# SHB Repellant



## Robert166 (Mar 12, 2005)

I have thought of the same thing but dont think it would work, for this reason.

This is just MY OPINION, AND OBSERVATIONS that is all. Okay got that disclaimer out of the way. 

The beetles are attracted by the smell of the hive I believe. Just as other beetles are drawn to their food sources. 

So what drives the beetle to do what it does? 

Same thing that drives other creatures, need for food and to procreate.

In order to kill them they must be poisoned at the food source or trapped.

1. Poisons..... Checkmite plus... is all that i know of that kills beetles but not the bees.

2.Traps, west trap and the hood trap and another trap that is home made {which you can find instructions on how to do that on beesource}

3.The other possibility I think is a sex lure trap. Like the ones for the Japanese beetle.
Does anyone make one? Not that I know of. Would any company make one? If they could see a profit in it they would. But I dont see that happening.

Like I said this just my opinion. I know it doesn't help you though. I have the same problems with the SHB as well and have traps on all my hives.

I think the west trap works the best.


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## Will (Aug 3, 2002)

I was thinking sort of a bee-go or bee-quick for beetles. Drive the beetles into the oil or DE or lime or whatever then you've got a quick knock down bringing things back into balance in the apiary. I'm not interested in poisons in my hives. What I am interested in is a quick knock down. I have watched the same thing happen 3 years in a row now. I keep 3-6 hives behind my house in a heavily wooded location. Deep south, high humidity, plenty of leaves on the ground. SHB heaven. One hive becomes stressed for whatever reason, normally about this time of year. It's late summer. It's hot and there's not much forage. Fall is just around the corner. Anyways, I normally catch the deadout a week or two too late. By this time the SHB population in the apiary has exploded. Then they move to the next weakest hive waiting for their chance. It may not come until late spring, early summer the following year, but they wait overwintering with the surviving hives. It's kind of like the mite thing. A hive crashes with mites. The strongest hives in the area are the first to rob it out bringing the mites back home. Now the mite population is out of balance in what would normally exist in an area. A normal mite population most hives can handle. One out of control then survivability becomes questionable. Fog, powdered sugar, or oxalic can bring populations back into check then the hives are left to fend for themselves. I'm interested in survivability not constantly trapping or poisoning beetles or mites. I've allowed things to become out of balance in my apiary. Now it's my responsibility to bring them back in check so that the survival of the fittest may continue. There just doesn't seem to be many biological controls for beetles in a quick knockdown sort of way as with the mites. I know I could move them to a different location, i.e. one with more sun. But that's not the point. The point is survivability in heavily wooded locations with beetles present.


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## Panhandle Bee man (Oct 22, 2003)

The problem is the woods. Sunlight is the best deterent against shb. I was talking to Lawerence Cutts about this and his response was that shade only helps the beekeeper. As long as you keep the hives in the wooded area, you are going to have an uncontrolable shb problem.

Thymol and Formic acid seem to chase the shb out of the hives, however those products are difficult to use in the August/September heat when shb are at their most destructive. 
Also I have heard some beekeepers using Tea Tree oil with some good results, but have no idea strength, method of delivery. 

Best method is to use the west trap, and when the shb fly into the hive each night, you can kill some of them.


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## AstroBee (Jan 3, 2003)

Will said:


> ....
> 
> I know I could move them to a different location, i.e. one with more sun. But that's not the point. The point is survivability in heavily wooded locations with beetles present.


I don't have the magic bullet for your request, but survivability in a wooded location may not be possible with current treatments. SHB are seeking weaknesses and will exploit any opportunity given. Based upon your description, it sounds like you may have a mite problem which weakens your hives giving the SHB the opportunity that they need to explode. Are you monitoring your mite levels? 

Given your chosen location I'd suspect that your bee-mite-beetle balance is VERY delicate. Is there no where else on your property that you can keep the bees? A bright sunny location is your friend, both for mites and SHB - I can't stress this enough. I've found that the west beetle traps are useful and if you're not already using them, then you should give them a try (or one of the other traps on the market). 

This past spring I was given the opportunity to place some hives at a new location that had great forage, but the down side was that its was a bit too shady. Despite my previous experience with shady locations and SHB, I decided to give it a try. The results were completely predictable - all hives at this shady location are full of SHB and almost none at my other locations that are in direct sun. I haven't moved the hives yet, but I'm watching them very closely.


