Sorry to disappoint you Xperiment. Those are not quite the same kind of beetles. The ones in my hives were several magnitudes smaller, had larger mandibles, and no white stripe on the side. My beetles also lacked the distinctive dorsal bulge and tire/window/wiper pattern seen in your specimen. Nice picture though. I am confident that the beetles in my hive would not steer as well either :)
AllenF, so these are not carnivorous beetles then, or ones that lay hive destroying larvae like the SHB? I'm amazed they were able to squeeze under the covers.
I saw no damage to the wood, no chew marks or such, but I'll watch for it. All the hives are new, painted outside, and lack any signs of water damage. They are on four 2 hole concrete blocks, mulched all around with wood chips. It has been desperately dry here for weeks, but high humidity as always. I wonder if they are hiding out from the heat, the way that Tree Roaches (Palmetto bugs) become pests in pine shaded houses during Inferno season (July/August ) around here?