Episode 3: Small Hive Beetle

[@beth-rg8bm]

I love your videos...its so much better to get true professional information! Thank you!

[@UFHoneyBeeLab1]

We are glad that you find them useful!

[@dannybowman5053]

Thank you for your professionalism and solutions.

[@joalaar]

I put black heavy weedmatt down in my entire apiary about 2 years ago, it virtually eliminated all the hive beetles. I see one or two yearly.

[@marvinwenger5035]

Awesome video!!! Very well done!!! Best video yet I’ve seen

[@jocelynrosa7798]

What a wonderful video, thank you so much! I found two on the perimeter of my hive and my books only had chemical options in detail, which didn't seem fair to the well-being to my bees. Hopefully I can be proactive and keep the hive healthy.

[@mary5971]

I'm new to beekeeping. I've been to two two day seminars and bee classes but no one mentioned nematodes! How cool! Thank you!

[@mikeries8549]

There are several types of nematodes and only one type is effective against shb. Of course nobody seems to know what flavor nematodes work. They're expensive. Buy some and see but be aware that you may or may not get the flavor you ordered and they may or may not work. Did I mention how expensive they are?

[@lintonmacnamara1469]

Thank you very much for sharing your expertise. Very helpful. Down here in Qld Australia a sub tropical in sub tropical areas the beetle is a very real problem. AFB is causing considerable losses and costs also but fortunately we are free of varroa.

[@marybarber2436]

Thanks so much. Best information I have found so far.

[@Oscarman61]

These are awesome videos! Thank you for producing them.

[@Bri_bees]

I have almost no hive beetle this year and the same hives in the same place had a big problem, this year i have seen 2. The only difference i can see is this year i have had to water my garden (where the hives are) daily and i have been using copper fungicide on my pumpkins regularly. The effect of watering is the ground around the hives is full of moles, are the moles eating the grubs ??? I mean Full of moles they are nowhere else in my yard , we have had a pretty dry summer so they are concentrated in the soft moist ground.

[@raleighsistrunk7123]

Jamie, I love your podcast and especially this video. I have been keeping bees in Lake City, FL. for just over one year. I have been using traps from the start. However, I have never heard of the nematode treatment. Where can I get some? T

[@tjones2ful]

I wonder if milky spore will work on the larva of hive beetles.

[@robertgreenwalddvm]

Would placing hives on asphalt or concrete or heavy plastic tarps, prevent the larvae from pupating??

[@bugs181]

Great video! Very informative.

[@peterburkard6586]

Janis, he said UF beekeepers, not U.S. beekeepers. My alma mater...took beekeeping there in 1975. Fun class!

[@colemanhelm6678]

I'm a little confused by what the threat is in the example given at 9:12. Is the unprotected honey threatening colony health (if super frames are reintroduced to the colony?) or just honey products? Or both?

[@UFHoneyBeeLab1]

Mostly, it is a threat to the honey. The beetles will consume/ruin the honey that you plan to extract. Overall, you would also be increasing SHBs in that area, by 'giving' them access to ample food resources. SHBs can travel quite far, so any colonies in the area could become secondarily infested with the beetles.

[@colemanhelm6678]

@@UFHoneyBeeLab1 Thank you so much!

[@carlsledge3868]

I'm in middle GA. and every swarm I've caught has SHBs with the swarm

[@slappyrad]

Amazing information!!! Instantly subscribed 🐝❤️

[@foldissimo]

I ´m from Bavaria / Germany. The Small Hive Beatle has arrived Europe. There it was seen in Swizerland last week. We are "waiting" for it :-( . Thank you for this great Video and this detailed informations..

[@alikhurram]

Excellent very well explained.

[@bayfilly1]

interesting and informative. I have 2 colonies on a 2nd floor deck and there is no ground beneath my hives for the beetles to pupate. I don't understand how they continue to survive.

[@FloryJohann]

Hive beetles will fly into the hive and they can ''smell'' a hive from miles away. What you had on hive beetles are new beetles. Hive beetles usually fly right before sunset, at least around here..

[@patrickd.mccallister4723]

Hive beetle larvae have been known to crawl as far as 150 yards away from the hive looking for ground to pupae. They are tenacious little beasties

[@Makermook]

Things I've learned from bees: If you can't get rid of life's beetles, herd them to a corner of your hive where they can't cause problems.

[@patriotridge]

well done thank you for this.

[@ctrlaltbang9883]

Very informative. Thx

[@TheRainHarvester]

What is your opinion on using Swifter Pads cloth? (I saw a video they get stuck in the cloth.)

[@jchwgibson]

I use them and they definitely work very well. Very few bees get caught on them.

[@maggiemiller15]

What are the other implications of having these nematodes in the soil? Are there other insects that they harm? Do we care? Are they in the soil already?

