Referring to post#7, I should have kept my yap shut. I have not had too much of an issue with hive beetles, until today. It was a nice day, so I thought I'd look in on the bees. I went thru 12 hives and I bet I killed 500 beetles. I spent 4 hours out there mashing them. I've never seen this many in my hives. It looked like the bees were managing them well, most were pinned up in a corner with guards watching them and some were jailed up with propolis and wax. No slime or larvae, just beetles. But mashing them sure makes me happy.
On another note, I used some of those plastic frames from Mann Lake this year and I won't do that again. The top and side bars have slots in them ( they are not solid) and they make great hiding places for the beetles. The bees can't get to them and you can't get a hive tool in there to mash them. I'll fill these up with silicone and use the ones I have, but I won't buy any more. Solid wood frames for me from now on.