Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: SHB Observation  (Read 13540 times)

Offline dhood

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 84
  • Gender: Male
    • WD Hood Apiaries
Re: SHB Observation
« Reply #20 on: September 18, 2008, 12:14:52 am »
I have hives with SBB and ones without. I have seen them go right thru the screen. But based upon what Iv'e seen this year, the ones with the SBB are dealing with the SHB's better.

Offline ArmucheeBee

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 514
  • Gender: Male
Re: SHB Observation
« Reply #21 on: September 18, 2008, 08:48:28 am »
I'm about to move my weak hive into a OB hive in the garage (enclosed).  Do you generally see a reduction in SHB because of the length of the entrance (tube) that goes to the outside?  Mine is about 1.5 feet thru the wall.   I am going to try to remove all the SHB I can find on the frames before I put them in the OB.  My probelm will be when I see a SHB through the glass and will not be able to SMASH IT!   Because the hive is at the house, I may cork and uncork the tube each night and morning until it gets cold enough that SHB are gone.
Stephen Stewart
2nd Grade Teacher

"You don't need a license to drive a sandwich."  SpongeBob Squarepants

Offline Scadsobees

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 3198
  • Gender: Male
  • Best use of smileys in a post award.
Re: SHB Observation
« Reply #22 on: September 18, 2008, 03:28:14 pm »
I'm about to move my weak hive into a OB hive in the garage (enclosed).  Do you generally see a reduction in SHB because of the length of the entrance (tube) that goes to the outside?  Mine is about 1.5 feet thru the wall.   I am going to try to remove all the SHB I can find on the frames before I put them in the OB.  My probelm will be when I see a SHB through the glass and will not be able to SMASH IT!   Because the hive is at the house, I may cork and uncork the tube each night and morning until it gets cold enough that SHB are gone.

No change...the SHB scoot through the tube like anything else!

My observations: SHB like the warmer area, they will stay there all day long, corking would be ineffective.  Make sure that there are no areas where the bees can't get to.

If you can go with Plexi instead of glass then you will have the opportunity to drill holes and remove/kill the little beasts.  (it is more $$$).  I have two small areas that the bees can't get to: one along the side between the glass and the wood, and that was nice because they'd squeeze in there, then I'd just push the glass in and smash the beetles.  The other are was next to a frame and I drilled some small holes and vacuumed them out :)

The key is to keep them well fed and not stressed, that will get the SHB going more than anything will.

Rick
Rick

Offline ArmucheeBee

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 514
  • Gender: Male
Re: SHB Observation
« Reply #23 on: September 19, 2008, 11:07:15 am »
I put the bees in the OB hive last night.  It went really easy.  I only lost about 30-40 bees that I could not round up.  I see one SHB now.  I have the white PF 120 frames and that makes them really stand out.  I also have two black PF frames.  Don't buy those if you have SHB.  You can see queen eggs easier but not beetles.  So tonight after they calm down I'm going in with my little flat bladed screwdriver and smashing some SHB. 

I also may move my queen.  She is on an old comb frame of honey I put at the very top of eight frames and there is an empty frame in between her and the drawn frames.  I wanted to weed out this frame after the brood hatches and get rid of it.  I wonder if she will come down on her own?  Any thoughts.  8-frame med. OB.
Stephen Stewart
2nd Grade Teacher

"You don't need a license to drive a sandwich."  SpongeBob Squarepants

Offline SgtMaj

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1464
  • Gender: Male
Re: SHB Observation
« Reply #24 on: September 20, 2008, 07:18:34 am »
Re the SBB, if you're concerned about it, seal it off with a mite count board and something to cover the open side.  When I built my SBB, I made the open-side face forward, and built a removable landing pad that seals the SBB off.  The seal isn't 100% perfect, but it would prevent most things from coming through.

Offline greg spike

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 69
  • Gender: Male
Re: SHB Observation
« Reply #25 on: September 20, 2008, 12:34:23 pm »
Yeah, but even if perfectly sealed a sbb could give them tons of room to hide inside the hive. They don't seem to have much of a problem getting through the front door.

Offline SgtMaj

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1464
  • Gender: Male
Re: SHB Observation
« Reply #26 on: September 20, 2008, 11:20:06 pm »
True, but you could coat the mite board in some kind of substance that kills them when they come in contact with it.  Would have to be very strong though, wouldn't want half-dead beetles tracking whatever it is through the hive.

Offline SlickMick

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 727
  • Gender: Male
Re: SHB Observation
« Reply #27 on: March 10, 2009, 08:46:43 am »
if you want to catch some get a empty hive with a pollen patty, you can catch buckets full in a few days especially this time of year. seems the best attractant to them is pollen patties. down south you just put enough in to last the bee's a day or two, if you put a whole one in they will lay eggs on the pattie and a few days beetles and larva everywhere.

This brings up the potential to use a control measure for the SHB outside the hive by lacing the pollen pattie with an appropriate bait.

Of concern however, (disregarding the use of a chemical bait) would be the introduction of large numbers of SHB into the region of an apiary. I sure would not want to have to deal with increased numbers in the vicinity of my hives having sufficient numbers at present for me to be continuously vigilant. It may however present an opportunity to attract the SHB away from a hive/s if bait stations were positioned around the perimeter of the apiary.

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: SHB Observation
« Reply #28 on: March 10, 2009, 07:48:33 pm »
if you want to catch some get a empty hive with a pollen patty, you can catch buckets full in a few days especially this time of year. seems the best attractant to them is pollen patties. down south you just put enough in to last the bee's a day or two, if you put a whole one in they will lay eggs on the pattie and a few days beetles and larva everywhere.

This brings up the potential to use a control measure for the SHB outside the hive by lacing the pollen pattie with an appropriate bait.

Of concern however, (disregarding the use of a chemical bait) would be the introduction of large numbers of SHB into the region of an apiary. I sure would not want to have to deal with increased numbers in the vicinity of my hives having sufficient numbers at present for me to be continuously vigilant. It may however present an opportunity to attract the SHB away from a hive/s if bait stations were positioned around the perimeter of the apiary.

And run the risk of poisoning your own hives that attempt to make use of the bait patty.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline SlickMick

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 727
  • Gender: Male
Re: SHB Observation
« Reply #29 on: March 10, 2009, 08:10:50 pm »
That is true :oops: unless the bait station allowed only the SHB access ie a 1.5mm entry.

 

anything