# Maybe a fix for SHB!!!



## copper287 (May 31, 2009)

I thought everyone would like to know they may have a fix.It made the news in Bir.AL. A young women found a way to kill the small hive bettle.She had trouble with them and found out that honey has a little natural hydrogen peroxide in it.She added more somehow to the hive and it killed the bettles when they ate the honey.I don't know how she done it, i'm trying to find out more about it.The news station was FOX 6 in Birmingham,AL. Copper287


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## pom51 (Jul 28, 2008)

Please keep us posted on that artical


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## copper287 (May 31, 2009)

I forgot to put she won a big senice fair in AZ with this.


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## swabby (Jun 6, 2008)

copper go to that station web site maybe you can find the story there and keep us imformed. :thumbsup:


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## nwgabeeman (Apr 18, 2009)

Yes, definitely keep us informed. And thanks for this news.

nwgabeeman


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

Here is a link to the news story.

http://www.myfoxal.com/dpp/features/whats_right/20090623_bee_student


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## TwT (Aug 5, 2004)

smart young lady, poor news caster then saying in the honey bee world it's the drone that takes care of the babies :doh: :no:


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## copper287 (May 31, 2009)

Maybe someone out there can find out more .They want call or e-mail me back.I'm still trying.


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## thesurveyor (Aug 20, 2002)

We need to find out how she got the hyrdrogen peroxide into the hive. Could the delivery agent be like when we used the through the propane fogger?

Can't wait to find out how.....

Thx
TheSurveyor


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## mgmoore7 (Jul 6, 2007)

She may be tight lipped at this point so that she can go commercial and get a patent.


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## hoodswoods (May 15, 2009)

Link to fox article is gone, but check out this site: http://www.foodgradeh2o2.com/ of particular interest is the product sodium percarbonate, the dry form of peroxide. How any of this is introduced is still someone elses secret


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## possum51 (May 11, 2009)

I tried 1 ounce of 3% hydrogen peroxide in 1 pint of sugar syrup on one of my hives yesterday. The bees took the syrup and so far it has had no adverse effect on them. They seem to be doing great. Hydrogen peroxide is chemically H2O2. That would be 2 parts hydrogen and 2 parts oxygen. Water is H2O. That would be 2 parts hydrogen and 1 part oxygen. The difference is peroxide has an additional part of oxygen. Oxygen should not harm the bees and it has been proven that hydrogen peroxide will kill beetles infesting crops. I will keep you posted as I experiment further. I don't recommend you try this on your hives yet.


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## jdnetone (Aug 19, 2005)

I did some research and found this link the young lady’s name seems to be Lydia L McCormick, 16, Jefferson County 


http://www.societyforscience.org/intelisef09/IntelISEF09GAO.pdf


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## GaSteve (Apr 28, 2004)

Here's another honey related project in that same document.

Extraction of Phenolics in Honey for Antibacterial Analysis, Phase III


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## hoodswoods (May 15, 2009)

3 gallons of h2o2-treated feed and no apparent affect. I treated the soil and put out candle tins of cider vinegar - observable beetles are now down to zero - no other control, tho I have AJ's and bottom beetle trap on the way. Just trying to thrive my hive.


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## jesuslives31548 (May 10, 2008)

Speaking of AJ bettle eater. Has anyone had good sucess. Also proud to see a young mind at work for the bee's


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## hoodswoods (May 15, 2009)

I plan on installing my AJ's this weekend into my second box - doubt that I want to deal with my primary brood chamber, especially since they would require a lot of maintenance. Also have a west beetle trap that I have to get up the courage to replace for my SBB, which means a major hive invasion.

I'll keep posting with regard to success (keep your boxes tight and I suggest screening the top hole in your inner box cover if your hive is not strong up there)


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## possum51 (May 11, 2009)

I fed a couple of quarts of hydrogen peroxide supplemented sugar syrup to my hives. I found a few beetles on top of the intercover and killed them. I haven't seen a beetle since. I am still watching and will inform as time progresses.


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## Sundance (Sep 9, 2004)

Since hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) eventually reverts
back to water (no idea how long it takes) I'm wondering
how long this would be effective? (if it is)

Also they do make a 35% food grade peroxide as opposed
to 3%. Which may make it more economical for large batches.


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## Bonsai (Mar 3, 2009)

Hello all,
Well I was at my local bee association meeting and Lydia McCormick was there. She is the young lady that won 1st place in the science contest about hydrogen peroxide & SHB. 
I talked with her a few minutes about the project. Basically her research found that hives that had a large SHB population resulted in higer hydrogen peroxide levels in the honey. I believe she did add a bit of peroxide to the test comb and it killed the beetles present. Her project was not about a way to eliminate the SHB but to identify there was a problem with the hive due to stressed bees producing more hydrogen peroxide which is already present in the honey. She was surprised to hear that her project was a topic of discussion. She is going to email me the report and gave me permission to post it for all who are intrested to read. She also said she is going to do more research on this issue. Its a start and I am glad to see some young people working on possible solutions. :applause:
I gave her the forum web address so maybe she will join and help answer questions about her research. She was very nice and willing to talk to anyone interested in the project.

GW


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## copper287 (May 31, 2009)

I am glad you found out something.The news station never called or emiled me back,i tried 3 times.We need all the help we can on shb.Seems to be more this year and if a hive is a little weak its over.copper287


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## BCW5 (Jul 2, 2009)

I added the following mixture to a nuc that has around 5-10 SHB last night.

1 oz 3% Hydrogen Peroxide: 1 gallon of 1:1 sugar syrup

I will drop in and visit how they are doing on Sunday and post the results.


