Beetle B Gone

[Gypsi]

I'm not switching to Chix Sheets, I had fuzzy strings within 48 hours. The Beeweaver sheets work just fine.

[riverbee]

bakers i am still interested in your experiment with the chix sheets? 

and my apologies, my comment "if it works don't fix it".  i didn't mean not to try this, i was only responding to led's post about how the bweavers sheets trap shb:

"Keep in mind your bees will corral the beetles into the top and corners of the hive anyway.  Seems like the beetle sheets just make sure that when they get there, they get stuck and die instead of waiting for their chance to make a break for it.  It makes the bees' job a bit easier."

[Lburou]

Here is a pic of the BeeWeaver product package with a sheet sticking out the top... 



Very similar to the sheets we use in the clothes dryer.  We put one of the dryer sheets and one of the beetle sheets in a Club member's hive as a side by side comparison. Will have results in a week or two.

[Gypsi]

that dryer sheet loaded with scent chemicals and fabric softener?   Better his hive than mine.

[riverbee]

thank you lee, sure does look like the chix sheets/handiwipes.

[Lburou]

Don't worry Gypsi, we waved a magic wand over the sheet, said an incantation and washed it in dirt before we put it in there. 

Yes, rb, it does. 

[Bakersdozen]

Here is a pic of the BeeWeaver product package with a sheet sticking out the top... 



Very similar to the sheets we use in the clothes dryer.  We put one of the dryer sheets and one of the beetle sheets in a Club member's hive as a side by side comparison. Will have results in a week or two.

Thanks Lee for posting the picture.  Does the package say what the fabric is made of?
I will be curious to hear how the dryer sheets work.  I need to give my sheets some time to see how they do.  I just installed less than a week ago.
The beetle traps work, but I still see plenty of SHB.  I am just trying to combine non toxic methods for a one-two punch.  Does that fall under Integrated Pest Management?

[Lburou]

...Does the package say what the fabric is made of?............Does that fall under Integrated Pest Management?

No hint of the fabric in packaging, but I'd bet a lot of money that its a handi wipe or its equivalent..... Sounds like IPM to me. 

[Gypsi]

I'm having trouble finding time to go into my hives, so I have no idea if there are beetles in there. I wasn't catching much in oil traps, so hopefully the sheets are handling any leftover beetles.  The dryer sheets may be cheap but they make me sneeze I wouldn't want them in with my bees.

[Bakersdozen]

I checked on my handi wipe hives yesterday to see how the experiment was going.  The handi wipes or Chix Wipes did not work.  The bees were chewing them up and removing them.  There wasn't any fuzz and I actually saw a beetle crawl across a Chix Wipe.  I removed the Chix Wipes and checked the Beetle traps that I had in each hive.

This is two traps I took out of a nuc I started this spring.  As you can see, I do have a beetle problem.  I will note that I had both of these traps placed end to end in the hive and these traps caught a lot more SHB than the others.  There are also a few varroa trapped in there as well.  BRAHAHAHA!

[Gypsi]

Good to know.  I removed my most full beetle-b-gone cloths on Saturday, left a couple. No shb in the oil trap, they were getting in the strings first. Meant to put new ones in but I did organic powdered sugar for varroa instead, will need to be out there later and may add new beetle cloths then

[Bakersdozen]

Just ordered some Beetle B Gone from BeeWeavers.  According to the directions, this time of year, they should be placed above the brood.  They may arrive too late for me to install this fall.  You never know, we may have some more beautiful days.  That's Kansas.  If you don't like the weather, wait a day.

[Bakersdozen]

I feel obligated to follow up on this thread, as I kind of stirred the pot.  I ordered my own package of Beetle B Gone.  Curiosity was just too much for me.  I received my package in two days! plus Laura Weaver and I sent a few emails back and forth about Small Hive Beetles and their control.  I believe I have a 15% off coupon on my next purchase as well.

