Gardstar

[rober]

Gardstar is sold by most bee supply houses to treat the soil for SHB larva. it's main ingredient is pemethrin. reading up on pemethrin it says it does not go into the soil beyond the thatch. so do beetle larva develop in the thatch? if not sounds like Goldstar is a waste of time & money.

[moebees]

The larva burrow into the ground.  I don't know what Gardstar is or how it works but potentially I suppose the larva could come in contact with it in the thatch on their way to the ground and it could kill them.  You would need to know what is in it and how it works.  If you have chickens let them forage around the hives and take care of it.

[Wandering Man]

This from eXtension's info on SHB:

In 7-10 days, beetles complete their larval development and will exit the hive to pupate in the soil.  The majority of larvae remain within about 180 cm (6’) of the hive they exit, but can crawl much longer distances if needed.  Larvae will burrow up to 10 cm (4”) into the soil, where they remain 3-6 weeks to complete pupation.  Within 1-2 days of emerging from the soil, adult beetles will seek out a host bee colony, which they locate by odors (Fig. 3).

http://articles.extension.org/pages/60425/managing-small-hive-beetles

I tried to post this earlier, but got kicked off for repairs just after doing my cut and paste.

[Bakersdozen]

Goldstar is sold by most bee supply houses to treat the soil for SHB larva. it's main ingredient is pemethrin. reading up on pemethrin it says it does not go into the soil beyond the thatch. so do beetle larva develop in the thatch? if not sounds like Goldstar is a waste of time & money.

rober, do you mean Gardstar?
If, so, I have some in my garage.  I haven't worked up the courage to use it though.

[rober]

duh-uh, yes gardstar. it is a 40% permethrin mix.

[moebees]

duh-uh, yes gardstar. it is a 40% permethrin mix.

Really? So you think it is a good idea to put permethrin under your beehives?  They are insects you know.

[LazyBkpr]

Permethrin is used:

    as an insecticide
        in agriculture, to protect crops (lethal for bees)
        in agriculture, to kill livestock parasites
        for industrial/domestic insect control
        in the textile industry to prevent insect attack of woollen products
        in aviation, the WHO, IHR and ICAO require arriving aircraft be disinsected prior to departure, descent or deplaning in certain countries
        to treat head lice in humans
    as an insect repellent or insect screen
        in timber treatment
        as a personal protective measure (cloth impregnant, used primarily for US military uniforms and mosquito nets)
        in pet flea preventative collars or treatment
    often in combination with piperonyl butoxide to enhance its effectiveness.


   Wondering if it causes problems to the bees that hit the ground near the hives?

[Bakersdozen]

rober, I took the liberty of changing the original title of your post on this thread so there won't be any confusion.  Hopefully no confusion.

[moebees]

   Wondering if it causes problems to the bees that hit the ground near the hives?

Of course.  And they will drag it into the hive. Not to mention drift in the application. Any breeze at all and you will have it on the outside of the hive and possibly in the entrance.

[rober]

somebody gave me some but I haven't used it yet. I've thought about using it no closer than 4' to the hives. I use sawdust for mulch around the hives & cannot use it there because he bees are on the sawdust all the time. I think they use the resins to make propolis. the hives at my house are sitting on pavers. the instructions say to soak the soil at night & use a sprinkler can instead of a sprayer. we had some periods of deep freezing this winter & i'm fewer seeing beetles than I did last year. almost every major bee supplier sells it for beetle larva control.

[CBT]

I believe you could use BT the same way without fear of hurting the bees as you spray the comb to prevent wax moth damage you could soak the ground with it. It is made to kill a worm. IMHO

[rober]

I've had  stored BT treated comb destroyed by hive beetle larva. I think they considered it to be a seasoning. there are different types of BT for specific types of worms.