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Author Topic: SHB video from last year  (Read 4206 times)

Offline Haddon

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SHB video from last year
« on: April 15, 2013, 03:59:39 pm »
Last year after I made this video I felt to sick to even post it and seeing I had put every poison I could find in the hives to stop the complete (insert loud explosion noise). I felt like a failure as a beekeeper and like I should hide the fact I tried to save my hives at any cost. Oh I do say a SH word in this video be advised I do apologize for such language. Anyway after buds last weekend I felt more accepting. I fell I can tell the truth and let you see what the hives looked like. Be warned its nasty and I lost like 14 hives total and could have made a video on each one.

http://youtu.be/rla7n7HSTSQ

Oh I split one hive during this time it saved the split made a 2 frame nuc and because of low stores I guess the shb didnt touch it. They killed the mother hive though.

Moots

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Re: SHB video from last year
« Reply #1 on: April 15, 2013, 05:13:50 pm »
WOW!  That hurts just to watch.  Not to mention as a new Beek, it scares the heck out of me!

Appreciate your sharing the video...

Curious to hear other opinions on what can be done to avoid and/or deal with this type of situation.....If anything!

Offline Joe D

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Re: SHB video from last year
« Reply #2 on: April 15, 2013, 10:37:41 pm »
I lost a nuc to SHBs a couple of years ago, not a good feeling.  Check to make sure that those in the can with water did die.  They don't drown very easily.  Some of the frames with good comb, I would freeze for a few days and then check.  The other really messed up comb I would burn the comb.  Freeze frames, comb and  supers, and try again.  Sorry for you and your bees.  SHBs like weak hives, but I have seen them in strong hives too.  I have SBBs, pans under them with oil, traps scattered from top down in hives depending on how many SHBs I see.  I have had 2 at the entrance and a couple on top of brood and some on supers and on top of inner cover.  Also reduced entrance, and check traps at least every 2 weeks to clean holes where beetles can get in to poison.  I put a ring of poison in trap with Crisco in the middle.  There are also the traps with oil put between frames.  Maybe this will help.



Joe

Offline Lone

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Re: SHB video from last year
« Reply #3 on: April 16, 2013, 12:44:18 am »
My goodness, you need an all out assault.  Now your woodenware is empty it will be easier for you to convert to screened bottom boards with large beetle traps under the hive. Then use top traps, hanging vinyl traps, handi wipes and anything else you can find.  Do you have apithor traps there with fipronil in them?  It looks like cd covers don't work too well.  Try diatomaceous earth in the traps to actually kill the beetle and not traps that rely on a strong enough hive for bees to herd and seal in.  Also, maybe there are other bee yards about or wild hives in trees that are harbouring and increasing population of beetles in your area and it might be worth while looking round.  In australia we are permitted to spray permethrin around the hives.  Or maybe put on some kind of slab to decrease chance of pupating near the hives.   Some people put hive stand on iron.  You might not have beetles but I can imagine it's great protection for a big brown snake or two.  Or move to the desert where humidity levels are low.

Great video.

Lone

Offline RHBee

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Re: SHB video from last year
« Reply #4 on: April 24, 2013, 07:06:49 am »
SHB is a bigger problem for me than varroa. The only method that I have found that even begins to control them is a full bottom oil trap. My advice is to use #6 mesh not #8. The larger beetles will not fall in through the smaller mesh. Keep your hives strong the bees want them gone and will harass them. Also,  during inspections the beetles will be forced down towards the trap, SHB hate light.
Later,
Ray

Offline Intheswamp

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Re: SHB video from last year
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2013, 09:30:26 am »
That's a nasty video, Michael.  I'm sorry you had such a bad time with the beetles but thanks for sharing the video.  We all *think* we know the devastation that SHB can cause but until a person actually experiences it he or she really doesn't know...it is videos like this that help give the blissfully ignorant a taste of reality and on their toes and vigilant to these deadly little black bugs. 

For some reason when I started out with my bees I felt that the beetles were an ominous foe...maybe my mentor impressed me enough about their destructiveness, but whatever the case I've set them as a high priority.   My anti-shb actions have been Beetle Jail juniors inside the hive, attempting to get oil trays beneath all of my hives, and a Chux/Handi-Wipe/Buddie-Wipe/blue-paper-towel trick on top of the inner cover (which I haven't seen much results from).  My strongest, most prolific colony seems to constantly have more beetles than the rest of the hives...???  So far, though, I've had no slimed hives (one wax-moth devastation that I'm not proud of, though :( ) ...and a somewhat low beetle population.  My bees came from two beeyards that have heavy Caucasian genetic influence and from a feral cut-out that was doing a very obvious job of controlling/corralling beetles when we opened the plywood wall up.  But, my yard will only be two years old this December.

Thanks again for sharing...that has encouraged me on getting my other bottom boards modded with oil trays!

Ed
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Offline ozebee

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Re: SHB video from last year
« Reply #6 on: June 04, 2013, 02:48:02 am »
I feel for you!!  I lost 4 strong hives in exactly the same way and I gave up for a couple of years.  Rebuilding a few colonies now and using Apithor traps - seem to be controlling them pretty well.