[theriverhawk]

A week ago, I placed a bunch of CD case "traps" in hives for SHB control. I used a paste mixture of crisco, borax and honey in the "traps". In some hives, I placed one in the bottom with the trap entrance facing the back wall, and then another trap on the tops of the frames, again, with the entrance facing the back wall.
Results: I noticed immediately very few beetles on the inner cover and noticed virtually none walking in the frame holders. The traps on the tops of the frames have only a couple of SHBs. But the traps on the bottom boards really raked in the beetles.
So, I will for sure be continuing to place traps on the bottom boards. Very productive there.

 

[Freon11]

I used Beetle barns with combat roach gel. The roach gel worked incredibly I think it actualy attracts any beetle in the hive . I empty and rebait when I am doing my weekly inspection ,they are always full.I didn't think I had that many .They are 1.50 a piece .

 

[Walliebee]

I used Beetle barns with combat roach gel.

I usually don't comment on what products other people use in their hives, but I could not let this go by.

The active ingredient in Combat Roach Gel is Fipronil.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorder

"Fipronil is another chemical sometimes blamed for the spread of colony collapse disorder among bees. It has been found by the Minutes-Association for Technical Coordination Fund in France that even at very low nonlethal doses for bees, the pesticide still impairs their ability to locate their hive, resulting in large numbers of forager bees lost with every pollen-finding expedition[85]; other studies, however, have shown no acute effect on honey bees.[86]

Fipronil is designed to eliminate insects similar to bees such as Vespula germanica and many other colonial pests by a process of toxic baiting, whereby one insect returning to the hive spreads the pesticide among the brood. [87]"


Please pay attention to what products you use in your hives, and make sure they are approved for use there.

 

[Freon11]

With all due respect, it is understood that chemicals such as fipronil may or may not be a contributing factor to CCD. Borax is also deadly to our girls but we as beekeepers have found a way to use it with relative safety or with minimal collateral damage .ALL forms of pest management have some mortality not intended, it is unfortunate but still a truth. We as beekeepers have a maternal sense when it comes to our girls we will do everything we can to try and hopefully accomplish making their lives a little easier. The reason for using fipronil in Beetle barns was that my level of SHB were becoming unmanageable factors and I was becoming afraid of absconding .It should also be mentioned the matrix of walls in the Beetle barns impede the SHB from exiting once they have entered and ingested the Combat gel they die right in the trap and the trap by design will not allow bees to enter. In this beekeepers opinion CCD is going to be related to more than just 1 factor , If it was just 1 factor we would have a definitive answer by now .There are too many stresses on our girls as a species this is where we as a community of just beekeepers both commercial and recreational can help find the answer