Small Hive Beetle Eradication in a Hive
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- čas přidán 27. 01. 2023
- I saw more small hive beetles than I would've liked when I put fondant on this colony a few days back, so I want to prevent a small hive beetle infestation. Weak hives can so very easily succumb to Small Hive Beetles if they become too small to combat them. The beetle population out-paces the bee growth and the hatching larvae become too much for the bees to stay ahead of. That's when the larvae begin to consume pollen and honey and they then defecate and liquify the honey resulting in the classic sliming of the hive. The bees, already being weak and/or sick, dwindle to nothing and larger colonies eventually abscond. That is the end of that colony and the equipment is quite nasty and requires scraping and cleaning. This is what we are here to protect from today.
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Great prices and an excellent beekeeping equipment supplier that I use:
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Thanks for joining me in my bee yard here in Louisiana as I share how I maintain my beehives. My videos are not meant to be 'How To' videos, but simply me sharing my experiences in beekeeping as I learned it from my mentors, teachers, and studies.
#bees #beekeeping #beehive #honeybees #hiveinspection #savethebees #honey #honeycomb #beeswax
Yeah, Mike I've had hell with hive Beatles too. I'm in Texas about 40 miles west of Houston, a relatively simular climate to where you are. We have most of the same nectar trees and plants as you, no red maple though. We have some that you don't like mesquite, has a flower like a tallow tree. I've been using the swifter sheets and have had good luck, only found 2 bees hung in them this year. I've also had good success with screened bottom board with a pan of cooking oil under the screen. This especially works good catching beatle worms before they get to the ground to pupate. I also treat the ground around my hives with a grub killer. I had 13 hives before the tornado came through which reduced me to 3. Fortunately I'm good at catching bees and now have 8 colonies. Learn a lot watching you and would like to thank you for your videos. Keep them coming, I really appreciate them. I like how you present everything just matter of fact.
My feeling about how to keep a hive strong is to keep the hive size consistent with the colony size by using a follower board. If you have a small colony, say five frames then you should only have no more than two frames for the colony to increase size. Don't have excess real estate for the hive beetles.
Good plan. It’s so true that too much real estate can doom a colony once the beetles locate and lay more eggs than the bees can keep on top of.
Thank You for the mention brother! I pray God Gives you relief! God Bless youall and your Bees!!!
Thanks you as well Earl! Appreciate you brother.
EARL! You got a mention!
You did everything except the Murder Sauce!
I actually had intentions of making some and never did. I need to make some and just start putting it in the hives in May.
Thanks for your video! I have some bees that I removed a couple of days ago that have a lot of hive beetles. I have them on a beetle buster bottom board, beetle blasters added, and swiffer sheets. I may go back in this morning and add peppermint sticks.
Good stuff brother can I recommend using formic Mac the old stips not the pro I have found the Mac will kill the beetles hope this helps 👍
Interesting…I had never heard of that, but might’ve been before my time. It’s always a battle seems like. Thanks Mark!!
Nice to see that didn't end up being a big problem as you had expected. All the best, Mike!
I agree Brad. I was so very relieved and the cluster actually looked pretty good. Thanks for the support!!
Good sign when you don't see beetles when you open up, checked 9 hives today and only spotted 1 beetle, but all the hives were very large, like you said the beetles just bye there time until the moment is right little suckers. God Bless Mike.
Yep, your right. Glad you’re seeing strong bees over there. I need to run thru some lids and see what things are looking like.
I know you're uncomfortable with the phrase "beekeeping hero genius" but.... 😊
😂😂😂. Yea, sure!!
Good luck on them beetles mike
Thanks Dave. The battle begins in earnest here in a few weeks.
We had a young man from Florida do a presentation for our club last year talking about his research with SHB. He discovered that beer out performed anything else in attracting the SHB to the trap. I am going to give it a shot this spring.
I can see that. Sort of like the apple cider vinegar. I think they like the fermented stuff. Thanks for the info Phillip!!
