photos, one of the beetle and one of the larvae in the bottom. The larvae looks like wax moth??? Is this normal to have these pests at only two weeks with all new equipment? Where did they come from? What to do?

Insect Pest Stain Parasite Membrane-winged insect
Wood Table Membrane-winged insect Insect Wood stain


My guess is due to a new colony without a build up of bees is why they invaded.
 
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#5 ·
Yep that is SHB, and they will get in strong colonies the bees will chase them around but they still can get out of hand. I use beetle blasters. You are supposed to use guardstar with the beetle blasters but they keep them in check enough never fooled with guardstar. A strong hive will keep the wax moth in check. They are everywhere they are the little grey moths you see outside around your porch light.
 
#6 ·
That's SHB all right. I had a weak hive last year that was eaten up by them, with hundreds of larvae eating everything in sight. I've started using a Freeman trap (I make my own) and I can't recommend them highly enough. These days I use diatomaceous earth in my Freeman, not oil. These traps break their life cycle by catching beetle and larvae both, as the larvae leave to pupate in the ground. If you use this trap expect to see a significant beetle kill the first and probably 2nd night (they come in the evening), then the kill numbers will start to decline as your bees gain the edge on them. As of now, they're a secondary pest for me.

Of course, that could change as we're just now getting to the hot months where they thrive. My beetle trauma hasn't left me so I'm working on a prototype for an entrance trap - most all of the current traps seem flawed in that they trap beetles *after* they're in the hive. Why let them in at all if you can avoid it :)

Good luck.
 
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