For those of you that were curious too, this picture might clear up any questions.  This is a single sheet, not folded.  I don't know the fabric content.  For 10 frame boxes, the recommendation was 2 sheets per colony.  They are definitely not Chix Wipes or Handi Wipes.  I think the cost for a chemical free control was reasonable too.
I posted a picture of what I have been using, and it works pretty good.  When weather permits, I am going to put these sheets in the hive in addition to the Beetle Blasters.

[Gypsi]

I've spilled enough olive oil in the beeyard, the hives, on me, to think the price was definitely worth the effective control. Wonder how the dryer sheet project came out though? Lee?

[riverbee]

baker's i was curious, and you can stir a pot around here anytime........ ...............

it has been a great thread, and i wonder what that stuff is?  does it have any odor to it? or are they 'oily'.  i ask because i read an article somewhere that mentioned australian beekeepers were using something similiar to chix wipes.....will try to find the article.

[Bakersdozen]

it has been a great thread, and i wonder what that stuff is?  does it have any odor to it? or are they 'oily'.  i ask because i read an article somewhere that mentioned australian beekeepers were using something similiar to chix wipes.....will try to find the article.

I read something similar as well.  That was about a year ago.  The Beetle B Gone sheets don't have an odor and they aren't oily.  The fabric does feel slightly different from a Handi Wipe.  A Handi Wipe feels synthetic and I think BBG sheets might have more cotton in it.
I can see some value in dryer sheets.  Have you ever found a dryer sheet in your dryer that has been in there for several loads?  They start to break down and "fuzz" up.  Lee reassured us that they were rubbed in dirt before being applied.

[Lburou]

I've spilled enough olive oil in the beeyard, the hives, on me, to think the price was definitely worth the effective control. Wonder how the dryer sheet project came out though? Lee?

Don't have a report yet gypsi.  Will post when I find out. 

[riverbee]

"Lee reassured us that they were rubbed in dirt before being applied. "

LOL!......too funny.  thanks lee, and thanks bakers!

oh ps. still looking for the article on the aussie beekeepers, when i find it, i will post back!

[riverbee]

because i was so curious about these sheets, two members graciously offered to send me one, thank you.  i received a sheet yesterday, and quite honestly this looks like a handiwipe or chix wipe.  i went digging around.  google 'chux wipes for small hive beetle control' . i did find one article from australia, this may have been the one i had read before. i have attached it, and also provided the link to the pdf file describing the use of 'chux wipes' or 'glitz wipes'.  it would seem the american equivalent of these would be a handiwipe, 3m's scotch-brite brand, not the clorox brand. 

Chux Wipes For Hive Beetle Australia

excerpt:

"An amazing discovery by an apiarist in Western NSW with chux cloth that was left in a hive during an inspection, revealed at a later date to be an  effective  trap for SHB.   The bees tease  out the  chux fibres, which then act as a net to snag SHB by the spikes on their legs.
At the last meeting I gave a short talk about the use of Chux wipes to control small hive beetle (SHB). This method was developed by my father, Frank Malfroy, who runs around 1000 hives in the Central Tablelands of NSW.
Instructions
Get a big roll of chux wipes (or glitz wipes) from the supermarket and pull off one section from the roll. When opening your hive, have these sections ready as well as a bucket of water. Fold each section twice to make a square/rectangle and put it into the water. Remove the wipes from the water and place on top of the brood under the excluder. If you don‘t like using an excluder, just leave it on top of the brood frames. Come back in a few weeks to inspect the hive. The method works by bees, being hygienic, pulling at the chux wipes which ‗burrs‘ up the fabric of the wipes. This loose fabric then catches the SHB because the beetles have small hooks on the side of their legs, which then makes them get caught in the fabric. We have also started seeing bees harassing beetles into the chux wipes. When the beetles get caught, they can‘t escape and this results in the beetles starving.

i also found this discussion on another forum on SHB, scroll down and start reading two australian beekeeper's comments (ozbee and jeanette), there are photos and links to photos:

Small Hive Beetle ~ Honey Bee World

it would seem the method is multiple layers (4), or folded over, and possibly wetting first, a square sheet of 6 X 4. 

chux wipes ~ australia
Chux Wipes

3m scotch-brite
3M Scotch Brite Reusable Wipes

looks the same to me!