Looked like a how to video to me 😂 you should be covered 😊
Well, just passing what I’ve seen, but I guess you’re right😂😂😁😁
Mike it’s like taking your car to the mechanic because it’s making a noise, then it won’t make the noise when you get there…doggone beetles were camera shy! 😂
Exactly!! Well, what I do know is they’re down there hiding in that cluster. But we just warmed up yesterday, so they’re out an about now.
I started that about 4 years ago and it does help with Beatles pollen Patty and Roach killer
Hey there Wade, hope all is well. I’m not planning on any roach killer. Just not legal in the hives and my insurance would frown on that.
Damn those beetles. Good video
Thanks William! They really are a serious pest. I can’t stand them.
@@MikeBarryBees will see how they are this year, and at my nieces...
You have to smoke em from the entrance an wait a couple a mins to see if you have beetles, smoke drives em up.
Oh I got beetles Carl😁😁. This year they’re not as bad in the spring as normal. Happy about that. But summer is almost here and I have no doubt they’ll be picking up soon.
I'm thinking you can market the How I Smash Beetles Hive Tool, Mike Barry Signature Edition as a new way to manage SHB.
😂😂. I’d love to be able to market that, ha, ha, ha!!
Mike, if only there were no small hive beetles and no mites! Can you imagine that? If there were none beekeeping would be a breeze! When it starts cooling off in the fall I can pretty much smash whats left and they really don’t start back until mid to late July. Thanks for the excellent video. Currently beekeeping in the south is like the monkey that cut his tail off, he said “it won’t be long now”!
Oh yea Don, how nice would that be…. I think we’d see a lot more beekeepers too. I can imagine a lot that quit due to the frustration of losses and treatments and such.
New Camera looking good Mike!
Thanks Bob. It’s handy having them both for sure. Not too much experimenting with different shots, but still easier having no worries about dead batteries and options at this point.
I love that you are going all out to fix that issue knowing that if you don’t the hive is doomed as you say.
A beekeeper her told me that if you use the cloth (chux dish cloth here) that you fold it over on itself a few time to create layers that the beetles get stuck in and the bees can’t enter. This saving the bees.
Personally I haven’t had any success with them but I wish all success to you Mike.
Love the channel.
Thanks so much and very glad you like the channel!! Makes sense about filing them, never thought about that. Like you, just haven’t seen the results with the sheets.
Best Mites…. Dead Mites…. Kill those boogers
Yep, most definitely Chris. It really starts with healthy bees.
Yeah, We have them Beetles, and they are not fun to deal with, I can sit at a colony for 10 Mins smashing Beetles on the Lid, and on the honey Frames, Great stuff Mike! Take Care!
Thanks for watching Grayson. I’m with you on sitting and smashing. I hate them.
Thank you for the great video.
My pleasure Richard. Thanks so much for the support!
Get ‘em Mike. Those little buggers irritate me more than anything. Strong colonies in full sun helps a lol like you said, but once the get weak for 1 of 1000 reasons those beetles make a mess and ruin more of our comb than moths ever did. I saw a reduction with peppermint also, but I can’t say if they work. I think when I tried them the bees were brooding so strong, they managed the beetles better. I have used swiffer sheets also and caught bees. I’m like you I worry about a queen getting entangled. I have not tried the blasters, but have used the beetle barns with checkmate strips and other things. You definitely pulled out all the stops. Keep us updated.
Thanks for the comment Craig. I’ve been thru it all with the beetles and the interventions. In the end, I just rely on the bee’s strengthening up out of winter and then they take care of themselves.
@@MikeBarryBees you are absolutely right
It is always awesome to see how you keep your bees Mike! I appreciate you and your videos so much! God bless you brother!
Thanks so much Johnnie!! God Bless you as well brother!!
Mug up at the Berry's. Good morning Mike. 20 F and just getting light at 6:20 am here in central NH. That sure beats 7:10 am and dark like it was in December. I'm snuggled up to my woodstove and there isn't a hive beetle in sight. SHBs don't seem to be around much here. I imagine that could change in the future. Thanks for posting, peace, Brice
Well Bruce, I sure hope you never see them, and with those temps in the winters, I am optimistic you never will. Thanks as always for your support!
Thanks Mike … great video!
You’re welcome and thanks for watching!!
