# How not to control SHB



## Grant (Jun 12, 2004)

How deep do you figure the larvae burrowed in the soil? Our drought has brought about a county-wide prohibition for any outdoor fires.

I've been reluctant to treat the soil as it seems the real damage of the larvae has already been done in the hive. Drenching the soil would only kill those escaping larvae and reduce subsequent generations.

Grant
Jackson, MO


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## Aisha (May 2, 2007)

There are no failures, there is only feedback.

That's what I tell myself through all of my silly mistakes. I'm learning real good! 

Here's something I did right for those pesky varmints. It's a photo of a shb screen over my top super to keep the adult SHB's out. You can see two shb trying to get in the screen. 

A few probably come in through the front door, but I keep a robber screen on. I have never seen more than 4 - 5 shb in my hive at a time, and most of them are propolized against a top bar edge. 

Brushy Mountain sells a top super screen, but they are easy to make. I am lazy so mine is just a cutout piece of screen with a queen excluder on top.

Full disclosure: I have only been beekeeping for 5 weeks. I am not one of the experts!


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## MGaddy (Apr 1, 2006)

I have a garden center, and just planted my fall garden using some of the commercial grade ground cover fabric. It is a heavy duty woven black poly fabric that is designed to let air and water penetrate, but inhibit plant growth. I carry it in 3, 4 and 6' wide, I have also bought rolls up to 14' wide. My thought is to run out a 6' wide piece placing my blocks or hive stands in the center. I wonder whether the SHB larvae could crawl through it, or would the have to crawl to the edge(totally unprotected by soil or vegetation). Thinking out loud, it would seem the wider the better, and the perimeter could be treated with the ground drench. I guess my biggest question is what would the black fabric and sun combination do to the hives, we have had mild summer weather for Texas this year, but can see 105 - 110 some summers.

Mark


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## mobees (Jul 26, 2004)

*Shb*

Do you know if the beetles do their traveling in the day or night?


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## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

mobees said:


> Do you know if the beetles do their traveling in the day or night?


Night...they don't like sunlight, but I have heard of people who have seen swarms of them by day.


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## mgmoore7 (Jul 6, 2007)

MGaddy said:


> I have a garden center, and just planted my fall garden using some of the commercial grade ground cover fabric. It is a heavy duty woven black poly fabric that is designed to let air and water penetrate, but inhibit plant growth. I carry it in 3, 4 and 6' wide, I have also bought rolls up to 14' wide. My thought is to run out a 6' wide piece placing my blocks or hive stands in the center. I wonder whether the SHB larvae could crawl through it, or would the have to crawl to the edge(totally unprotected by soil or vegetation). Thinking out loud, it would seem the wider the better, and the perimeter could be treated with the ground drench. I guess my biggest question is what would the black fabric and sun combination do to the hives, we have had mild summer weather for Texas this year, but can see 105 - 110 some summers.
> 
> Mark



I have been wondering the same thing. My garden has this down as well. I wonder how far the beetle will travel on the ground looking for a place to lay. In my case within a 4 feet is some ground without the cover so i don't know if it would help.


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## Aisha (May 2, 2007)

MGaddy said:


> I wonder whether the SHB larvae could crawl through it, or would the have to crawl to the edge(totally unprotected by soil or vegetation).


Hi Mark, You are just a few miles from me! I am in Wells Branch. 

I read on this forum somewhere that the bees will carry larvae 30 feet away from the hive and drop them, like they do dead bees, so Guardstar and local ground protection may not work that well for the larvae/pupae that drop to the sbb and get cleaned up by bees.

I would think that fire ants help keep them in check to some degree.


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## Carson (Jul 6, 2007)

Buy some good old nematodes. Thay eat the larva + there cheep


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## TwT (Aug 5, 2004)

I was told that I guy in Florida said he put tarps under his hives and could see the larva crawl over 15 feet to get off the tarp,.. they do crawl , thats how they get out of the hive


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## Panhandle Bee man (Oct 22, 2003)

David Westervelt did the original US study on shb. He measured larva traveling over 100 yards before burrowing into the soil. Also adults fly up to 20 miles, so even if you get the larva/pupae from your hives is the guy 15 miles away taking care of his?


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## Oberlinmom (Mar 11, 2009)

I put my hives in last year. No one has hives near me and yet I had SHBs by fall! Turns out my small community is a pocket for SHBs! Apparently the little buggers prefer Bee hives but do live in compost etc. How do you treat for something around a hive when it was there, some where, before the hive was?? I'm going to treat our yard with milky spore in hopes that it will do in the larva but it takes a couple of years of treatment to really work. Otherwise it will be trap trap trap, squish, and keep the bees condensed.


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## arthur (Apr 6, 2008)

I think a lot of these efforts are pointless. The main issue is to keep your hives healthy and strong.


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## JohnBeeMan (Feb 24, 2004)

>>>Try nematodes


Is there a specific nematode that is effective against the SHB?


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## Fred Bee (May 5, 2007)

Yep...you are right. The larvae will crawl a long way...so tarps and other items like that may not be effective.


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## snarky (Oct 6, 2006)

Fire ants are your friend in the fight against SHB larva, they make a tasty snack for them


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