Bees Vs. Beetles: Beekeeper saving hives.

[crazy8days]

Thought this was very interesting!  Thoughts?


http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/02/28/bees-vs-beetles-beekeeper-saving-hives-with-new-invention/

[tecumseh]

that is pretty expensive foil tape!

[kebee]

If that works why not just a roll of aluminum tape to do the same and would be a lot cheaper.

Ken

[crazy8days]

I wouldn't think it would need a "baffle". Straight overhang would do the trick.  Aluminum foil tape sounds like a good idea.

[Perry]

I am so not looking forward to potentially having to deal with SHB. I am hoping that weather may provide a limiting barrier.

[LazyBkpr]

its not the aluminum that stops them, its the LIP the beetles cant get past.  While I think it may certainly help, I have to wonder... beetles can FLY.. so I would think that a frustrated beetle could still get to the frames?

[LazyBkpr]

who has these things in their hives?

   In Canada, the Small hive beetle has been detected in Manitoba (2002 and 2006), Alberta (2006), Québec (2008, 2009), and Ontario (2010). In the Prairie Provinces, measures were taken to control the pest and Small hive beetle failed to establish a population. It is still to be determined whether Small hive beetle has been able to establish a resident population in Ontario or Québec.[2]

Aethina tumida was first discovered in the United States in 1996 and has now spread to many U.S. states including, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Virginia and Hawaii. The small hive beetle has become established in the state of Texas as well. The movement of migratory beekeepers from Florida may have transported the beetle to other states. Recent findings also indicate transport of the beetles in packages.


   I have not seen a small hive beetle yet. Can't honestly say I have ever seen one personally, and I am not complaining, just preparing.......

[Bamabww]

who has these things in their hives?
 I have not seen a small hive beetle yet. Can't honestly say I have ever seen one personally, and I am not complaining, just preparing.......

I had several in my hives while they were under shade trees. Iddee advised me to move them in direct sunlight and I haven't had a problem with shb since. I still see one occasionally but the bees can keep them under control now. The direct sunlight made a huge difference.

[Perry]

Most of the detections of SHB (in Canada) have resulted in quarantines and or depopulation of colonies in affected areas. It remains to be seen if they can establish a foothold here.
All queens arriving at the airport are inspected for SHB and/or larvae in or on the cages.
Still, I worry about it.

[Woody Roberts]

I've lost a couple hives and one completely full deep of honey to SHB. I bought an IPK beetle trap from green beehives. It worked so well that I have them on all my hives.

I don't worry about SHB and I highly recommend this product. I believe his secret is the #6 screen. Some of the others use 8 mesh. While a beetle can probably go thru 8 mesh I don't think they can walk across 6 mesh. I'm not sure I just know they work.

I caught a lot of flak from this statement on another forum but I stand by it.

If every hive had one of these bottoms SHB would be an endangered species!

[LazyBkpr]

Hard to argue with something that works Woody. I'll store that info aside in case I start seeing them.

[tecumseh]

it seem almost like common knowledge from folks that deal with shb that if you do or don't have a problem the outcome is much about the kind of soil you are setting in.  any habitat with quantities of rotting fruit (say a pollination contract for watermelons) may actually require traps to keep shb at bay.

a Woody snip..
While a beetle can probably go thru 8 mesh I don't think they can walk across 6 mesh

tecumseh...
one of my larger objection to screen bottom boards is you are precisely correct that a shb can pass thru the 1/8" mesh.... I have seen this happen here with customers who bring me nuc box or hives with screened bottom boards < on a couple of occasion the infestation got bad enough I closed up the nuc box smoked the bees to the bottom and then knocked the beetles clinging to the bottom off in a #3 washtub filled with water just to make the infestation not look quite so bad.

correct me if I am wrong but #6 would be a slightly larger mesh than #8??
 

[kebee]

I have IPK bottoms on all my hives like Woody Roberts have and the way it was explain to me was that the beetles fall through the number 6 wire better than the 8. On the other forum I had pictures of the beetles that was in the oil pan drain out in just one week and it was a china plate full from each hive, so I am a big believer in the IPK bottom board. I still see a few but nothing like before.




Ken

[brooksbeefarm]

 Can a bee go through a #6 wire mesh? if so my concern would be robber bees in dearth times. Jack

[kebee]

brooksbeefarm, the IPK bottom board is enclose with a oil pan with the number 6 wire above for the shb to fall into, there is no open to the outside world for bees or anything else to come in, only for shb and mites in the oil.


Ken

[Leather Jim]

Bees can get through #6.  normal sbb use #8. If you can find #7 it's probably the best but it's hard to find.

[apisbees]

Another factor in hardware cloth and screening is wire size. The number is the number of wires in an inch. so the space between the wires is a fraction of the inch. a larger diameter of wire will leave smaller openings. the coatings on the wire will also effect the opening size a electroplated wire will be larger than a wire that is hot dipped galvanized. There can also be a quality in manufacturing issues and that the wire may not be evenly spaced causing a variance in opening size.

[brooksbeefarm]

Mites and shb in the oil pan, that's the best place for them KeBee. Jack