Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
the advantage in that the bees will fill the remainder of the open frame space with drone
comb, attracting female varroa at the same time, thus killing two villains with a single
move. It's hard to beat that kind of control in a beehive.
The Hood trap: This trap sits on the bottom of a frame (see above), attached with nails.
The trap holds oil to kill the beetles once they enter, and a bait to get them there. The
frame can serve as a drone trap frame at the same time, doubling its usefulness.
Tray traps sit on the bottom of hives and work much like the sticky board for varroa.
An oil-filled tray awaits the beetles beneath the screen. If you have a small number of
colonies you may want to consider these as they are quite effective.
A beetle-eater trap: Beetles seeking a hiding place between frames dive into this trap
between the horizontal supports and drown in the oil the trap hold. A drawback is that
it is small and shallow (it doesn't hold many beetles), and getting it out spills the oil.
CheckMite strips can be used to combat beetles in the manner shown. A strip is cut in
half and stapled to the piece of corrugated plastic. Beetles hide beneath the plastic in
the grooves, come in contact with the strip, and perish. Not recommended because you
are putting a toxic chemical in your hives, but like other chemicals, it may be the last
resort.
The small hive beetle life cycle requires that the larvae, when ready to pupate, leave
the colony and burrow into the ground outside to complete their metamorphosis. There
is a ground spray that can be applied to the area around your colonies that will kill the
larvae when they cross it. It also is effective against fire ants, but it must be reapplied
