I caught a swarm this summer in a swarm trap. I took the swarm trap down and put the bees in a Lang hive and left it under the tree in total shade. I wanted to make sure it was disease free before placing it in one of my apiaries. I have not had a problem with hive beetles in my hives this year. All my apiaries are in full sun. At most I occasionally see 1 or 2 hive beetles in a hive when doing an inspection. But this hive that came from the swarm trap and was left in full shade is loaded with hive beetles. It is a moderately strong hive. Should I try setting it out in full sun before moving it to one of my apiaries? How long would I need to leave it? Or should I not be concerned about the situation and just move it to an Apiary?
Do I need to worry about moving a swarm with a lot of hive beetles into my apiary?
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The SHB should not be a problem for your apiary. The bees are dealing with the beetles already and have them under control. You may want to use one of a number of SHB traps after moving the hive. Beetle Barns, Beetle Blasters, and Swiffer style dusting cloths all provide decent control. Kamon reccommends the Dine a Max towel by Brawny, but you have to buy a case, around $60. Checkmite can also be used if you wanted to go chemical.
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