Well, that answers another question. I have been wondering if SHBs had made it this far north yet. Guess they have...
Scadsobees--Can you explain more of what you mean by gross mismanagement? Do you mean leaving pollen patties lying around? Or failing to trap for beetles? Now that I know they are this far north, I don't want to be a gross mismanager!
There are a number of management practices you need to put in place to control the SHB. Firstly you have to realise that you will ever only control it, you wont get rid of it.
Management practices relate to things that contribute to its control
The SHB dont do so well in full sun as they do in the shade. If you can give your bees full sun then do so, if not you have to be more vigilant.
Get some SHB traps into your hives. There are a few types. Base board traps such as coreflute sandwiches or oil traps and frame top traps such as AJ’s or home made ones will help control the beetle in the hive. They wont control the larva. The traps assist by helping to control the egg laying capacity of the beetle which is massive. Oil based bottom board traps will sometimes snare the larva as it attempts to exit the hive. If you want to see pics of how I made mine pm me with your email address and I will send them to you.
It is important to ensure that your frames are fully covered by bees, The beetle likes to hide in empty comb and also in any little crack that might exist. If you have frames that aren’t covered then take them out and replace with a follower board. Add frames when you have enough bees to cover it/them
Some hives have proactive bees that harass the shb constantly others not so much. Keep bees that work hard in protecting their space.
Keep your hives on hard ground so that the larva cannot dig into it where it pupates. Some beeks use concrete to do this or use lime under the hives to dry the larva out. Dimetaceous earth can also do this.
Inspect your hives regularly and zap any beetle you see. It is worth doing a full inspection if you are unsure of what you have. They don’t like the sunlight so take the top off the hive and put it on the ground upside down. Check any frames you have in that box and then place that box on the upturned top. Check the frames in the next box and place that on the box sitting on the lid. Keep doing this until you have done the whole hive. You should by now see beetle hiding on the bottom board if you have them. Zap them with your hive tool. Your bees should be actively chasing them. Replace each box until you are left with the top on the ground. Again you should see them running around or hiding if you have them. Zap them and replace the lid.
If you do have them then you do need to be careful and to get traps in place. It is the larva that does the damage to your honey crop. Heavy infestations will mean the loss of your hive unless you can get it under control quickly.
Hope this helps with your question. No management is mismanagement
Mick