[msscha]

Small Hive Beetles -- sigh. I've probably waited too late to get on this. I've seen them for a few weeks now, watched the bees do entrance and aerial battle, have not seen them crawling over comb inside the hive, but recognize that adult beetles mean that larvae is somewhere.

I've yet to find an actual trap for TBHs. I don't have a removable bottom board, so those particular solutions are not likely to work. Based on what I've seen from John Pluta's site (http://georgiabees.blogspot.com/search/label/Small Hive Beetles), I'm thinking of making something out of an empty DVD case packed with a crisco/honeycomb mix as a lure and boric acid as the killing chemical. I would attach it to the back follower board (by means I haven't figured out yet). I'm hoping this will both attract the beetles and give the bees a spot to keep them cornered. Does this sound like it would work? I did a search here, but most people seemed to focus on Langs with bottom board traps. Or maybe I didn't set the search up correctly. Still reading through the info on biobees.com (http://www.biobees.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2550). I'll also try the outside lure made with rotting fruit.

 

[MacNachtan]

In my experience, the best thing you can do for SHB is to have your hive in full sun. It makes more difference than all the traps out there. The bees in a strong colony in full sun can handle them.

 

[ruthiesbees]

full sun is a good thing to deter SHB, I also found in one of my TBH's where the observation window had popped out of it's groove and the SHB's were entering the hive unguarded by the bees.

What I am trying this year is Diatomaceous Earth on my IPM board which sits underneath a screened bottom board. Bees chase the adults down below and they eventually die in the dust (takes a day or two). The larvae drop down into the dust and die pretty quickly as the DE cuts through their skin.

 

[mala54]

I have TBH with screen bottoms. I carefully spray a strong insecticide(used in horse stables) on the ground beneath the hives to kill the SHB larvae and break their life cycle. The bees take care of the adult SHB in the hive.

 

[Jon Wolff]

I designed a special bottom board with holes in the bottom and jars that screw in. Screened lids keep out the bees and funnels trap the beetles and larvae inside. Pieces of bait comb with pollen and honey on short sections of bamboo sit above about an inch of mineral oil. The traps are working very well. Beetles, larvae, and even wax moths are drawn into them and away from the bees. I retrofitted all my hives with this system. http://imgur.com/a/3YTzK?

 

[msscha]

Hi, Jon Wolff -- that is awesome! I actually think I could make that with some study and maybe a practice board or two. Maybe not ideal for my current hive b/c it's constructed, but I've only got one, and I could certainly add this into future designs.

 

[Jon Wolff]

It's quite easy to make if you have a jigsaw. I tried tubs of mineral oil and then DE, but I didn't like how messy they could be and how much trouble it was to remove them, and I had instances where bees managed to work their way under the screens and into the tubs. So long as I make sure to put on the screened lids, the bees can't get into the bottles because the seal is so tight. It only takes seconds to change out a bottle (which I don't need to do very often) and there is no mess and no worry about getting the oil or DE on the bees.

The bees hardly noticed when I retrofitted my hives. I've found that I don't need to change the bottles very often because they seem to work better when beetles lay eggs in the bait comb and larvae hatch out and start eating the pollen/honey. I think they give off a scent that attracts other beetles into the traps. Even with the mineral oil tubs I had previously I used to still find quite a few beetles in the hives, going in and out of cells. Now I rarely find any.

 

[mala54]

you can buy a good beetle trap from John Puta at http://georgiabees.blogspot.com/2009/09/small-hive-beetle-traps-pstpaid.html

 

[msscha]

you can buy a good beetle trap from John Puta at http://georgiabees.blogspot.com/2009/09/small-hive-beetle-traps-pstpaid.html

He's my inspiration for using the DVD cover as a trap!