MURDER SAUCE.
I have never tried it. But I don’t really want to put the grease in the hives at this temp down here. It’s so hot in the hives right now, the bees cool the nest, but the kids and bottoms stay very very hot. I think Greg’s temps in the summer with cooler evenings are a better environment for the murder sauce. We stay at 80 to 85 all night long and then only get hotter as the sun comes up during the summer. But I do want to eventually experiment with it in a couple hives.
🛫📖🛬
Brother Mike,
Thanks for a very interesting video.
You always bring a lot to the table and this one was no exception.
A lot of people really don't worry too much about the Beatles. You have certainly heightened my awareness about them.
I've got some swifters and I looked at them and I think I'm with you, I'm a little bit dubious of them;
Because my bees are breaking cluster even when when the temperature only gets to say 45 or 48°.
You know how some people tap on the hive to see if the bees are alive ❓
Well I don't tap on the hives, but the other day I made a real bad mistake;
It was real cold but the wind had stopped and the sun was out right on the front of the hives,
So I put my ear down to see if I could listen at the entry on the landing board and hear them,
I greeted them with a "HELLO GIRLS, ARE YOU WARM ENOUGH"
I don't know if they were warm but the bees had the guards posted at the entry hole,
and WHAM🙈 a couple of little ballistic missiles smacked me right in the ear and a few more came out to back them up and wouldnt get off of me.
WON'T BE DOING THAT ANYMORE.
BTW:
Dr. David Peck @ BETTERBEE convinced me to use the insulated covers and they really are superior to anything you can put in the hive to make the bees comfortable. And they're not that expensive.
My bees are loving that fondant and I noticed you're using it too.
The insulated cover is great to use year-round, warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer when those soaring temperatures hit.
Thanks for all your help Mike and I pray God will continue to make his face shine upon you and your bees. Don't forget to pray for them too,
After all, Look what they do for us. 🐝
📖🛐✈️🐝
Good evening Brother!! I tell ya, that’s quite an ordeal with the greeting you got!! I usually just press my ear to the side of the hive and I can hear the roar. That way I don’t tap and can tell if there’s life. Good point about pray for them. I do from time to time but have not in a while. Thanks for your support!! Glad you like the videos and that they can help out!
fred dunn interviewed a young guy using ale beer in oil traps w great sucess
Yes, I’ve been hearing that a lot Mark.
You should cut the swifter pad in half again.
I really should have. I noticed in the editing that I covers basically half the nest.
I use a inch wide sifter with good resolves. Very few bees lost
I live in the south. It seems to me that treating the soil periodically around the hives is the easiest most effective treatment (for me). Salt, nematodes or DE. I use salt and dawn liquid in a water mix to kill grass and weeds around the hives and also seems to creat an inhospitable environment for hive bettle larvae. Once they cant reach maturity in the soil they are done. Thx for all your great content. Love learning about bees. No matter how long I’ve been doing it always feel like a beginner. Thats what’s fun is the constant learning and re-learning and the discussions. Thx for posting your videos.
Thanks for the support Hank! Appreciate it. Yes, shutting down the reproduction of the beetles has been the most successful for me too. That and strong colonies of course.
What kind of nematodes do you use?
Thanks Mike, very informative. God bless
You’re welcome and as always, thanks for the support!!
Good luck, Mike. I have 1 of my own and 2 that I manage for someone with more beetles than I'd like. I'm throwing everything, but the kitchen sink at them.
Thanks Hope. That’s all we can do is throw these interventions at them and hope we can help the bees and get the numbers down for easier management for them. Best wishes to you as well on getting them knocked back.
Maybe try wrigleys peppermint gum it would wrap around the top of the frame.
That’s a thought for sure. Never thought of that, and I bet it would last longer.
I like the beer idea in the traps. I aways seem to spill the oil.
I really hope I don’t need to use may this season. They’re getting so expensive and once we get a good buildup in another month, hopefully they take care of the beetles for me.
I don’t like the knockoffs cause they are too wide because the wax built out pushed it up and the beetles go under. The clear ones are fantastic.