[@TheHandyHippieCrew]

I have been doing cutouts of hives in houses. Recently I did one that had a very large population of hive beetles does this mean the honey I have harvested is not safe for me to consume? The honey tastes good and doesn't have a bad smell. Thanks I have learned several things watching this video.

[@UFHoneyBeeLab1]

If the honey seems normal, it should be safe. Beetles do defecate in the honey which can cause it to ferment, but if that was the case you should be able to tell that the honey looks and smells abnormal.

[@TheHandyHippieCrew]

@@UFHoneyBeeLab1 Thank you. I am impressed that after 7 years you guys are actively answering questions.

[@mikeries8549]

I've done cutouts too. There are ppl that will eat the honey but it's not legal to sell it. I set up a pickup truck topper so I could put cutout honey in it and my bees would come and take it. Open feeding honey in an apiary. Yep. I always set out my wet supers after extracting and it's never caused any problems. The yard is two acres so I put honey away from the bees.

[@JG-qg1zu]

where do you purchase the nematodes???

[@jodyreeder4820]

Whats your opinion on hive beetle traps that look like a drawer shelf? It goes under the hive, where you place bait.

[@UFHoneyBeeLab1]

Thank you for the question Jody. The trap that you are likely referring to is the West beetle trap. It is used in conjunction with a specialized screened bottom board to trap small hive beetles (SHB). There has been little if any research on the efficacy of SHB traps in honey bee colonies, so we cannot comment on that aspect. As far as ease of use, we recommend the Better Beetle Blaster with apple cider vinegar and oil for control of SHB in colonies.

[@jodyreeder4820]

I'm from Oklahoma.

[@UFHoneyBeeLab1]

SHB traps including the Better Beetle Blaster and the West beetle trap are available at most beekeeping supply companies and can be purchased online and shipped across the United States.

[@jodyreeder4820]

I meant, do you like, or dislike?

[@UFHoneyBeeLab1]

It is not our preferred method of beetle control. One issue is that with the drawer style trap the hive has to be completely level. Otherwise you end up loosing most of the contents of the trap.

[@paulostapa]

Does anyone know if nematodes survive the winters. thanks

[@txholeyrocks]

Do hive beetles fly? I got a Ferrell colony 3 weeks ago and found a larvae on the bottom of the hive. I squished it. My hives are up 30inches off the ground with grease on the legs of metal pipe.

[@kylehazachode]

Zak White Hive beetles do fly. They'll fly up to five miles after coming out of the ground looking for new hives.

[@wayneynot]

Yes they do fly

[@MrJMonterrey]

Thanks you so much!!!

[@davidlayne8755]

These scientists are so smart with DNA... They should change the DNA in these beetle's so they don't like honey or their life spam is short, do something with all that smarts😮

[@unisol2287]

It’s like wild pig control on Texas to avoid agricultural damage we can put it under control if we work together

[@carlsledge3868]

Small hive beetles are a major pest anywhere you can grow cotton.

[@kylereg]

How does the Beetle enter the colony initially?

[@ArtisanTony]

Kyle Regan They fly in.

[@yahsephhawkins9503]

Is there a large hive beetle?

[@brucewallace2754]

Hi Jamie an additional base board trap that you may not have heard of is the Beetle Buster Base Board, you should visit www.beetlebuster.com.au

[@UFHoneyBeeLab1]

Thank you for this information Bruce!

[@b8hovenusa]

What about boric acid?

[@SuperBreaddy]

bravo well done ....

[@MrCabovelas]

A very good video full of information!!! But there is one thing that is not true i guess: US Beekeepers do not have some of the "best" colonies and for sure they do not have one of the "best" ways to work with the colonies and their problems... I have seen lots of US Beekeepers and they use antibiotics and chemicals like people eat cereals for breakfast. This results in weak colonies that are more and more sensitive for more diseases. Also there is a huge gap of knowledge looking at the average beekeeper. I have seen open feeding and feeding honey bought at supermakets and so on. All these things would never happen in Germany for example. Beekeepers there know exactly about what can be done and what harms the colonies. One reason is because they have a great network that makes universities work with beekeepers and inform them about every detail.

[@FloryJohann]

In the US it is all about money and very little useful information goes from beekeeper to beekeeper. Pharmaceutical paying politicians a lot of money to make laws only to benefit them and not animals or people without having to pay a lot of money or to use illegal stuff for the healthcare for animals and people. For example. It cost pennies to treat a hive with oxcalic acid (wood bleach). But is is only legal in the US for the last 2 years while it was ok to use in Europe for the last 15 years. A equal legal effective treatment in the US would cost you $30 to $50 per hive, before they made OA legal. Politicians in the US do not care about the people nor animals nor environment as long as they get bribe money from companies and businesses . Most laws are wrapped around businesses and only a few laws exist to protect people, as a matter of fact businesses are running the US with all the bribes, not we the people. And this is why the US is so far behind.

