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ocba - [ocba] small hive beetles (already!?) in newly installed package

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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Erika Wittchen <erika48 AT gmail.com>
  • To: ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [ocba] small hive beetles (already!?) in newly installed package
  • Date: Wed, 7 May 2014 11:12:34 -0400

Hi all,
I'm a brand new beekeeper who has been lurking on this list serve for some time, soaking up all the great info and insights you all provide. Now I am in need of some advice...

A bit of background: I installed 2 packages of bees in 8 frame mediums on April 19th.  Both have laying queens (eggs and many stages of larva visible), good brood pattern, and 2 full frames of capped brood already.  I have noticed that Hive 2 has a much larger population, and I've wondered if this is possibly due to drift. I added a second medium to Hive 2 on the weekend because ~6 1/2 frames of the 8 are drawn out and in use. Both hives have been fed continuously with 1:1 and Honey B Healthy in a hive top feeder.

However, this morning I lifted the cover on Hive 1 to check the syrup level and saw a SHB scurry away. Then I noticed many small larva in the syrup!  I will remove the feeder and clean out asap, but in the meantime I was wondering is it abnormal to already have SHB in a new hive (all new equipment, apiary site etc)? Any recommendations as to treatment would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Erika



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