Managing small hive beetle

[gregted]

Just read a pdf on the life cycle of shb and it stated the beetle lay eggs which grow to larvae and then must travel to soil to pupate.

One of the recommendations for control was stopping the larvae from reaching the ground to complete this stage of the cycle.

Has anybody tried something like a water barrier in front of the hive to drown the larvae as they attempt to get to the soil.

This could double as available water resource for the bees.

Another alternative might be cutting a slot just inside the entrance just large enough for the larvae to fall through into a trap or container of water.

Probably been done but worth discussion.

[Sundog]

I brought home a cutout in a nuc that looked healthy and I saw no signs of the beetles themselves.  A day or two later all the bees were out of the nuc festooning from the cover and honey and beetle larvae were puking out of the entrance.  I scooped up the bees and put them into a fresh hive with new frames and foundation, but they took of the next day.  I guess I didn't have the queen.

Stopping them from hitting the ground is a mute point, since your hive and all it's recources will have already been destroyed.  And the bees will most likely abscond.

Not fun!

[asprince]

Your ideas may give some help out in the future IF everyone took the same measures. The larva that are pupating now will be the beetles that will cause you or others grief in the future.


Good Luck,

Steve