# SHB treatments with oils?



## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

i've not heard of essential oils being used to deter shb.

i have the 'beetle blaster' disposable traps in my hives one trap per each box alternating them on the left and right sides. so far no issues with the beetles hatching off larvae which is the real problem for the bees.

http://www.mannlakeltd.com/beekeeping-supplies/product/DC-685.html

i use plain old vegetable oil in the traps with a little bit of rotten banana juice and apple cider vinegar mixed in. they do catch beetles and i don't often find many loose ones running around in the hives.

what makes the bees abscond is when the hatched beetle larvae cause the honey in the hive to ferment or spoil making it no good for the bees or the beekeeper anymore.

just curious, do you happen to have screened bottom boards? i ask because a neighbor of mine has them and he seems to have a lot more beetles in his hives than i do.


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## mlanden (Jun 19, 2016)

squarepeg said:


> http://www.mannlakeltd.com/beekeeping-supplies/product/DC-685.html
> 
> i use plain old vegetable oil in the traps with a little bit of rotten banana juice and apple cider vinegar mixed in. they do catch beetles and i don't often find many loose ones running around in the hives.
> 
> ...


Thx, Square -- yeah, I have screened bottom boards. The only thing I've ever heard people say about those is that they seem to improve situations a little re: varroa counts. May or may not be the case. I might have to check into traps. 

My weak hive appears to have lots of varroa too, and when I used a stickyboard lately, I found several dead wax moths on it in addition to ~250+ mites. The bee pop looks about half of what it was 2 weeks ago, and somebody suggested there'd been a swarm. We're in a dearth, so I was told I should feed the girls, which I'm now doing (they wiped out 1.5 gal I poured into the hive last week). Maybe fighting a losing battle, but .... we'll see.


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## cervus (May 8, 2016)

We had them pretty bad this year too. Nucs were especially hard hit. SBB or solid, doesn't seem to be any difference in my yard. I think keeping good strong colonies is the only real control measure. Looks like we're going to have to just learn to live with them, as they are dug-in likes ticks here. I do what squarepeg does, right down to the bait recipe! The only difference is I use these http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/Beetle-Jail/productinfo/647B/ as they are reusable. They work really well. Oh, and squish every one you see with your hive tool, you'd be surprised.


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## ToeOfDog (Sep 25, 2013)

mlanden said:


> lately I've seen a *big increase* in SHBs in my 2 hives (the hives're 3 months old; generally in my inspections,


Study your enemy. SHB come from Africa and love heat. You are entering the hot part of local summer. For me, about the middle of September the numbers will drop rapidly. 

Reduce your entrances. SHB prefer back door entrances, cracks, holes, etc. Reduce your main entrance to about 1/2" by 4". The 1/2" tall entrance is important. They cant fly through a 1/2" gap past the guards.

Fit a tight fitting drawer/debris tray under the SBB. Tight enough so the SHB can't get in through the cracks. You need a place for the SHB to hide after being chased by the bees. Sprinkle DE on the tray.

Don't freak out. Wax moth will live in the debris tray but won't go up into a strong hive.

My hives are in 95% shade. Some will tell you they have to be in 100% sun.

I do not use any type of trap other than the dbris tray.

Your mileage may vary


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

mlanden, make sure the 1.5 gallons you put on your weak hive didn't get hauled off by robbing bees. that much syrup should translate into several frames of stores. 

if that colony is dwindling the last thing you want to have happen is for it to become a mite bomb to your other hive and any others in the neighborhood. 

how did the brood look on your last inspection? did you start your colonies with treatment free bees?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

SHB eggs need heat and humidity to hatch. I don't know of any essential oil that will prevent hatching, but low humidity will. Moist air rises. Let it out the top...


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## mlanden (Jun 19, 2016)

Michael Bush said:


> SHB eggs need heat and humidity to hatch. I don't know of any essential oil that will prevent hatching, but low humidity will. Moist air rises. Let it out the top...


Hi, Michael -- I have the usual popsicle sticks attached under and above my inner cover, so ..... how else would I get humid air released from the hive? I'm guessing that popping the top often wouldn't be the way to go (stressing the bees, etc).


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## mlanden (Jun 19, 2016)

squarepeg said:


> mlanden, make sure the 1.5 gallons you put on your weak hive didn't get hauled off by robbing bees. that much syrup should translate into several frames of stores.
> 
> if that colony is dwindling the last thing you want to have happen is for it to become a mite bomb to your other hive and any others in the neighborhood.
> 
> how did the brood look on your last inspection? did you start your colonies with treatment free bees?


Hi, Square -- when I looked this week, brood in the lower deep seemed fair (some capped, some not) but really sketchy in the upper deep.

No idea as to if the bees were treatment-free when I got them; the farmer who ordered/kept them for me never said anything (and I wouldn't've thought to ask).

I'm re-inspecting the weak hive some today, Wednesday (removing a stickyboard, squashing SHBs; I feel pretty sure I'll see lots of mites on the board). Will check the feeder. If I have the feeder in the upper deep, would robber bees manage access to that?! I've reduced the entrance to the 1/2"X4" for a week now -- and was thinking of reducing it to the least-open setting.

Somebody told me the other day that this would be an odd time of year to treat for mites (that Sept. would be the time). True?

Thx for the feedback .....


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

> I have the usual popsicle sticks attached under and above my inner cover, so .....

That will work. Of course the outside humidity plays a part and you can't control that...


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

if by 'some capped, some not' you mean that the pattern of brood was 'spotty' or had a 'shotgun' pattern that could be indicative of either the mites having an impact on the health of the brood or it could mean the queen is failing.

either way the colony can be weakened, and during times of dearth bees with a propensity for robbing will find and exploit these weakened colonies. it there is a high mite infestation many of those mites hitchhike on those robbers back to their hives and can cause problems, hence the term 'mite bomb'.

we do get reports fairly often on the forum here about folks just starting out with bees that come with a history of requiring treatments that succumb to mites later in their first season if not treated. chances are your bees didn't come with a treatment free history.

you can use screen to reduce your entrances to allow for air flow so the bees have a better opportunity to control temperature and humidity.

yes, if the hive is too weak to defend itself robbers have free reign over any part of the hive they wish to exploit. you should know the syrup is getting robbed if you don't see a lot of it getting stored in the hive.

i've never treated for mites so i can't answer about the timing of treatments. if it comes to that, it's best to pose those type of questions in the 'diseases and pests' subforum.

good luck!


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## emilyjaneJMJ (Jul 13, 2016)

I am a very new beekeeper, but we have had some great results using Beetle Baffles on our two hives.
http://www.beetlebaffle.com/
We also have screened bottom boards with DE but have the rear entrance to the tray area covered with a fine mesh screen so we get air flow but the beetles can't get in through the #8 on the floor of the hive. 

We are very hopeful for the success of this strategy!


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## Nordak (Jun 17, 2016)

The old adage "keep them strong" applies to SHB. Not just strong, though, dense with bees. If your numbers are dwindling, make sure to get them in a manageable space where they can defend all their territory and reduce frames if needed. I live in prime SHB land, and this strategy works great for me.

Best of luck.


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## bjverano (Jun 18, 2014)

We put 1 of 2 beetle blasters with vegetable oil in each box. We keep the entrance reduced and this year all or screen bottom hives have double screens. I think that extra layer of screen wire has helped a lot. Last year we had so many hive beetles I could see them fly right in the entrance as I was standing there. They fly really fast. I'm not seeing as many in our hives this year so we will stick to that plan since it seems to work well.


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