# My beetle trap really works! Take a look!



## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

In my opinion, it functionally looks similar to the West Beetle trap.


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## Robert166 (Mar 12, 2005)

I like it! The fact that the trap can be emptied from the side is a great idea. I have the West Hive Beetle Trap as well and the problem I have with them is two-fold #1 They break very easily, top and bottom pieces, #2 They fill with water which I think may lead to more chalk-brood. But they do work! I am considering something along the same lines except using a screened bottom board with a metal or plastic tray. But Good Job Mike!


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## Dr.Wax (Apr 30, 2008)

The link is not working for me.


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## Mike121 (Aug 24, 2008)

Just checked it, and it seems to work fine. Give it another try.

*http://web.aanet.com.au/~Bees/beetletrap.html*


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

Great bit of ingenuity, very slick, good job!!


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## Gene Weitzel (Dec 6, 2005)

All my bottom boards are cut out like this, but I permanently fix a piece of #8 hardware cloth as a screen. Any shallow tray can be slipped in the slot underneath the screen to trap the beetles. It has been my experience that they go through the hardware cloth just as easily as the slots, so it removes the step of slotting the piece of aluminum. I also use Safer brand DE (diatomaceous earth) in the tray instead of oil, its a lot easier to handle and seems to be just as lethal to the beetles.


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## longrangedog (Jun 24, 2007)

I much prefer the DE also. The only drawback is you have to change it in rainey weather as it clumps up and becomes less effective.


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## Gene Weitzel (Dec 6, 2005)

longrangedog said:


> I much prefer the DE also. The only drawback is you have to change it in rainey weather as it clumps up and becomes less effective.


We get a lot of rain here, but it does not bother me much as I usually only use the traps intermittently. I like to leave the SBB open during the moist weather to provide more ventilation, so its normal to dump it then. When the weather dries out, if the SHB numbers are back up, I put them back in, otherwise if the bees are doing well without the traps, I don't use them.


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## Mike121 (Aug 24, 2008)

I tried DE and lime, but went for oil in the end. Both DE and lime don't seem to work as well once they go clumpy. We get humid weather here, so oil seems the go.

If anyone has any other ideas for traps, could you put a few photos on the web for us all.

Personally I am very happy with my trap. I put all of the oil from the traps through a sive yesterday. Out of six hives, there were an amazing number of dead beetles. 

If anyone else makes one, could you let us know how you went.

Mike


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## JPK (May 24, 2008)

Very cool,


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## swabby (Jun 6, 2008)

I like the idea,I think I already have some galv. plates in the barn made simular to that. However I just ordered this week from Dadant's some AJ's beetle eaters for $4 each. I going to check those plates in the barn for future use.I try to make every thing i can to save a buck.At my age my time ain't worth much. :thumbsup:


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## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

*shb trap*

I seen my first shb this fall. I make full #8 hardware cloth bottomboards and my hive stands are made with treated 2 by 6s.I put a 3/4in.rail on the bottom outside of my sbb,this leaves a 3/4in lip on both sides of my hive stand after I set the sbb on them.I then slide a pan under the sbb that sits on this lip(slides in and out from the back) filled with veg.oil.With this setup and a migratory lid the shb doesn!t have a place to hide and will end up in the oil.This is my plan of attack,what are your thoughts,or improvememts on this? Jack
P.S. My hive stands set on 8in.concret blocks.


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## Mike121 (Aug 24, 2008)

*Feed back on the SHB trap....*

This email makes sharing of information, and the bit of work I did putting up a little web page seem so worth while. This is an extract from an email I received today........

"Hi Mike,

A bit of info you might be interested in.

At first I had water with detergent in it as the trap until I found out what oil to put in it and caught a heap of beetle with it. As I had just extracted and put the super and frames back onto the hive there was a fair bit of loose wax cappings coming through the trap. Yesterday I put oil in as you suggested and had a catch of maybe 50 shb overnight. This afternoon I checked again and there were some more beetle in the trap but what was most inveresting was that the bees were cleaning out the hive and were disgarding the beetle larva into the trap also. There was a heap of immature larva and some mature larva in the oil so the bees have obviously worked out that the trap is there and that it is a great dumping ground for unwanted articles such as beetle and larva.. Good on them.

