[wltwine]

Hello Fellow BKpers, Hopefully I can get some advice. Checked on my hive a couple of days ago and found to many hive beetles, my question is whats the best way to get rid of them or at least get them under control, I saw a video on youtube of a BKper in Georgia I believe his name was John Pluta he was using traps that were reusable which were really nice but I cant find them at all I really don't want to use a lot of chemicals. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Brooklyn]

He sells them on his site and you can also find the at Rossmans.

I would purchase from John

Brooklyn

 

[AmericasBeekeeper]

There are several traps the beetles crawl into to escape filled with oil. Checkmite + will kill small hive beetles and Varroa but you cannot use it with honey supers on. I use a tray of oil under the screened bottom boards. It also kills Varroa and small hive beetles that drown in the oil. One of the commercial traps is an oil tray under the SBB. Mine is just $12 to $16 cheaper.

 

[Adam]

Labeling on Checkmite + says that you can use it with supers on. May not be the best idea though.

 

[B Reeves]

using a hygienic queen helps they wont tolerate them in the hive, how many hives have them?
Bob

 

[arthur]

what happens when beetles eat roach poison then return to their regular confines in the hive, then defecate, etc.?

 

[possum51]

I read a post several months ago about someone that worked with an older beek. The best I can remember the old gentleman told this person that he used red pepper to control small hive beetles. I tried this method on a couple of my hives this spring. I sprinkled powdered red pepper along the groove under the end bars. I opened these hives this morning and saw only 1 beetle. Usually I would see much more. The red pepper is the only treatment I used on these hives. The method seems to work to an extent. It is not toxic and the initial evidence shows the beetles do not like the powdered red pepper in their travel track. I would like others to experiment with this if they wish. A small can of powdered red pepper can be purchased at your grocery store for a decent price. Let me know if you try it.

 

[Dirtyt3]

wtwine I made bottom boards of a 2x4 design that fhlowmore sent me on the forum under my name DirtyT3 SHBs. I made the same bottoms the same all but move the screen out to the front 2" inches on the landing board out side of the hive with a facial board around the interence, same heigth but a 1-1/2" inch side pieces. Basical the SHB has to go around the 1-1/2 side pieces or landing doard and can't get into the hive with out going across the screen and falls into the oil trap below. The SHBs go in and out of the hives more frequent than we would think, making the interence the focal point to control them. I found only 1 SHB out of 15 hives, having a hand full of beetles in the oil traps dead.

 

[mothergoosemagic]

@DirtyT3, can you post a pix or link?

Thanks.

 

[Dirtyt3]

Try this, I think it is still active I got it from fhlowmore. I made the same as this but added to the landing board ( a groove ) for the oil pan to seal to like the sides are made. Just add a piece of foam to the top back edge for the back of the oil pan to seal. It services from the rear of the hive by siding the oil pan out.



http://www.myoldtools.com/Bees/bottomboard/bottomboard.htm