The square black traps I have used with DE and if you don’t have anything to lure them they are useless. So if you ever do, be sure to lure the beetles with something.
I don’t like Swiffer sheets. I have caught more bees than beetles. I still haven’t tried the peppermints yet.
Sounds like we’re on the same page across the board on this. Agree with everything you said. Once these bees get to building up, I won’t sweat the beetles too much. Thanks for the comment!!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge Mike, it’s always a joy watching your videos, God bless .
Thanks so much and you’re welcome!!
Are those swiffer sheets chemical free? Always makes me concerned when i see a warning on the packaging like "keep out of reach of small children and pets to avoid ingestion".
I believe so. they are the unscented sheets and they list no chemicals on the box. I really never use them. This was just a shot among other items. I've had little to zero success with them in the past and so I have a huge box leftover.
Have you tried Greg Burns murder sauce, easy to make, and give it a try. I do like the beetle blasters and have had limited success with swiffer sheets.
I did not but I planning on trying it this season. I planned on trying it last year after his video, but I just didn’t get around to it and the beetles slacked off a bit. But I will mix some up this season. Can’t go wrong, that’s for sure. Thanks for the comment!!
Great job explaining the principles behind hive beetles and how to kill, prevent them. I am seeing more beetles than usual this year over here east of you in southeast Alabama.
Thanks Bruce. It’s a bit worrisome and honestly disheartening sometimes knowing we have to face them once again. They try to suck the fun out of beekeeping, but we have to push thru.
@@MikeBarryBees absolutely
@@MikeBarryBees imagine beekeeping without beetles and mites.
@@brucesbees wow, would that be great or what!!
Great video Mike, thanks for sharing! Last year we decided to try Freeman bottom boards on our hives along with beetle jails to corral our beetles (we had a terrible infestation), and combined, they worked wonders. Fortunately, we've had zero evidence of any beetles since the fall in our hives here in Wichita. I also concur with your assessment of the Swiffer pads...Looking forward to the next video and update! God bless!
Thanks Dan!! I have one freeman that I bought my second year. I used it and it did work. As I grew the bees, it ended up just falling right in with the other screen bottoms. Now I’m slowly switching to solids and only about half are now screens. I still have the freeman, but the bottom boards are rotten. It was one of the dead outs I had in previous videos from a long standing colony I had, so I have the chance to get it repaired.
I really like the amazon knock off's of the "Beetle Jail". These are baitable and reusable. I bait the center with apple cider vinegar. Super easy to clear the openings when the bee's close it off with propolis.
Funny you said that Richard. I have about 8 of those and as I was editing I realized I had forgotten to even get them out. I wanted to put one of everything in there. They actually worked pretty well when I used them. I need to deploy them this year again.
Last summer was hive beetle atrocious for me. Strong hives, Screened bottom, DE on the inspection board below that. two oil traps on top deep frames. A lot fall threw and die in the DE many get trapped in the oil still plenty of beetles running free chased by the bee's this early fall. OA twice Fall. Fingers crossed.
Hopefully you see a reduction as we get thru winter. Once mine strengthen up out of winter, they should be able to take care of themselves. The really bad ones will get oil traps.
Mike go to Greg Burns video on hive beetles.He uses crisco grease with a few other ingredients.
I’ve seen his mixture. I plan to try some this season when I get everything evaluated and settled. Thanks for the comment Russell!! I am interested to see how it does.
Mike, I tell you. One thing I am happy about is not having to deal with SHB like you guys down South have to. We have some, but not bad. I guess that's the trade off dealing with the cold. I've used peppermint and the traps, never used swiffer sheets. Hope that works for you.
Best point ever Brian and I really try to convey that we all have trade offs and our own regional challenges.
No SHBs is a good sign. Like how you explained each type of trap/intervention.
Thanks so much! Glad you liked the explanation. I’ve battled these things from year two and I think I’ve tried most everything.😀😬
The only thing that works for me in TX is a screened bottom with a DE tray. No other method I tried could kill in enough volume to make a meaningful difference. Also, it is less invasive as you dont have to disturb the hive constantly like other methods. The bees figure it out and seem to get good sport out of throwing the beetles down through the screen.
