Author Topic: gardstar/permethrin follow up  (Read 3172 times)

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Offline rober

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gardstar/permethrin follow up
« on: July 07, 2018, 01:04:40 pm »
I have hives at 2 locations with high beetle counts. 3 weeks ago at each location I did a ground soak with permethrin around 2 hives only. today I checked all the hives at these locations & found a significant reduction in beetles around the treated hives. I also noticed no negative impact on those hives. I'm also finding that my battery powered mini shop vac is an invaluable tool in regards to beetle control. in hives with high counts there is no way to smash them all. the vac sucks em' right up. when finished I tape the open end of the hose to prevent escapes. when I get home I put the vac in my freezer for a couple days. when I emptied the vac this morning from the last trip I had close to 3 cups of dead beetles from 12 hives.
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Offline Wandering Man

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Re: gardstar/permethrin follow up
« Reply #1 on: July 07, 2018, 03:48:32 pm »
Thanks for the report.

Do you sprinkle the dead SHB on your ice cream?
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Offline rober

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Re: gardstar/permethrin follow up
« Reply #2 on: July 07, 2018, 07:40:05 pm »
no. I grind them up & put them in pepper shakers for a source of protein. they have a nutty flavor.

Offline Wandering Man

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Re: gardstar/permethrin follow up
« Reply #3 on: July 07, 2018, 11:43:06 pm »
no. I grind them up & put them in pepper shakers for a source of protein. they have a nutty flavor.

I usually add a bit of ground pepper to my food.

I think I'll probably pass on any invitations I should get from you to join you for dinner.

No hard feelings, I hope.
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Offline Mikey N.C.

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Re: gardstar/permethrin follow up
« Reply #4 on: July 14, 2018, 05:35:25 pm »
Rober,
Are these hives in full sun all day ?  Are your hives in very moist area or dry land ?

Offline rober

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Re: gardstar/permethrin follow up
« Reply #5 on: July 14, 2018, 06:55:07 pm »
both locations are in full sun. one yard is in an area that has automatic sprinklers. I had the owner shut down the zone where the hives are.
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Offline Mikey N.C.

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Re: gardstar/permethrin follow up
« Reply #6 on: July 15, 2018, 01:14:07 pm »
Is this the first yr. or is this problem every yr. ?

Offline Wandering Man

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Re: gardstar/permethrin follow up
« Reply #7 on: July 15, 2018, 01:25:25 pm »
After three years in the same location, I was having a lot of SHB in the hives.  Then I had to move all three hives out of town a couple of months ago.  The SHB problem has cleared up.  I don't know if it is because I've broken the cycle of larvae dropping into the ground and then re-entering the hives as adults, or if it is because I also requeened, and the new, supposedly mite-resistant BeeWeaver bees are better at keeping all unwelcome critters out of the hive.

The Freeman bottom board trays had begun to smell like SHB slime, and they continued to have this odor the last couple of times I changed out the oil/water mixture on this new property, but yesterday, the trays were pretty clean and not malodorous.

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Offline rober

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Re: gardstar/permethrin follow up
« Reply #8 on: July 15, 2018, 06:46:25 pm »
at one location this is the 3rd year. the hives were moved about 700' into a sunny location. I wonder if the soil being wet from sprinklers helps or deters the beetles. this is the 2nd year at the 2nd location. i'm thinking about pulling out of this site as the bees are not doing well there in general. I have another location to scout out this week. hopefully it will look good as far as forage since it's only 2 miles from the house.
 beetles can also thrive in compost piles & I've read that they are really fond of melons.

Offline Mikey N.C.

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Re: gardstar/permethrin follow up
« Reply #9 on: July 17, 2018, 08:15:55 pm »
I've not yet had a problem that bad . i have seen 2 or 3 shb, let out of jail,  when I lift the lid.


Offline Mikey N.C.

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Re: gardstar/permethrin follow up
« Reply #10 on: July 17, 2018, 08:20:56 pm »
Would the swifer sheets work ? (Don't know never used ) ?

Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: gardstar/permethrin follow up
« Reply #11 on: July 18, 2018, 07:56:41 am »
Would the swifer sheets work ? (Don't know never used ) ?
Good, strong colonies seem to help the most.  I have used the sheets in the past.  In a colony or two, the bees didn't read the directions.  Instead of tearing them up, they propolized them down.  That allowed hiding places for the SHB.  After seeing that, I have gravitated back to beetle jails or beetle blasters.  The only problem I have with those is forgetting to remove them prior to tilting the top brood box for inspection.  That makes a really bad mess and you loose some bees that way.
My opinion is, whatever you use, keep it up.  Constant trapping, observing bee space, full sun, beetle jails, SHB sheets, etc. be vigilant about it. 
Tilled garden soil and compost piles are nice soft, convenient locations for SHB to complete it's life cycle.  Those locations are everywhere. It is possible, if there aren't any existing honey bee colonies in the area, that it may take a year or two for SHB to locate your colonies. 

Offline Wandering Man

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Re: gardstar/permethrin follow up
« Reply #12 on: July 18, 2018, 08:50:07 am »
Would the swifer sheets work ? (Don't know never used ) ?

We use handi wipes cut into smaller squares. They catch a few. Also use the beetle jails and Freeman bottom boards.
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