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## hoodswoods (May 15, 2009)

Her testing begs the question of sampling - would be interested to know. H202 is also toxic to bees, but so far the levels I'm feeding (1 oz 3% per quart) has not had any adverse effect on the bees themselves, other than they are sucking down feed as fast as I can put it on and I have not noticed any beetles since starting.

The underlying question remains if bees naturally produce more H202 as a defense against the SHB, or do SHB contribute themselves to H202 levels or is it totally dependant upon other factors, such as bloom, temperature, humidity.....

Altho H202 breaks down into water and oxygen, if I was in this to sell honey, I would be concerned about tainting. I'm going to keep it up on my first year hive thru spring feeding of '10 and see how they cope next beetle season.

I tend to agree that hive strength and maintenance is the best defense. I loved my top-hive entrance gizmo and I think the bees did too - being able to access all those undrawn frames without having to walk up all those crowded stairs - but so did the SHB.

The concentrated form either/or in liquid (35%) or powder might be a good ground treatment for pupae/larvae of a number of pests.


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## ga.beeman (Mar 29, 2009)

keep your hives strong as you can will help. great to see someone doing research on these guys keep up the good work....David


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## possum51 (May 11, 2009)

To update you on my project of feeding peroxide to control beetles, I opened my hive that I had treated and found several live adult beetles on top of the inner cover. It don't look like the peroxide treatment is working at this point of testing. I will update you if the issue changes.:doh:


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## BCW5 (Jul 2, 2009)

Same here. No change for the better yet with H2O2.


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## hoodswoods (May 15, 2009)

Altho I haven't noticed any adverse situation with the bees, I have a gut feeling that H202 has little or no effect controlling SHB. The bees seem to take the feed fine, but sugar-water honey that foams in the mouth might not be the Macafe' of the next macdonald's marketing plan.

They are obviously attracted to the smell of honey and as we build up relatively unprotected stores above, they have free rein to establish themselves. Adding a new 9 or 10 frame honey super with top ventilation or entrance is not what we want to do.

A tight colony environment with lots of protection is, in a number of beeks opinion, the best defense. I have a vent box above my feeder that surpasses just proping the inner cover or telescoping outer up in that it doesn't allow any access to the unprotected hive below.

I had designed this as also a top entrance, but found many SHB running around inside, I closed the entrance and sealed the bottom and have only seen 1 since, and that is with the standard inner & telescoping cover over it.

The bees are crammed up feeding inside the screen of my box-top feeder, so I don't know if their near-presence abaits the beetles above, just reporting what I observe.


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## DebCP (Apr 4, 2009)

Hi Guys,

Just thought I'd put my 2 cents in. When I first set up my hives and had our local inspector to see them, he immediately recommended that I remove the inner covers. His opinion was that they were just one more spot for the SHB to hide, which does make sense to me. So, I have no inner covers and have had not problems with my telescoping lids being difficult to open. Not that this is stopping the darn beetles from invading, it just gives them fewer hiding places.

Deb


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## Rohe Bee Ranch (Feb 12, 2008)

I really hate these beetles.


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## Bonsai (Mar 3, 2009)

Lydia McCormick just sent me an abstract of her research for posting here. 

Abstract:
Honeybees are the planet’s number one pollinator and, therefore, essential for our agricultural economy because plants depend on them for reproduction. Unfortunately, many health disorders can plague and devastate bee colonies. In the past five years, the small hive beetle (SHB) (Aethina tumida) has become a widespread problem, particularly in the Southeast. In Alabama, this menacing insect is now one of the most common invaders of bee colonies. While beekeepers have used a variety of non-toxic traps or chemical treatments to control SHB, it is also likely that honeybees have natural stress defenses. One possible chemical defense is hydrogen peroxide, produced by glucose oxidase, an enzyme secreted by bees into their honey. Previous observations (“The Effect of Honeybee Pathogens on H202 Content and Glucose Oxidase Activity in Honey”. Science Fair 2008) revealed that honey hydrogen peroxide concentrations were highest in beehives that had small hive beetle (SHB). 

The hypothesis that higher hydrogen peroxide concentrations in honey may decrease SHB survival was tested. Groups of 3-5 SHB were incubated at room temperature in containers with cut comb, pollen, and experimental honey for up to 3 months. Nine different experimental H202 concentrations (ranging from 0 mg/ ml to 6000mg/ ml) were added to two different types of honey, natural (raw) versus store-bought. Furthermore, two specific controls were included: 1) a positive control in which the honey was heated to denature protein (enzymes) prior to adding 1600 mg/ ml H202, and 2) a negative control in which honey was pre-incubated with excess catalase to remove native H2O2. Results showed decreased SHB survival after 14 days at concentrations above 1600 mg/ ml H202. By 22-28 days, reduced survival was apparent at 400-800 mg/ ml. At 98 days, all groups showed beetle death, with concentrations above 100 mg/ ml being severely affected. Furthermore, qualitatively, at the lowest concentrations (between 0mg/ ml and 100 mg/ml) beetles showed the most feeding activity as evidenced by feces and chewed combs bits. There was no difference in survival regarding the two honey types. In conclusion, these results suggest that honey H202 may be a natural long-term defense against SHB. 

Lydia McCormick - Jefferson County International Bacc.


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## copper287 (May 31, 2009)

Have not treated any bee hives for shb.I am finding them in some hives really bad,but the bees are keeping them in check.They are 2 hive that seem weird.NO shb can be found in them and the other hives have up to 20 that i can see and try to kill.They are in the woods to with the rest of the hives,but something has to be different.I just can't put my finger on it. copper287


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## MattyRossJa (Mar 8, 2013)

Any update on this possible solution to ridding a hive of SHB ?


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