Mike the peppermint candies I applied twice this year seemed to really reduce the beetles. I applied early in spring and after honey harvest. I am going to try again this year and see how it goes. Thanks for the information. I am glad to know about the fondant not being a problem. Take care and God bless.
Yea, the jury is still out for me, and I’m not sure this will be a good test since I got rid of so many peripheral beetles. I’m always willing to try anything within reason.
I have gotten to same idea of I'm going to do a certain function this way let's watch together to see if it will work. I have a way I'm going to try and split and it will leave 1 step out because I don't see the need for it and I think less damage in the long haul.
Yep Ed, that’s the kind of thing that makes our hobby, job, or passion so different. A lot of variables and people testing different ways and then learning new ways to do things. Hope it proves to be what you need it to and with great success!!👍🏼
Hey Mike, thanks for the video. Have you ever thought of putting s small amount of pollen patty in the hive beetle trap so that it is just on top of the layer of oil? My thought is that the pollen patty will attract the SHB into the trap and then they will drown in the oil. Thoughts?
I have tried that in the reusable beetle jails. It did well. I have also used apple cider vinegar in the oil and that works too.
Top video Mike really great information 🐝🐝🐝🍯
death mice no 1 death hive Beatles no 2 save save Bee 🐝🐝 key
Thank you Mike
Thanks Sebastian!! I agree 100%.
Only thing I didn't see you add are those Guardian Hive Entrances made of red translucent plastic, that are supposed to confuse any beetles trying to enter a hive.
Do the Guardians work? Beats me.
You probably killed enough beetles last time to get the bees ahead and allowed them to take control of their space again.
The guardians are quite expensive and have been proving very ineffective. I have never tried them, but have a beekeeper down the road that tested them on several hives and they did nothing to refuse the beetle population. Just not sure they’re a good investment. Strong colonies, that’s honestly the best way to deal with them.
Mike , I like to cut a slit under the top of the Cutts trap , smear in a butter knife size amount of pollen patty , then add my oil. We all know SHB love pollen Patty.
I’ve had the best results using that method over them all. God Bless.
Interesting idea. I’ve tried actual pollen in one of the reusable beetle jails and it did pretty well. I’ve also done the apple cider vinegar in the oil with some success. Might give it a whirl with the patty sub if I place any of the traps. I usually the traps in the weaker hives here and there.
Love your videos I appreciate your attitude towards beetles I hate them also. Curiosity would have got the best of me and I would have peeked under that fondant to see if the beetles were under that packet
Thanks for the support, and it was all I could do not to😬😀. I thought about it when I was editing to😂😂. But I had them open long enough in the cold and I need to get the buttoned up. I’m going back in them to follow up when it warms some and if the rain will ever stop. Thanks again!!
Mike, maybe if you had a chance you could do a video on how you handle crystallizing honey
I can probably do a short video on that. Good idea, I’ll try to get a bit of video in that in the near future. Thanks for the idea.
How are you doing the ground soak to help with the pupating SHB. This year i plan to throw the kitchen sink at the beetles and try to keep them in check.
I just use the permethrin and use 5ml to the gallon and drench the ground with a simple watering can that’s used with flower pots. Depending on rain, I’ll do it a few times thru the season.
@@MikeBarryBees thank you.
I pulled my candy board off and found Beatles in the candy so I just pulled it melted it down . They had enough resources , but the bees was hanging in the bottom . I’m thinking I might pull the top box and reduce them down .
Wow, that’s not good. I believe if you’re far south enough for beetles, you could do without the candy board anyhow, I mean if they were heavy in the fall. So hopefully they have enough stores and that you don’t have to reduce them. Glad you caught them in time.
@@MikeBarryBees They was pretty heavy , but not as heavy as I wanted and they are favoring the lower brood chamber over the top where a few frames of honey is . The bees was on maybe 4 of the 10 frames . So they aren’t as big as I’d like .
