# SHB? Larvae Infesting Stored Frames



## SL Tx (Sep 17, 2006)

Bt products are effective only for butterfly and moth (lepidoptera) larvae. It won't kill SHB's or their larvae.

I make it a point to let drawn comb spend at least one night in the freezer before storage in order to kill wax moth and SHB eggs. Don't use regular mothballs because the napthalene contaminates the wax. Use the "moth crystals" with paradichlorobenzene as the active ingredient (they sell it at WalMart).


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## tecumseh (Apr 26, 2005)

yep... moth crystal and not moth balls.

were the combs cleaned up before you stored them or were they wet? the shb doesn't seem to be so attracted to the wax itself and thereby usually require a bit more honey or pollen to make a living.

since wax moths come in a number of varieties determining what kind of larvae you have presents some difficulties. the shb larvae is very small and typically (at least initially) seems to prefer to stay in the mid rib of a frame. the wax moth seems to amble about where ever they wish.

another problem is that bt (at one time know as certan in the bee world) was never 100% effective. so it was quite common for people that used this product to find minor patches of damage within a stack of supers.


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## Flyman (Jun 11, 2007)

Good guess Tecumseh, These were frames collected over the summer with pollen and bee bread. Going to use for fall splits. They didn't get them all, but I am totally aggrivated with myself for not running them through the freezer first. SHB will find any ***** in your armour.


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## sc-bee (May 10, 2005)

Seems you would also see adult beetles on the comb if you are seeing shb larvae. At least that has been my experience.


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## ScadsOBees (Oct 2, 2003)

I noticed the same thing, and they are only interested in the parts with pollen. Out of my stack of extracted supers there were 2 or 3 frames with some pollen, and those were starting to get infested, the rest were fine. Wax moths seem to prefer pollen as well, but they will go anywhere.

In the future, the pollen frames get special treatment.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I don't know what you do after they have hatched, but if you keep the humidity low, they tell me they won't hatch. A dehumidifier would be well worth having where you store you honey. Also stack them so air can move through them and have a fan so the air moves.


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## Gene Weitzel (Dec 6, 2005)

Michael Bush said:


> I don't know what you do after they have hatched, but if you keep the humidity low, they tell me they won't hatch. A dehumidifier would be well worth having where you store you honey. Also stack them so air can move through them and have a fan so the air moves.


This is true, I discovered it when I did a cutout during extremely dry conditions. I put the excess honey combs in an air tight cooler. It was several months before I got around to doing something with them. I just knew it would be completely infested and I would have to toss the whole thing. To my surprise, they were still clean as the day I put them in the cooler. I tried it again on another cutout, but this time I made the mistake of peeking in the cooler after about 3 weeks during a time of high humidity (which is nearly all the time in SE Texas). The comb was still clean as could be, but when I peeked again a few days later it was crawling with SHB larvae. That blast of humid air when I peeked the first time was enough to hatch the eggs.


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## greenismycolor (Jun 3, 2008)

*freeze frame*

Hi Flyman

SL TX posted earlier to freeze the frames for 24 hours....the freezing will work with a little more time. I lost a hive recently to SHB combined with robbing....my point is: I froze my frames for 24 hours then took them out to thaw...on my inspection after thawing, I still found live worms, it was almost as bad as before I put them in the freezer, I couldn't believe those little monsters lived through that!!!!! so, I would recommend leaving them several days, just to make sure. 

Wishing you good luck!
green


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## Flyman (Jun 11, 2007)

Hi Green.....

Maybe it's the cold weather you get in Alabama...makes them cold hardy.

Tom


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

*SHB Control*

Flyman:

I have had good control fumigating with SO2, produced by burning sulphur in an airtight ( +- ) chamber of some kind. Kills adults and larvae but probably not eggs. Also effective on moth.


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

*larva ID*

The moth larvae are easy to crush or pop with your fingers. SHB larvae can take a lot of pressure before they rupture, almost need a fingernail.


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## greenismycolor (Jun 3, 2008)

Hi Flyman

They seem cold hardy, hot hardy, the only hardy I have found that they are not is hive tool hardy I've heard that a roach would survive an atomic explosion, wonder if they have researched SHB!


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## greenismycolor (Jun 3, 2008)

*So2*

Hi Tom G. Laury

Would you tell me what SO2 is? please
green


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

*Sulfur dioxide*

Hi Greenismycolor;

so2 is produced by burning sulfer. It kills by scavenging all of the oxygen. Also used to sulfer drying fruit to preserve color. Cheap and effective.


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## greenismycolor (Jun 3, 2008)

*so2*

Hi again Tom G. Laury

Thanks. I think i got the process, but where do u get it? how to use it? does it affect the bees? 

green


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

Green

I buy it at an ag chemical co. where it is sold as" so2 generating fuel" but any form will work. Get a metal pan, scrunch up a newspaper, and pour sulfer on top. Light paper. It sounds a little dangerous with bee equip't, but the sulfer just smolders with a tiny blue flame. 1 cup of S will do my 40x80 building.


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

It will kill bees inside the chamber of course but otherwise safe.


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

Imeant ONE SHEET of newspaper


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## greenismycolor (Jun 3, 2008)

Thanks Tom G. Laury

That is good information to have. I appreciate your time.

green


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## greenismycolor (Jun 3, 2008)

*Shb Study: Informative Read*

Hi all:


http://www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/HBE/03-050.pdf

A research site on the SHB. I found it very informative. Goes through the life cycle of the SHB and much more. 

*Relevance and Benefits*


*
2.1.1 Life Cycle and Behaviour*
The life cycle of this insect is very specific in relation to certain climatic parameters. The number of
cycles in any 12 months may be as high as six or there may only be one cycle, depending strictly on
temperature, humidity and a suitable food source for developing larvae.
Adults: Adult beetles are reported to be strong fliers, capable of covering a few kilometres
relatively easily and flights in excess of 10 kilometres are possible. In the hive they can run around
the combs with ease, although they have been observed to have poor grip and tumble down between
combs at times, particularly when disturbed. Their hard outer casing makes them very difficult for
adult bees to chew or sting, although house bees will harass adult beetles and cause them to retreat
into secluded areas of the bee hive. There are some reports of bees incarcerating adult beetles by
using propolis. In these cases the beetles can somehow mimic young bees and encourage house bees
to feed them when incarcerated (refer to references in this report).

*[B2.1.2 The Small Hive Beetle Threat to Stored Combs]*[/B]

*2.1.3 Threat to Live Colonies*
*2.2 Other Issues Impacting on the USA Beekeeping Industry
2.2.1 Varroa Mites and Other Pests and Diseases*


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## Gene Weitzel (Dec 6, 2005)

Tom G. Laury said:


> Flyman:
> 
> I have had good control fumigating with SO2, produced by burning sulphur in an airtight ( +- ) chamber of some kind. Kills adults and larvae but probably not eggs. Also effective on moth.


When combined with moisture, burning sulfur creates sulfurous and sulfuric acids (depending on the amount of oxygen available to the sulfur), so be sure to do it in a dry environment to reduce the corrosive effect on any metal items in the area. Personally I prefer Bt for wax moth control. CO2 fumigation will also smother eggs and larvae of both wax moths and SHB, but it does have to be done in an airtight container (an old non-working chest freezer will hold a lot of comb for this purpose, just stack the comb in it with a couple good sized chunks of dry ice and close it up).


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