As a hobbiest beek, I know I have the leisure to baby my hives more than most. Last year (first year beekeeping), I chased hive beetles all over my hives. I quickly went from a solid bottom board to a screened bottom board, to Freeman bottom boards. I tried beetle jails, boasters, oil traps, cd cases, everything but chemicals to combat them all summer. As a lark, I got a couple of the beetle baffles in October last year and put them on a couple of the screened board bottoms thinking it couldn't hurt.
Since the beginning of the season, I hadn't seen any beetles and thought the cold had gotten them. Do to excessive mold on the inner covers last year, I had already planned to switch the top covers to screens and going to the ventilated Freeman bottom board with DE as the mineral oil was way too messing, and got way too rank to change regularly.
As I was switching out bottom board, saw tons of SHB - here I go again... And then to the beetle baffles. Wow is the only word to describe it. On just those two hives, about 10 bees kept more than 25+ beetles confined to the under baffle. These weren't on Freeman traps, so they didn't get "caught" per say but the shear number of beetles those few bees had contained was truly amazing. Now all 8 hives are on Freeman boards with the baffles and the SHB problem is nearly gone. Certainly none seen in the upper part of the hives. I don't know about anyone else and I'm not a shill for anyone, but these beetle baffles do exactly what they claim and I'm convinced they're the key to solving this problem.
Yes I know for a practical purpose they are way overpriced and combined with the Freeman boards, wayyyy too pricey for commercial use. But, for the hobby keeper with any tax refund still blowing a hole in a pocket, this product really works! :applause:
And yes, I will admit to loving gadgets, but I have no mechanical aptitude of my own. Now if I could only afford a reasonable hive scale...
MsBeHaven
Since the beginning of the season, I hadn't seen any beetles and thought the cold had gotten them. Do to excessive mold on the inner covers last year, I had already planned to switch the top covers to screens and going to the ventilated Freeman bottom board with DE as the mineral oil was way too messing, and got way too rank to change regularly.
As I was switching out bottom board, saw tons of SHB - here I go again... And then to the beetle baffles. Wow is the only word to describe it. On just those two hives, about 10 bees kept more than 25+ beetles confined to the under baffle. These weren't on Freeman traps, so they didn't get "caught" per say but the shear number of beetles those few bees had contained was truly amazing. Now all 8 hives are on Freeman boards with the baffles and the SHB problem is nearly gone. Certainly none seen in the upper part of the hives. I don't know about anyone else and I'm not a shill for anyone, but these beetle baffles do exactly what they claim and I'm convinced they're the key to solving this problem.
Yes I know for a practical purpose they are way overpriced and combined with the Freeman boards, wayyyy too pricey for commercial use. But, for the hobby keeper with any tax refund still blowing a hole in a pocket, this product really works! :applause:
And yes, I will admit to loving gadgets, but I have no mechanical aptitude of my own. Now if I could only afford a reasonable hive scale...
MsBeHaven