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## snarky (Oct 6, 2006)

*Beetle-go*

I use the light to drive the beetles down thru the hive into a waiting trap. I go thru the hive fram e by frame and sort them into an extra box so the majority of the beetles run down into the hive and eventually to the trap beneath.

I wonder what a plexiglass top on the hive might do? LEDs mounted inside might perform the same function of chasing the beetles into the dark trap(obvously this won't work for someone with more than say, one hive)


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## mgmoore7 (Jul 6, 2007)

I was thinking about a plexiglass lid as well. 

I have one hive with a bit of a beetle issue although I think is is under control now. Anyway, anytime I open the hive, they scury all over looking for darkness. 

The direct sun may make it too hit in the hive. I know that in FL, wax melts in the heat.


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## Beaches' Bee-Haven Apiary (May 22, 2007)

I've heard that beetles can't stand minced garlic. A beekeeper in my association suggested putting garlic in the corners of the hive. I'm not sure if it worked or not because I didn't go into the hive until three weeks later, and by then the beetles could have built back up.

Will, I don't think that your approach of shock treating your hives when they really need it is the best for you or your bees. I don't like going into my hives that often because it disturbs their production, so I'm not a big fan of traps that have to be maintained frequently, and I don't EVER want to use chemicals inside the hive for ANYTHING. So, naturally I resort to outside treatments (GuardStar, Wax Moth Traps, etc.), and for vorroa I'll be doing the powdered sugar method. But it is important, if not necessary to do regular inspections, monitoring, and treatments for a hives survival and maximized production. Even if you take long breaks between inspections, my minimum inspection interval is once every three weeks, Usually I only inspect my hives once a month depending on the season. I do battle SHB, and the best defense is a strong colony, which could mean regularly treating for mites (powdered sugar method). I'm currently working on some of my ideas to trap the beetles outside the hive and also an idea on how to repel the beetles in the first place.

-Nathanael


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## snarky (Oct 6, 2006)

*repellant*

I wonder if LEDs placed near the opening might keep the beetles away from the hive?
I am considering putting light by the front, like the solar landscape lights, and leave the back side dark. I think LEDs would be best as they don't generate any heat.

I use the tray from a west trap under an SBB, this would force the beetles to come in thru the slot around the top of the tray and (hopefully) end up in the tray instead of the hive.

HAs anyone come up with a good attractant to use the way the japanese beetle traps are supposed to work?

I will put it in my neighbors yard ;-0


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## paintingpreacher (Jul 29, 2006)

I have a few beetles in my observation hive. I have a 75 wt light bulb on each side of the hive which I turn on when veiwing. I have noticed the beetles do not seem to react to the lights when I turn them on, but if I tap just lightly on the plexiglass they take off for cover. Just wondering if noise will make them move? Course it might make the bees move also.


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## snarky (Oct 6, 2006)

I was thinking that light might keep tham from even showing up - wonder if they get SHB in the land of the midnight sun?


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## Bizzybee (Jan 29, 2006)

Your bees are likely to not like a plexiglass top either.


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## Troy (Feb 9, 2006)

The thing that is missing from this discussion is the never ending supply of beetles coming out of the woods.

Even if you could rid the hive of every single beetle and every single one of their larvae every time you opened it. It wouldn't make a significant difference as the moment you close it up and leave there will be more beeltes and the hive is closed more often than it is open.

So far the only thing that works is bees that relentlessly harass the beetles and the West Trap is the only place for them to hide. Then it works. If the only place to hide is in the oil then they'll go there and they'll drown. If the bees don't continuously harass the beetles, then the problems will continue.

I think what is needed is a gate on the front of the hive that only allows honey bees in, but excludes all other creatures that are larger or smaller than a bee. Some type of electronic gate with a sensor to ZAP the hive beetles would be impressive.


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## Beaches' Bee-Haven Apiary (May 22, 2007)

Troy said:


> Some type of electronic gate with a sensor to ZAP the hive beetles would be impressive.


And expensive!

-Nathanael


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## Bizzybee (Jan 29, 2006)

May as well have it zap the mites on the way in and out to while we're at it! 

Anyone else down here around me notice how they started dropping of sharply about 3 or 4 weeks ago. Now I have a hard time finding any! Wonder if the heat and drought took it's toll on them? I usually don't see a significant drop until cold weather sets in.


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## mgmoore7 (Jul 6, 2007)

Bizzybee
I am in FL and I noticed the same thing. The SHB almost vanished a few weeks ago. I still have some but not nearly as many.