[@junkbox7588]

How does the Beatle get into the hive to start with

[@UFHoneyBeeLab1]

They fly! Small hive beetle adults can actually fly quite large distance. There are currently researchers from the Netherlands doing research in the UF Honey Bee Lab on just how far SHBs will travel to get to another colony.

[@junkbox7588]

UFhoneybeelab so if you can figure out what attracts them to the hive and synthetically produced it you should be able to produce a hanging bag like for the Japanese beetles

[@UFHoneyBeeLab1]

This is true. Although in the study mentioned above, we are not looking at attractants, but rather how far the beetles will travel between colonies. Essentially the traps mentioned in this video serve the same purpose as the hanging bag that you talk about, except that the traps sit inside the hive. However, if you put a bag of oil and vinegar outside a hive, you may catch some SHBs, but you will also probably catch a lot of other insects as well.

[@beth-rg8bm]

Junk Box Part of the problem is people put their hive parts on the ground and throw the scrapings from their hives on the ground around their hives! The bugs move in and eat the available honey and then move on to the hive when they run out!

[@rlhbond]

What is your opinion of DE?

[@UFHoneyBeeLab1]

Diatomaceous earth may have some effectiveness as a beetle trap; It does dry out and kill beetles. It's usefulness in an apiary is less clear. You can put a tray of DE under a hive, but beetles often move between colonies by flying. A trap on the ground won't stop those beetles flying in from entering the colony.

[@cc9z]

my hive was just over ran with S.H.B. and I put roach traps in the bottom and top of hive and it has taken car of the beetles

[@FloryJohann]

If a inspector would show up to inspect your hive, you would be in much trouble. Remember that those poisons do not work in seconds. It may take time before bugs get killed and those bugs could carry the poison onto frames,combs, broods,honey where bees can get in contact with it and be killed. I have done the same, but used CD cases and when there was no super on the hive and I do not sell bees nor honey. Those CD cases fill up fast and then I just toss them and it looks like that those hive beetles can not find there way out since I never seen a dead one at the bottom board.

[@rsderrick]

You should try the Clark Beetle Blocker Shim. It will keep hive beetles out of your hive so you don't have to deal with them inside the hive. www.blythewoodbeecompany.com/product/beetle-blocker-shim/

[@danielebordino5788]

😭😭😭since 2014 in Southitaly too pesty SMHB.

[@harveyib114]

Get free roaming chickens and birds houses near the hives.

[@michaelmurphy5503]

Look up freeman beetle traps. They work.

[@UFHoneyBeeLab1]

The Freeman beetle traps work very similarly to the West beetle traps, with similar pros and cons. Thank you for the suggestion!

[@benjamindejonge3624]

Its true that the states has the best beestock, but the lowest hygiene working standards

[@charlenesessionskandl5401]

What do you mean?

[@catbalou4]

@@charlenesessionskandl5401 When I first learned about Bee Keeping at U of M (Heroes to Hives) THAT part was a no brainer to me. Anyone who has worked in an operating room or other sterile areas can be a successful beekeeper just using those learned practices. Be clean, do not cross contaminate, do regular checks and treat immediately. From my research (online) I agree with @benjamin de jonge. Bees need their environment clean and pest free. The Bee "Keeper" facilitates that by best practices. When the focus is solely money (profit), often best practices are not adhered to or short cuts are implemented. When you deal with living animals, I think you have an obligation. They produce for you, for profit or not. You respect them and adhere to best practices. Something that, growing up in Europe was part of learning in all projects we did, even as children. I have a flock of chickens and I try to adhere to best practices for them. I don't "force" them to lay more under light. I don't pump them full of antibiotics without a serious need. They give me eggs, I "Keep" them clean, dry, and happy. No junk food, no crowded quarters and as much natural living as possible (roaming, foraging, grass, exercise). Someone with 200,000 chickens wont do this because it is practically impossible under their conditions. But I can, I do, I sell my eggs and they are not altered either in chicken food or artificial means of medications. I demand a higher price for my eggs because what you get is a healthier egg. The principals are the same. Best practices will give you happier livestock, less diseases and natural product. When dealing with non living things, if you don't respect them they do not die or suffer. Living things do. If we all did something with our little gardens even if we do not have a farm, we would erase what we "take" from the environment and even add some extra for someone who doesn't do this. The small hive beetle cycle is easily controlled if you use best practices, like using a patch of hardware cloth under your hives (larvea can't complete their cycle), or using weed control cloth. All of a sudden there is no cycle any more and now you just have to deal with the ones that fly in. Monthly checks of your frames/hives and your hard working colony will keep these pests in check!

[@beth-rg8bm]

Which is why I get pissed when I see people putting their hive parts in the ground whilevworking on their hives. Talk about ringing the dinner bell!