# Keep the hive above water to prevent mites from entering from the soil?



## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

Mites enter the hive on the bees. The bees pick them up in the field or when they enter other hives.


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## Solomon Parker (Dec 21, 2002)

Perhaps you are referring to small hive beetles.


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## thenance007 (May 25, 2011)

My first summer I made a "moat" with a frame of 2 x 4s (not nailed together, just sitting in a square) and a plastic tarp draped over it, filled with about an inch of water. Hive on 2 concrete blocks in the moat. The moat sloped enough that one edge was shallow and the bees could crawl on the tarp to drink or get out of the water. The bad news: It was on my raised deck and over a year, that corner of the deck sank about 3 inches. Aside from that (and the one windy day when the new heavily laden bees missed the landing board and went for an unexpected swim and had to be rescued with my handy dandy chinese wok screened ladle,) I think it did drown SHB larvae that dropped into it and also provided some cooling to the hive in 100 degree temps and a handy source of water. I wouldn't treat the water for that reason. When it started looking too scuzzy or smelly, I slid one of the 2 x 4s out and let it drain, then refilled it. The dead bees they dropped out of the hive did make it smelly pretty quickly. Don't think it is worth doing again.


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## drmanhadan (Jun 13, 2012)

Good points, but wouldn't those have just fallen onto the dry ground anyways? Otherwise, I suppose the water's not a great idea.


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## sfisher (Sep 22, 2009)

SHB fly in.


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## T-Bone 369 (Jan 29, 2008)

Sounds like a mosquito breeder to me. Guess it would cut down on ant problems, though.


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## New Ky Beekeeper (Jun 27, 2011)

Could you not put salt below it instead?


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## drmanhadan (Jun 13, 2012)

any salts that aren't harmful to bees that keep bacteria down and don't allow mosquitos?
I can think of one pretty darn simple NATURAL solution (no pun intended), but I'd rather keep it decent.
Maybe aquarium salts?


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## sfisher (Sep 22, 2009)

I live on a salt marsh and belive me when I tell you that mosquitos can breed in salt water. Some pieces of swimming pool chlorine tablets would keep the mosguitos out, and the bees love swimming pool water.


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## drmanhadan (Jun 13, 2012)

chlorine salts aren't harmful to bees?


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

They sell a plastic ball to keep mosquitoes out of peoples koi ponds, I think they are filled with barley, or hops not sure.


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## deknow (Jul 17, 2006)

To keep mites out of the hive, you have to have the hive below water...which isn't so good for the bees 

deknow


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