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## snarky (Oct 6, 2006)

LAst time I looked I only found a corpse I had mashed the week before (in the channel on the side of a plastic frame)

SAw a spot where the bees had cleaned all of the pollen and comb from the foundation. they were chewing it free and leting it fall thru the SBB above the tray of oil, I thought I had a localized beetle infestation but they seemed to have it in hand


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## nsmith1957 (Sep 7, 2006)

Bizzybee said:


> Anyone else down here around me notice how they started dropping of sharply about 3 or 4 weeks ago. Now I have a hard time finding any! Wonder if the heat and drought took it's toll on them? I usually don't see a significant drop until cold weather sets in.


They all move here. Found all 3 of my hives absconded, robbing in progress, and full of hive beetle larvae today. Been trying to figure out how to get rid of the beetles for a couple of months. Guess they solved my problems for me, for this year.


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## aidah (May 29, 2007)

*Canola oil*

I met an old time bee keep that said he sprays his hive with a little canola oil up around where the frames sit in the hive box. He said the bees like the canola oil and the hive beetles hate it. I have not yet tried this. Seems to me its messy, But the old guy has quite a few years on me and he's had a lot of time to check it out.May be worth a try.


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## nsmith1957 (Sep 7, 2006)

snarky said:


> HAs anyone come up with a good attractant to use the way the japanese beetle traps are supposed to work?


Laying all jokes aside, would there be any commercial value to an attractant with zero chemicals, for a trap, that drew the beetles to the trap like a hive does?


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## Will (Aug 3, 2002)

Of course, shb in the deep south are more of a problem than anything else. IMO.

Will


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## Bizzybee (Jan 29, 2006)

I'll buy 20 dump truck loads!! You are to dump it just outside Birmingham. Any field will do. With the westerly winds that should pretty well suck em all outta GA.


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## Joel Fair (Oct 4, 2007)

We have small hive beetles in all parts of southeastern VA and all of us have learned to live with them. Chemical controls work fairly well but are a pain to keep up. This spring I moved my hives in the woods by a swamp and contrary to conventional thinking (shade exacerbates SHB problems), the problem went away. It may just be the geography of where they actually were in relation to other bees and reinfestation but we have numerous feral colonies in the area. It is strange but the problem went away almost 100%.


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## Bizzybee (Jan 29, 2006)

Agreed Joel. I have bees in the woods also, I have other problems with the location that concern me but the SHB isn't any worse there than in any other yards I have. Sure are a lot of folks that say the shade is bad news for them. And not much in the way of contradiction. As far as I know though, there have been no formal tests. 

We also hear we should dump stuff all over the ground to kill the larva, yet I have a yard located on solid granite that is my worst location for them. Go figure.........


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## Holly bee (Nov 13, 2020)

snarky said:


> *Beetle-go*
> 
> I use the light to drive the beetles down thru the hive into a waiting trap. I go thru the hive fram e by frame and sort them into an extra box so the majority of the beetles run down into the hive and eventually to the trap beneath.
> 
> I wonder what a plexiglass top on the hive might do? LEDs mounted inside might perform the same function of chasing the beetles into the dark trap(obvously this won't work for someone with more than say, one hive)


I have red plexiglass tops ,bottom tray traps with hot lime also the new beetle doors on all my hives it helps but still looking now at lime rocks below hives


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## Boondocks (Sep 16, 2020)

What we need is a trap and lure outside the hives to intercept the SHB before they get to the hive. 
I put up some wax moth traps that use 1 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of cider vinegar, and pieces of banana peels and apple in plastic juice bottles with a 3/4 inch hole just below the curve of the neck. . I hung them right next to the hives. I started this back in August. I have caught wax moths, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, horse flies, deer flies, regular flies, and a few hive beetles. 
The past two years I have applied nematodes (H. indica) around my hives. I also have those clear plastic in-hive traps that hook on the top of the frames with vegetable oil and cider vinegar as bait, two per hive.. 
My hives sit in the sun in a pasture in NE Georgia..
I have seen far fewer SHB in the hive traps and in the hives this past year compared to 2 years ago. I last checked the hives last week and had 4 SHB in eight traps and squashed one beetle in the inner cover. 
It's going to take a combination of techniques to control hive beetles. If we can figure out the right bait maybe we can cut down on the number of beetles getting to the hives. 
But really the only time I got slimed was two years ago and that was in a weak hive that eventually absconded.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

A red plexiglass cover seems to work...


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