Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => DISEASE & PEST CONTROL => Topic started by: DryCreekGeezer on November 10, 2012, 11:56:13 pm
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Has anyone had any experience putting lime / limestone on the ground around the hive for a foot or two as a desiccating deterrent against SHB? I was told the SHB pupates underground, and that crawling across lime would work much the same as boric acid crystals to scratch / cut the shells of the bugs to let their vitals leak / dry out.
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I have heard of people trying DE, but I don't think it works all that well. Oil trays work well in killing the young.
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AllenF......
What do you do about the adult SHB flying in to the hive for the 1st time.
BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
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Letting see my thumb up close works when I can find them. They can fall through the screen into the oil tray and you can use oil traps in the frames. I did not do a thing this year other than the thumb smashing to kill them this year. I saw no difference this year by doing nothing.
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DE Works well as long as the is no dee or moisture. Success from what I have read is where the application is often.
Chris in nj
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:idunno:
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Putting lime around the hive helps. But it has to be the kind of lime that people used in outdoor toliets. I can not recall the name right now. Senior moment. Lime like is used on gardens is not the right kind. I also use the lime in the trays under the sbb.
BTW You have to respread it after a rain.
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DE Works well as long as the is no dee or moisture. Success from what I have read is where the application is often.
Chris in nj
DE works well if used in a Beetle trap rather then a tray. In the Beetel trap the DE stays dry - works well.
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I put SHB larva in jar of DE, they didn't seem to mind much.
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AllenF......
What do you do about the adult SHB flying in to the hive for the 1st time.
I use oil pans under all of my hives now. The beetles prefer the hives for breeding and most of the adult beetles end up in the pans. The ones that don't, lay their eggs and their larva end up in the pans. No new beetles to return to the hive. The first 2 years with just a few hives, I killed thousands of beetles in every hive every month. Last year with 13 hives, I had very few beetles in the hives. I'm hoping I have seriously interupted their reproduction cycle by stopping the larvae from getting out of the hive as well as killing the adults.
BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
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I chase them around the top covers with a hive tool. Love smashing those buggers. Otherwise the bees keep them at bay. They are just a fact of life around here
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I'm looking into Heterorhabditis indica for soil treatment around the apiary. I know there are lots of opinions but mostly I'd like advice on timing. I'm in north Georgia. Might be too early now.