Beetle B Gone

[ledifni]

I've seen a number of people around here wondering if beetle sheets actually work.  Well, if you were still wondering:

[ledifni]

And yes, those beetles are all very much dead

[G3farms]

I googled that and came up with nothing............do you have a link for that?

[ledifni]

https://www.beeweaver.com/buy_beeweaver/beetle_bee_gone

[Gypsi]

I guess you did need it!  On a busy beetle day I see 3 or 4 in a hive, but harder dryer ground, hot sun...

[G3farms]

thanks for the link, looks like a good place to drop a couple of bucks.

[Lburou]

We have a couple new beekeepers with some SHB, will give them some of these to try.  Thanks for the good report! 

[Bakersdozen]

ledifini, does it say what the fabric content of those cloths are?  I swear those are Chix wet wipes.  After seeing your post, I came across some Chix wet wipes at the salvage and odd lots store.  I bought a box of 200 for $2.99.  After I got home, I went to the manufactures' web site and called a sales rep.  I wanted to make sure there weren't any chemicals in the wipes.  He assured me there weren't.  I explained what I was doing with them and then he had questions for me about the honeybee crisis.  So, yesterday I put some in my hives and I hope they work as well as yours did.

I cut a hole in the middle because I still have feeder pails on.

[riverbee]

i am fortunate not to have to deal with shb, but sure am interested bakers on this as well, and if the chix works?  beeweaver's website doesn't really show a photograph, except in the image behind the advertisement and that's exactly what it looks like.....

when i first saw led's pic, my first impression was that it looked like insulation.

[Gypsi]

remember when handiwipes first came out, I think that is what they were called, tougher than a papertowel, a disposable washcloth?  That's what the beetle cloths look like. I bought some, Ledifini saw mine and got his.  Just thin maybe nylon or polyester lightly textured.  The bees chew them up which creates the fine strings that trap the beetles.  Remember the mystery item on the sbb of my hive? That's what it was, bees dropped it from above frames to below frames, yellow and white, round by then cloth.

[Bakersdozen]

beeweaver's website doesn't really show a photograph, except in the image behind the advertisement and that's exactly what it looks like.....

when i first saw led's pic, my first impression was that it looked like insulation.

The sales rep told me that the Chix wipes were made of rayon. 
Gypsi, does it say on the package what the Beetle B Gone is made out of?  I could mail you a Chix wipe, Gypsi and you could tell me if it is the same thing?
Handi Wipes, yup that was the name of that product.  We even used them at a restaurant I worked at in the late 70's early 80's.

[ledifni]

Hmm the package doesn't say what they're made of...it's a finely-threaded rough cloth with plenty of airspace.  It claims to be all-natural, but I'm not sure what that means in this case.  They aren't wet though, they're dry.  The interesting thing is that looking over known treatments for beetles I don't see these mentioned anywhere; the only Google results I get are for the BeeWeaver product page.  I'd be interested to see some comprehensive tests.  In any case, I'm confident they're working for my hive, since my beetle population is dropping noticeably and the sheets are collecting plenty of them.

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.

[Gypsi]

what is a Chix Wipe?

[riverbee]

thanks all!

gypsi or led, can either of you upload a photo for us to take a peek at? (unused).  led, i did the same, googled it, and you are right, bweaver is the only supplier carrying them, and if it works, 'don't break it.'........

[Bakersdozen]

what is a Chix Wipe?

Back in the late 60's and early 70's, as we developed into a throw away society, they called them Handi Wipes.  Chix Wipes are the just a brand name but basically the same product.  They were marketed as a multipurpose product that was stronger than a paper towel, but you could feel comfortable throwing away when you were done.  You could clean the kitchen or wash the car or scrub the bathroom, etc. with them and then throw them away.  At a restaurant I worked at, we used them to wipe the tables off.  At the end of the day they went in the trash.  During the day they were held in bleach water.  They look exactly like those Beetle B Gone cloths Beeweaver is selling.  The only catch is, Chix Wipes aka Handi Wipes, sell for a lot less. 
Led-the Chix Wipes come dry, folded neatly.

[Gypsi]

the bees chew them.  I've tossed my packaging so if it said what the material was I can't read it anymore. You could try one and see what happens. I don't think the bees actually EAT them

[Bakersdozen]

the bees chew them.  I've tossed my packaging so if it said what the material was I can't read it anymore. You could try one and see what happens. I don't think the bees actually EAT them

Thanks for looking Gypsi.  I have the Chix Wipes in 3 hives.  We will see what happens.

[Gypsi]

i don't see any fuzzy strings where they have chewed them. Those fuzzy strings are what trap the beetles

[Bakersdozen]

i don't see any fuzzy strings where they have chewed them. Those fuzzy strings are what trap the beetles

I installed this on 10/30.  This is a picture I took while installing.  No fuzzy strings yet.

[Bakersdozen]

I just clicked on ledifni's link to beeweaver's web site.  I have to apologize for insinuating that Beeweaver was over charging to the sheets.  I looked closer at the price.  16 cents a sheet for a non chemical solution is not price gouging.
As riverbee said, "and if it works, don't break it."