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Author Topic: How late is too late......  (Read 1564 times)

Offline Sour Kraut

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How late is too late......
« on: June 19, 2013, 04:04:59 pm »
To do trap outs with a fair chance they will build up to overwinter ?

I'm about 90 miles N of St. Louis MO

Spring was about 3-4 weeks late here this year.

Have one going, and two I'm starting Saturday; debating whether to call it quits for the year.

Thanks !

S K

Offline iddee

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Re: How late is too late......
« Reply #1 on: June 19, 2013, 06:48:24 pm »
It depends on how much you want to feed them. I have done trapouts after the honey flow and fed all winter and had them make it.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

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Offline D Coates

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Re: How late is too late......
« Reply #2 on: June 19, 2013, 06:51:29 pm »
What's your concern?  They'll build up fine for overwintering.  I've got one going right now and I'll do them clear up to August as long as they're in trees.  You do need to feed them though.

Not in a house though.  SHB's will cause serious trouble/ house damage from May/June on depending on the Spring warmth.
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Offline njfl

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Re: How late is too late......
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2013, 07:08:31 pm »
I'm in CT and I have caught swarms as late as August followed by successful overwintering.  This is late, so as D Coates and iddee say, you would need to feed them.

I've found that it's worth it.

Offline Sour Kraut

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Re: How late is too late......
« Reply #4 on: June 20, 2013, 08:08:17 am »
Thanks to all for the replies.

This is my first year trapping them out, and just got two more requests in the last 24 hours

Guess I'll keep on keeping on..........

Offline D Semple

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Re: How late is too late......
« Reply #5 on: June 20, 2013, 10:41:30 am »
What's your concern?  They'll build up fine for overwintering.  I've got one going right now and I'll do them clear up to August as long as they're in trees.  You do need to feed them though.

Not in a house though.  SHB's will cause serious trouble/ house damage from May/June on depending on the Spring warmth.


What kind of damage from SHB's are you talking about to the home Drew?

I see the occasional small hive beetle here in cutouts, but never more than just a few. I have a 3 week old trapout going on a home in Waldo.

Thx.     ....Don

Offline D Coates

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Re: How late is too late......
« Reply #6 on: June 20, 2013, 11:58:57 am »
With the declining hive population, the SHB's will take over and lay eggs all over the place.  Once those hatch the maggots get into the weakly defended honey.  The honey liquidates and yeast kicks in.  A foamy, stinky, writhing mass begins to ooze out from wherever it can.  It smells like a college party that has gone really bad.  The fermentation smell is VERY strong, drawing in additional ants and flies.

If this happens, the money the homeowner may have saved from a trapout versus a cutout and it's repairs goes out the window and will multiply depending on where the fermenting honey goes.  It doesn't happen all the time though.  A tree that I did a trap out in early August a few years ago had it happen.  Fortunately I had warned the homeowner and he didn't care.  I believe the story would have been very different if it was in his house.

For this reason I am very leery to do home trap outs anymore.  I've got one going in a tree right now that I started about 6 weeks ago.  It's doing very well with its new laying queen.  I noticed the beginnings of the beer smell 2 days ago.  Time will tell what's going on in there.
« Last Edit: June 20, 2013, 03:15:15 pm by D Coates »
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Offline iddee

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Re: How late is too late......
« Reply #7 on: June 20, 2013, 01:39:05 pm »
Search for threads started by hardwood about trapouts. He has posted some good ones on SHB damage in trapouts.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*