@@MikeBarryBees and here’s another thing I did that helped the beetles more than the bees I put a pollen patty on them
@@CMPearrow yes, I don’t use pollen patty’s at all. We have a plenty of natural pollen coming in and for the little bit of time we don’t, it’s ok to be without. That’s here in my area. With the staying in the bottom box, that’s natural for them and actually a good sign that there is plenty of honey in the top for them. If it were Michigan or way up north, then it could be an issue if they couldn’t move up for days on end, but most of mine are like that. In fact, if they’re gathered up against the top too early in the winter, they’re a lot of time running out. When a lot of people open their hives and show how strong all their bees are way up against the lid, for me in my boxes, that’s an issue at the first of the year. I don’t want to see that until now and into February, and even then it dangerous for starvation because they build so fast. When they begin to build here in the next three to four weeks, they’ll go thru a lot of stores.
@@MikeBarryBees I hear yea on the fast build up = starvation . I’ve had that happen . We just started getting a lil coming in here in Arkansas now it’s gonna ice and be cold so that was my thinking on a candy board if winter set in and prevented me from taking a peek . And they blew up in population then I had that added security .
I use the apimaye bottom boards. I put de in the tray. Don’t really have hive beetle problems anymore. I live in west Houston so our climates are similar. You should try it
I’m actually getting away from the screened bottoms, so half of my hives are solids so no place for the DE. Ive tried it before in a bottom that I have a tray in, but that was a ways back. I know a lot of folks like the DE, but I just don’t have the setup for the bottom boards. I went to the solids mostly for ease of building and $$ savings. Thanks for the comment though. Need folks to be sharing their success in these comments so everyone can takeaway ideas.
Oops you missed a spot 😂😂
😀😀😂😂. I’m giving them beetles a sporting chance😁😁. Thanks for watching!!
@@MikeBarryBees lol I love it like you didn’t have room for much more 😂 I love it like “nuh-uh not my hive” 😂
Hi Mike, I would like to invite you to look at Jason Chrisman (JC's Bees) channel for the September 20, 2020 video. In that video Jason introduces using Nematodes as a method of controlling Hive Beetles. Very interesting. Not sure if he is still using it, but the May 23, 2021 video (6:24) indicates success and a new Nematode order. May be worth contacting Jason... Up here near the Great White North, I haven't seen a Small Hive Beetle yet! (Knock on wood!!!) Thank you! God Bless!
Jeffery, I sure hope you guys never see them up there. I have actually seen Jason’s video. I have also researched the nematodes. With our rainfall, I am not sure they will be quite as effective as the soil makeup and sogginess is very different. I also can’t get a straight answer for our department of agriculture on the safety of having them in the soil. Some nematodes are very harmful to row crops and even though we don’t have very many row crops here, I’m still wanting to get some sort of assurance that it’s ok. The price is right and some are saying they do the job, so I am interested, just haven’t committed yet. Thanks again for watching and for the comment!!
I see plenty of videos of people who have beetle problems. I think this will be my 6th year beekeeping, I have never had an issue with them. I had a hive I hadn't checked for a long time. Last time I looked it was packed, 3 deeps full. I checked them about 2 weeks ago and they were reduced to about 3 or 4 frames of bees. I went through them and only saw 2 beetles. Why, I don't know. It's never been an issue for me. One thing I've noticed most people who have the issues their hives are close to the ground, mine are not. They are over a foot off the ground. Does that help, I don't know?
Interesting Mike. I'm not sure height has anything to do with it because I've removed colonies form structures with high up nests and there were beetles. Actually, the colony I mentioned in the video that loved with them came from an elevated structure and the entrance and nest were at least 10 feet off the ground. But they were in a river slough, which is very wet soil. Soil content and type has the most to do with it according to UF research. Maybe your soil is different. Ours is the sticky and black river gumbo. two miles away when I kept them at the old dairy, not a one beetle for two years there. But in the end, glad you don't have them bad. That's a great thing. Thanks for the comment!!
@@MikeBarryBees I'm not far from you, I'm over near Houma.
@@AKshooter100 Well then, you definitely got the right soil for them. I wonder if the salinity in the soil is different. Well, who knows, but just be happy they're not bad.
Why are you taking 19 minutes to do this video. just get to the point.
Then plant a mint tree!
Not sure what you’re meaning, but sure appreciate you watching!!