sc-bee; Did the SHB do your hives in or did you just move them? I notice fatbeeman/straightshooter (youtube) has a lot of hives in the shade. He uses political signs to control his beetles. He takes Crisco grease to seal up one end, then he puts boric acid in the middle and seals up the other end with Crisco. The Crisco is supposed to be an attractant.
I'm trying the cd trap today until I can get something better (if I need something better). What I did was take boric acid with Crisco grease and made a paste. I chipped off some of the cd clear edge on two sides so beetles can enter. I then used black electrical tape to cover the clear part and tape it shut. I'll keep yall posted on the results. I put two of them in the bottom entrance. The bait won't come out because of the paste. I may put one or two on the top tomorrow. I got off work too late to fool with it today.
I have found I can not keep bees at my home lot. It was my first year and I made splits and lost three of the 4. After that my bees started going to the neighbors bird bath, even though plenty of other water around and stung her dog. It was just easier to move the bees after that. I have slipped a nuc in and out after that, only for shb to take them.
A lot of Dons bees are in the sun and then he has the nucs up by the road in the pines. I think the soil content has a lot to do with it also. Or maybe just the roach poison. I had a friend that a lot of his bees in shaded pine lots. The soil was usually hard clay and I believe the pines make the soil a little acidic.
The boric acid thing well...... it is roach poison although some say it is organic. I am no chemist, I have no clue. A bee researcher at a nearby university told me about 5 yrs ago they were going to research the use of boric as a soft treatment, I think that is the way it was worded, but it has not happened as a released study that I am aware of.
Some put another roach poison in hives, fipronil. One guy even sell it off internet or his bee site. He gets buy with this by saying the product is not approved for bees. It is some bad stuff. Folks say well you put it in a trap. The beetles do not stay in the trap. They get the poison on them and walk all around the hive. Most anyway, some die in the traps.
For me right now the hives in the sun are working and I chose to put nothing inside my hives. Absolutely nothing..............