Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => DISEASE & PEST CONTROL => Topic started by: sc-bee on October 12, 2008, 06:15:59 am
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My second best honey producer began a shb collapse in early sept, It was a very strong hive but began to collapse during a requeen effort. It was strong @ time but had early signs of queen failure I was placing a new Goldline queen in the hive.
I shook them all to new drawn comb in a five frame nuc. It was a very strong five framer. I introduced the new queen successfully and she was laying. I placed an AJ's trap in the nuc. Upon a couple of inspections the hive look good and progressing well. Lots of pollen coming in and new brood coming along. So I decided to leave them alone a while.
Day before yester, I saw them hauling out some healthy looking pupae. I knew this was a bad sign @ our warm temps this time of year.
Opened up hive and found the population had decreased significantly. The hive was teeming w/ adult shb but no larvae. I looked but could not find the new queen. I did find a queen cell in what seems to be emergency or supercedure positon. There where unhatched eggs and larvae.
Yesterday they had torn out all eggs and brood etc. The attempt to trap with the AJ trap was the poorest I have had up to this date using it. Very few shb in trap for the number in the hive, like about 10-20 in a hive of literally hundreds. Not sure why?
I'm not sure what happened to the queen. Maybe a supercedure? Maybe absconded because of shb with the large portion of bees and the stragglers drew out an emergency cell. Maybe a swarm, but that dosen't seem right, plenty of laying space. Did I kill her on inspection Naw---Remember eggs where present but laying down flat in cells (older than 48 hrs). Had not been in the hive in a while.
Anyway the nuc is doomed. If they survive the shb which I doubt. Not enough drones to mate if the cell hatches, and not enough time for the hive to build up if she does :'(!
Will not combine it or take it to my other yard because of shb issues!!!
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It's a gonner now. Checked today full of larva!!!
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Sorry to hear that, I lost one this year too.
Checked one of my strongest hives yesterday, had dozens of them in the top box.
Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed, when the SHB make a presence in the hive, shortly afterwords, there is noticeably far less stores in the hive. Are they eating it, or are the bees so busy guarding the hive they stop producing?
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For those of you that are not plagued with SHB's, be thankful. They are nasty and a force to be dealt with.
To keep them in check, you must stay on top of them. If you see one, assume there are others.
Sorry for your loss, Steve
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I hear they are coming up here to Northern California or perhaps have made their way already. I am dreading it. It could be the death of my beekeeping.
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I'm sure SHB is worse in the warmer climates. I have them here in the somewhat frozen north, but they aren't a problem unless a hive is hurting really really bad. In fact I had one chalkbrood hive that was only in one box out of 3 for most of the year and they are fine now, no shb.
Rick
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I hear they are coming up here to Northern California or perhaps have made their way already. I am dreading it. It could be the death of my beekeeping.
They are bad but can be managed. I think the worst thing about them is the speed at which they can overtake a colony, that was what surprised me. Now I try to keep a jammed full hive to guard against them
Keith
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Maybe the winters are to cold for them here. Down in the valley it is warmer
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SHB-soon to be a non-problem.
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They will winter cluster with the bees, but they won't reproduce until warm weather.
Steve
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I tore a 3 deep hive down to the bottom board this evening. It had a lot of "burr comb" on it. When I started breaking them loose to clean out, hive beetles started running. I couldn't squish beetles for the bees getting after them. I squished a bee for every other beetle I think. Darn, they are quick when they get after a beetle. 2 or 3 ganged up on each beetle. I think I need to move this hive or try the tobacco/sugar water spray an older beek told me about.
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Never heard of the tobacco/sugar water spray. Do you have any more details?
Steve
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He said that he boils chewing tobacco and mixes it with sugar water and sprays under and around his hives. Exact "recipe" is at work, but thats the gist of it. I asked a little while back in another post if anyone else had heard of it with no responce. I figure the tobacco juice kills the larva and the sugar water holds it in place after drying. My concern was what does it do to the bees if they get after the sugar water. He said they don't due to the tobacco smell. He is a 4th generation beekeeper.
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I tore a 3 deep hive down to the bottom board this evening. It had a lot of "burr comb" on it. When I started breaking them loose to clean out, hive beetles started running. I couldn't squish beetles for the bees getting after them. I squished a bee for every other beetle I think. Darn, they are quick when they get after a beetle. 2 or 3 ganged up on each beetle. I think I need to move this hive or try the tobacco/sugar water spray an older beek told me about.
if the hive keeps them in check I wouldn't mess with them, what I think cant buy a cup of coffee but I think some bee's can handle SHB's better than others, just like mite survivors, one advantage about being here in ga, when you do removals you can get the one's that deal with both, adult beetle counts are not the worry because I have heard UGA dumping 2500 adults in a single test hive and the hive still doing fine 8 months later, its the one's that let beetle larva take over is the one's that need to be culled, but you can have gentle bee's that are survivors but if they can live without treatment, a little hot is not a problem for me.
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I'm in michigan, I see a small amount of SHB, I saw one the other day actually leaving, came to the entrance and flew away before I could smash it. But I still see the odd one run when I open the hive. So far no real issues for me, but I am thinking of using the method of boric acid in the hive, stuff it into a piece of cardboard cap the ends with crisco and let them eat there way in. Should take care of any issues this spring. Well hopefully. And its considered natural treatment I think, because its a natural product.
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I'm in michigan, I see a small amount of SHB, I saw one the other day actually leaving, came to the entrance and flew away before I could smash it. But I still see the odd one run when I open the hive. So far no real issues for me, but I am thinking of using the method of boric acid in the hive, stuff it into a piece of cardboard cap the ends with crisco and let them eat there way in. Should take care of any issues this spring. Well hopefully. And its considered natural treatment I think, because its a natural product.
MustBeNuts,
Here in MI I'd recommend leaving them alone. Come winter the SHB won't be doing much, and in the spring it is still too cold for them to do much while the bee population is exploding. They will still be around, but aren't an issue until late June, and even then I haven't seen a problem in an outdoor hive. I had an observation hive that was hurt by them in April/May (because it is nice and warm inside the house!), but I also had a weak hive outdoors that had way too much comb that didn't have any issue with SHB before the hive got strong enough toward the end of the summer. Not a problem here, probably not worth putting an insecticide in the hive if you can help it, natural or not. Just my $.02.
Rick
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>but I am thinking of using the method of boric acid in the hive, stuff it into a piece of cardboard cap the ends with crisco and let them eat there way in. Should take care of any issues this spring. Well hopefully. And its considered natural treatment I think, because its a natural product.
? ? ? ? :roll:
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> And its considered natural treatment I think, because its a natural product.
? ? ? ? :roll:
I know where you are coming from, but I can't consider it natural because bees don't bring boric acid into their hive.