I have now only the one hive as the beetle got into my other one and destroyed it. I was totally unaware of the problem until I opened it the other day. Now I have to hope to find a swarm or split my good hive once it rebuilds after the robbing. I made a 4 frame nuc box today in case I hear of a swarm around the place. Will be putting a trap on that also.

Many thanks for your assistance with your web site. It was really useful.

Cheers""


http://web.aanet.com.au/~Bees/beetletrap.html


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## blammer (Jul 28, 2006)

good deal!

How does it compare to a screened in bottom board?


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## beekeeper_sd (Oct 30, 2008)

This looks like a great trap but, we run around 1200 hives that are all palletized so that makes this impracticle. Does anyone have any ideas for a practicle trap that can be used on this many colonies?


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## suprstakr (Feb 10, 2006)

beekeeper_sd said:


> This looks like a great trap but, we run around 1200 hives that are all palletized so that makes this impracticle. Does anyone have any ideas for a practicle trap that can be used on this many colonies?


Well if you placed the cleats for tray in the front near the entrance , that might work


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Was it the oil that attracted the mites from afar? Did the trap relieve your bettle problem, or attract more into your hive?

Looks good, just a few questions,


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## beekeeper_sd (Oct 30, 2008)

suprstakr said:


> Well if you placed the cleats for tray in the front near the entrance , that might work


Thought about that and that may be what, if anything, we do but we worried about constantly hitting the cleats with the forklift and tearing them off. I guess we'll just have to try and see what works.


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## max2 (Dec 24, 2009)

Hi Mike,

the link seems to be removed?

We are having a bad time with the SHB and I'm trying all sorts of traps.
Thanks for your input


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## toomanyhandles (Jun 24, 2009)

archive.org has a copy of the page from 2009.

http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20091004010924/http://web.aanet.com.au/~Bees/beetletrap.html


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## Kingfisher Apiaries (Jan 16, 2010)

No links R working


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## MichaBees (Sep 26, 2010)

Gene Weitzel said:


> All my bottom boards are cut out like this, but I permanently fix a piece of #8 hardware cloth as a screen. Any shallow tray can be slipped in the slot underneath the screen to trap the beetles. It has been my experience that they go through the hardware cloth just as easily as the slots, so it removes the step of slotting the piece of aluminum. I also use Safer brand DE (diatomaceous earth) in the tray instead of oil, its a lot easier to handle and seems to be just as lethal to the beetles.



Can you tell me a good source for DE?

Anyone?


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Feed back on the SHB trap....*

Hi Mike 121 Which oil did you go with in the end. I ordered 2 traps from 

http://www.greenbeehives.com/ipk-small-hive-beetle-trap-assembled-and-painted.html

I suppose they will come with an instruction but they havent arrived yet and I curious what you found the best. Also is this the style trap you have? If it's not do you have a link to the type of trap you use. I only have one hive right now but will have 4 soon. I saw a hive beetle last time I checked ny hive. I ordered the traps as soon as I saw but I'm worried the damage will come quick. I'd appreciate any insight. Thanks, Virginia


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## PDG honey (Jul 31, 2010)

I've used similar traps. Soy surf works the best in them. Since it takes longer for it to evaporate. I suggest if you are a hobbiest get one. When you do see the beetles in a hive. Go through the hive, flip the brood chambers, and set it on the trap for a day. Usually the bees get aggresive and chase beetles and they fall into the trap or any other trap you have in the hive. Then put the hive back in its origanal state. Then you can conserve and recycle the oil you will use. Bottom board oil traps can get expensive when you start multiplying hives. Hope this helps.


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## bbbbeeman (Jan 13, 2007)

I have 60 screen bb with the oil tray . What is the cost of the hive of bees ,wax and honey if the shb takes the hive????? Good luck rock


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## Sundance (Sep 9, 2004)

MichaBees said:


> Can you tell me a good source for DE?
> 
> Anyone?


