[tonysea]

Has anyone ever added a few drops of apple cider vinegar to their vegetable or mineral oil,Ive used it in small Tupperware containers and it works wonders for fruit flies.Just wondering if it has the same affect on stinkin stinkin SHB

 

[squarepeg]

yes. what i do is let a whole banana rot in the peel to the point of becoming liquid. i strain the banana juice and then add an equal amount of apple cider vinegar. this is then added to 16 oz. of vegetable oil and put into a used dish detergent bottle. the banana juice and vinegar do not mix with the oil, so you have to shake well before putting it into the beetle traps. baiting the traps in this way has proven to be very effective.

 

[marshmasterpat]

Squarepeg - So what do you then do with this mixture if you don't mind sharing?

Got one hive in shade and it always has 10 to 20 SHB under the lid when I open it. They are not a problem as the bees are corralling them, but would rather thin those ranks more if I could.

THanks

 

[squarepeg]

Squarepeg - So what do you then do with this mixture if you don't mind sharing?

i keep it in the squirt bottle along with extra traps in my tool tub. after a good shake i'll put in about 3/8" deep in the trap, one trap to each box.

these are the traps i use:

http://www.mannlakeltd.com/beekeeping-supplies/product/DC-685.html

i also use solid bottom boards. my inner covers are notched front and back but i put window screens over the notches. my hives are in almost full sun, except for getting that last couple hours of the day in shade. i've been helping a couple of other beeks who use screened bottoms, and we have been seeing a lot more beetles in their hives than mine, but i'm not sure if it's the screens because those hives get more shade than mine. actually i have seen fewer beetles this year than any year previous.

 

[tonysea]

yes. what i do is let a whole banana rot in the peel to the point of becoming liquid. i strain the banana juice and then add an equal amount of apple cider vinegar. this is then added to 16 oz. of vegetable oil and put into a used dish detergent bottle. the banana juice and vinegar do not mix with the oil, so you have to shake well before putting it into the beetle traps. baiting the traps in this way has proven to be very effective.

Thanks,i will defiantly give that a try.I use the same traps,one per box

 

[tonysea]

Thank you too squarepeg and the wonderful concoction of banana juice, it works wonders and I've doubled my capture rate, my carney hives seem beetle free except the free flyers which get mobbed as soon as the approach the front door. The Italian hives are doing just about the same, still a few scurrying around the top and inner cover but the girls seem to have them corralled. Thank you again SP.

 

[squarepeg]

glad it worked out for you.

 

[dsegrest]

I have always heard that bananas smell the same as the alarm pheremone.

 

[squarepeg]

i've heard that too dg, but i've never noticed that the mix draws any attention from the bees.

 

[spammy_h]

To easily reuse beetle blaster traps, a friend of mine suggested using garden lime in the traps. It works like quicksand for the beetles and dries them out, I just shake out the traps and add more lime.

The beetles seem to do a good job of falling in the traps themselves when being chased by the worker bees.

The traps are easy to keep clean and reuse since the lime isn't sticky.