# An Inspection Story: Beetles, Bubbles, Ants, Slime, Webs, and a Flying Queen



## Hoosier (Aug 11, 2011)

Whew! If it were I, I'd plan on starting from scratch next spring, i.e., it's time to throw in the towel.


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

That's pretty depressing Hoosier. Sounds like the hives are going. That is one thing to look out for in patties, SHB love them, well the protein anyways since that's what young larvae need. Just keep at it, maybe try to find a better way to put the patty up by the bees but with TBH, you can't just mash it in between frames or boxes so the bees can guard it. I would get some beetle traps and just keep a good eye on your comb and bee populations so they don't get slimed.


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

Does not sound to bad from a Pest standpoint. The bees are keeping them out of the areas they can get to. It is not at all unusual to get SHB larva under a pollen patty if you are In a SHB area. I dont use them I NW Florida for that reason. 

If anything it appears you are overmanaging your hives, a common occurrence for new beekeepers. Give them some time to manage themselves. You do not need to intervene on all their activities. Remember they have survived as a species for a long long time without us "helping" them. If you want to see a severe SHB infestation that the bees are managing, here is a photo from the top of one of my hives inner covers this past week. It is from a strong hive that is still doing very well. 

www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7926304968/

Bees are more durable than most think

Good luck and enjoy your hobby


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## Colleen O. (Jun 5, 2012)

A picture of the chop and crop ends






, the Buckfast (Tiger) hive






(the peaked roof is off), that also has the English Buckfast nuc in it with the reduced entrance






, my Flying Queen (English Buckfast)






, the NWC Queen






, and what I think are Wax Worms from my NWC hive bottom board






. Whatever they were, they got torched.


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## Colleen O. (Jun 5, 2012)

jbeshearse said:


> Does not sound to bad from a Pest standpoint. The bees are keeping them out of the areas they can get to. It is not at all unusual to get SHB larva under a pollen patty if you are In a SHB area. I dont use them I NW Florida for that reason.
> 
> If anything it appears you are overmanaging your hives, a common occurrence for new beekeepers. Give them some time to manage themselves. You do not need to intervene on all their activities. Remember they have survived as a species for a long long time without us "helping" them. If you want to see a severe SHB infestation that the bees are managing, here is a photo from the top of one of my hives inner covers this past week. It is from a strong hive that is still doing very well.
> 
> ...


@jbeshearse Thanks for the words of encouragement. My BF does tell me I am "helicoptering" with the hives.

@JRG13 I'm going to look into making the CD case beetle jails and an alternative to putting the pollen patty on the screened bottom (or sealing it up). I just don't want the beetle or wax worm situation to get out of control. A little is probably good for them to deal with themselves, but two out of the three (the nuc and the NWC hive) are not what I would call strong right now so there has to be a line right?


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

Yes, Those are wax worms. For what it is worth, I always have a few wax worms in my top bar hive. Usually at the tops. If there is debris build up in the bottom of the hive, they will also get into that as the bees don't tend to try and protect that area. As long as it is only a few and they are not in the areas the bees live, then it should not be an issue. It is an issue when they get in the brood comb.

Looks like your bees are doing fine. As a new beekeeper you should look in on them as often as you feel necessary, That is the way you learn. But unless you are sure they need you to intervene, then you probably shouldn't. 

jeb


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## Hoosier (Aug 11, 2011)

JRG13 said:


> *That's pretty depressing Hoosier.* Sounds like the hives are going. That is one thing to look out for in patties, SHB love them, well the protein anyways since that's what young larvae need. Just keep at it, maybe try to find a better way to put the patty up by the bees but with TBH, you can't just mash it in between frames or boxes so the bees can guard it. I would get some beetle traps and just keep a good eye on your comb and bee populations so they don't get slimed.


JRG, I agree that it's depressing, but if I were in her shoes and still had time, I'd be very concerned about what's going to happen next spring if she hasn't already ordered at least one three-pound package for next spring. There probably won't be any left to order if she waits. If I were she, I'd arrange ONE hive's NEW brood chamber with the New World Carniolan (NWC) queen, get rid of the other queen and "chopped" bars altogether, feed like crazy for the two months that are left, pray that that hive makes it through winter, and wait for spring and the arrival of my pre-ordered package of NWC bees/w/queen.


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

True enough Hoosier, it is getting late, but I still hold out some hope. The patty is a double edged sword.... on the bottom, at least the beetles are going down there and not in your comb, but it's harboring beetles/moth's. Looking at the larvae, it looks like a beetle larva to me (the long skinny one), but it's hard to tell. Theres a round fat one under it, assuming that's wax worm. I would just try to get it off the bottom, maybe suspend it by a comb. You just have to look at shb as a nuisance until they start sliming comb, then it's a problem. They're gonna come around, and as long as they stay off comb, it's not an issue. Yes, it's annoying they get on the patty or in the debris in the bottom, but they're not really hurting anything down there (except your patty). I would really focus on not disturbing the bees to much at this point and provide them with whatever they need to maximize brooding right now.


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## Colleen O. (Jun 5, 2012)

So far the bees are making it. (Well...not the flying queen, I think I accidentally crushed her.) I think the bees and I got the wax worms and beetles out of both hives but time will tell. I kept having issues with SHB larvae getting into the pollen pattie on the Buckfast hive so I had to stop giving them one but didn't have the same issues with the NWC hive. I am not sure if I had more of a struggle with the Buckfast hive because the screen bottom lets them get in (that one has #8 hardware cloth, the other has aluminum window screen) or because the nuc it came from had old comb they were hiding in. I sealed the edge gap on the solid bottom board that goes over the screened one and took it off to clean and torch a few times plus tried to get the old comb out. Two of the cropped lang bars that had honey in them I scored the cappings off and moved to the feeder area so that the bees would clean them out and I could remove them. Of the remaining two I had to leave one alone because it is the main brood bar but the other was all honey so I cut it off the Lang bar and wired it onto a top bar.
I'll check in next Spring with how they fare.


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