Do a search in the For Sale section. A member sells
it there.


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## MCI (Mar 11, 2011)

MichaBees said:


> Can you tell me a good source for DE?
> 
> Anyone?


Call around to your local feed stores.


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## PDG honey (Jul 31, 2010)

Hey rock your exactly right. The cost of the hive itself is worth having. Here in Ms. we have problems with raccoons. When using the oil traps we must strap the hives down with ratchet straps. They will flip the hives over to get to the oil. I usually had to pull the pans out every two to three weeks filter the oil because of the waste in the hive. With hundreds of hives this is not practical. I started in desperate times just having them set to the side in a yard. In case of a infestation, I would put a hive on the oil trap for few hours previously aggitating the bees. Thus getting the bees to chase the beetles down into the trap. Now all I use is baited jewel cd cases costing about a dollar per hive per quarter year. I do spray my neighboring beekeeper empty yards with permethran because of there beetle breeding hives from last year. He lost 22 hives out of 24 to beetles. Gave me the other two. They are a destructive pest. Oil traps, beetle jails, treatments, baited traps, or whatever else can kill them I like it if it works.


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## MichaBees (Sep 26, 2010)

MCI
SunDance

Thanks...


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

What bait do you put in the cd case traps? I'm leary to put roach killing stuff near the bees but I've seen some good feedback on them.
I'd appreciate any insights. I'm going to try 2 oil traps in the bottom board. I haven't received them yet. I checked the hive this weekend. I didn't see any beetles. I also ordered some little oil traps that connect on the frames from brushy mountain. http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/Beetle-Jail/productinfo/647/
still waiting for them as well. I've seen videos of beetle infestations it was quite disturbing. Want to prevent them from messing with my hives. Virginia Wolf


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## PDG honey (Jul 31, 2010)

The lure I'm using now is Russell's beetle juice. All natural besides the pollen sub. Before I was using pollen sub. fermented with honey. The beetle juice works better. You can use any approved kill agent mixed with the lure or without. You will catch and kill beetles. Have you had beetles in the past? Here in the south where they are strong they are the biggest pain. I have completely irradicated the beetles in my hives before the season started. Just a few can slime a hive in just 3 days. They are the worst pest you can have as a beekeeper. Again I'm not completely against the oil traps. I just think there is a better way. My way may not be the best for you.


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## bimbyjim (Nov 15, 2009)

Where can I get Russell's beetle juice?

Thanks.

Jim


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## MichaBees (Sep 26, 2010)

Russell's web page


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## arcowandbeegirl (Oct 11, 2010)

website for russell apiaries is
www.russellapiaries.com


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## bimbyjim (Nov 15, 2009)

Thank you very much. That was not easy to find with Google.


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## TonyC (Mar 20, 2011)

MichaBees said:


> Can you tell me a good source for DE?
> 
> Anyone?


MichaBees,

Check a local farm store that carries livestock feed. I recently bought a 50lb bag of it for about $50.00.

Be sure to get food grade diatomaceous earth. There is a type of DE that is used in swimming pool filters. This will not work! It has been heated and it's structure has been modified. Food grade should also indicate that NO harmful chemicals have been added.

TonyC


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## schmism (Feb 7, 2009)

MichaBees said:


> Can you tell me a good source for DE?
> 
> Anyone?


your local pool shop will likely have some as its used in some pool filters. thats were i got mine.


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## TonyC (Mar 20, 2011)

schmism said:


> your local pool shop will likely have some as its used in some pool filters. thats were i got mine.


schmism,

Everything I have read says not to use the swimming pool grade DE. It has been heat and chemical treated. It may still kill insect pests but according to some sites I have read, it is harmful or toxic to humans and animals.

I bought food grade DE from a farm store that sells it as a livestock food additive.

I am very careful applying it around my hive. I don't want to have any DE dust picked up by a breeze and get blown into the hive. I'm sure it is just as bad for the bees as it is for the hated hive beetle.

Oh, and the DE that is sold as an insecticide may also contains other chemicals including insecticides.

Food grade DE is 100% DE.

TonyC


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