Help figure out a way to get rid of SHB. I prefer not to put poison strips in my hives nor am I enamored with Gardstar drench. I just got some Cutts beetle traps and will install them ASAP. if the Cutts traps work, I may invest in some AJ Beetle Eaters. I prefer not to spend the money on West traps and the Hood traps I bought a couple of years ago don't work. The one relatively safe and effective pesticide-based method I have found isn't approved or labeled for use in bees.
I had three supers of honey that I set aside to extract, pulled on Saturday. I extracted one and didn't have time to get to the others until yesterday. When I opened the stack, they were wrapped up with SHB larvae. I managed to save a couple of frames, but they had slimed the majority of the super.
So...my advice to anyone in SHB territory: "Extract your honey as soon as you pull it off the hive. " I'm not sure how you would store it even for a couple of days in a warming room. I guess freezing each frame would kill the beetles. But, I don't have a freezer.
I have found no varroa in my hives, but I expect i will later in the season. But these beetles are more worrisome. They can ruin an entire honey crop in just a few days because there is no way to tell how many eggs have been laid. As long as there are bees to kill the larvae and chase the beetles, they can be held in check. Once there are no bees, SHB can work remarkably fast.
Sure, varroa destructor(VD?)can mess up your bees, but it's infuriating to see the produce of the hive tossed in the trash. I read that the ruined honey is unfit for any purpose, not even for feeding back to the bees.
I took an older hive apart last week. On the screened bottom board, there was a wad of propolis about the size of two golf balls. The screen had been totally propolized, so I guess the bees preferred a solid bottom board. anyway, I took my torch and was softening the propolis. When I heated the wad, about 100 hive beetles scurried out. Apparently, the bees had built them a condo where they could keep them corralled.
Addendum: I use an piezo-ignition propane torch to light my smoker, sterilize my hive tools, etc. I am now carrying it on each hive inspection. I used to use my hive tool to smash beetles on the inner cover. I now use the torch to fry them. It's quick and effective as long as there are no nearby bees to scorch.
I had three supers of honey that I set aside to extract, pulled on Saturday. I extracted one and didn't have time to get to the others until yesterday. When I opened the stack, they were wrapped up with SHB larvae. I managed to save a couple of frames, but they had slimed the majority of the super.
So...my advice to anyone in SHB territory: "Extract your honey as soon as you pull it off the hive. " I'm not sure how you would store it even for a couple of days in a warming room. I guess freezing each frame would kill the beetles. But, I don't have a freezer.
I have found no varroa in my hives, but I expect i will later in the season. But these beetles are more worrisome. They can ruin an entire honey crop in just a few days because there is no way to tell how many eggs have been laid. As long as there are bees to kill the larvae and chase the beetles, they can be held in check. Once there are no bees, SHB can work remarkably fast.
Sure, varroa destructor(VD?)can mess up your bees, but it's infuriating to see the produce of the hive tossed in the trash. I read that the ruined honey is unfit for any purpose, not even for feeding back to the bees.
I took an older hive apart last week. On the screened bottom board, there was a wad of propolis about the size of two golf balls. The screen had been totally propolized, so I guess the bees preferred a solid bottom board. anyway, I took my torch and was softening the propolis. When I heated the wad, about 100 hive beetles scurried out. Apparently, the bees had built them a condo where they could keep them corralled.
Addendum: I use an piezo-ignition propane torch to light my smoker, sterilize my hive tools, etc. I am now carrying it on each hive inspection. I used to use my hive tool to smash beetles on the inner cover. I now use the torch to fry them. It's quick and effective as long as there are no nearby bees to scorch.