Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Can small hive beetle be overcome?  (Read 3249 times)

Offline twb

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 276
  • Gender: Male
Can small hive beetle be overcome?
« on: August 22, 2007, 09:33:14 pm »
Much to my discouragement I have found a few small hive beetles in one hive and a larvae in another.  I did not know we had them this far north.
I have made and placed in hive a homemade SHB trap to the specs of a recent bee mgz. article.  I also plan to use Gardstar or similar ground soak.  To save shipping costs can I purchase a liquid insecticide with 1% permethrin at a local store?  Does the 40% EC on Gardstar's label indicate it is 40% permethrin?  If so, the 1% stuff won't cut it will it? 
Is the honey on the hive going to be safe to eat if the SHB's have contaminated it with fecal matter as I read they could do?
I would appreciate some encouragement from any of you who have had and overcome this nasty beetle.  Some things I read make it sound like it is as bad as varroa and others downplay it as something the bees will overcome on their own. 
Will the cold of winter help knock down their numbers?
How do I feed sugar syrup with fumigilin for nosema this fall when in-hive feeding is discouraged when SHB are present?
Thank you all.  I await your replies with SHB trap baited breath.
"Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."  Proverbs 16:24

Sincerely,
TWB

Offline pdmattox

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1143
  • Gender: Male
    • October bend Rv Park
Re: Can small hive beetle be overcome?
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2007, 09:42:22 pm »
Hang in there all is not lost.  Strong colonies are your best defense (they will actualy propelise the beetle to the frame) but they will still be a threat. There is a west beetle trap that works very well and the one Tille posted on here using the sandwich container looks like a inexpensive way to go. I would steer away from the guardstar. I used it last year and did not like spraying that stuff so close to my hives. I usaly find the beetles scurring under the lid when I pop it open and they run to the end bars. So I take some mineral oil and pour small amounts (not to much here) down each side of the end bars.

Offline TwT

  • Senior Forum
  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 3396
  • Ted
Re: Can small hive beetle be overcome?
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2007, 09:58:22 pm »
everyone I have heard from that has tried the West small hive beetle trap have had good results,

http://go.netgrab.com/secure/kelleystore/asp/product.asp?product=257
THAT's ME TO THE LEFT JUST 5 MONTHS FROM NOW!!!!!!!!

Never be afraid to try something new.
Amateurs built the ark,
Professionals built the Titanic

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: Can small hive beetle be overcome?
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2007, 10:18:35 pm »
I would steer clear of putting any 1 % permethrin product in a hive. Permethrin is deadly on bees. Try the traps that use vegeatable oil.
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline mgmoore7

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 364
    • Moore Honey Bees
Re: Can small hive beetle be overcome?
« Reply #4 on: August 22, 2007, 10:43:02 pm »
Don't bother with the guardstar.  The beetles come from miles away in some cases.  It is a waste of money.

I would do 3 things.
1. Get a west hive beetle trap immediately and use vegetable oil.
2. Do the sandwich container trap as described on Tillies site.
3. Whenever you open the hive, squish as many of them as you can.

Offline beeginner

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 107
  • Gender: Male
  • The swarm I hived
Re: Can small hive beetle be overcome?
« Reply #5 on: August 23, 2007, 01:55:51 am »
USE THE sandwich container The guy I help has about 40 or 50 hives with my 2 down in the soy beans well down there its all shb and thats what we use. And his friend and my friend is the one that came up with tha idea. And he has had people from bc and bj put it all over the net.

Offline Understudy

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 4641
  • Gender: Male
    • http://www.understudy.net
Re: Can small hive beetle be overcome?
« Reply #6 on: August 23, 2007, 04:20:37 pm »
Yes, SHB can ruin a hive.
Best defense against SHB ruining a hive,
A healthy hive.

In Florida I have learned you don't completly eliminate them. Your hive will keep the numbers low enough that they won't present much of a problem.

Sincerely,
Brendhan
The status is not quo. The world is a mess and I just need to rule it. Dr. Horrible