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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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  • From: Randall Austin <ra41717 AT gmail.com>
  • To: Erika Wittchen <erika48 AT gmail.com>, ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] small hive beetles (already!?) in newly installed package
  • Date: Wed, 07 May 2014 12:35:14 -0400

Erika,

Small hive beetles are excellent fliers and have a keen sense of smell. They'll go long distances to find a nice home. Plus, they can travel in packages, unnoticed, along with the bees. So it isn't a surprise that you have seen them already.

The key to keeping small hive beetles under control is the three S's: Sun, Space and Strength. Keep hives in sunny locations, don't provide more space than the bees can effectively police, and ensure that your hive population is healthy and strong (lots of bees). Weather seems to be the biggest factor with regard to how big a problem they are in general; when we have warm winters, there are lots of them the next year; cold winters and cool springs seem to result in fewer beetles. I haven't seen very many so far this year.

Like wax moths, SHB don't kill healthy, strong colonies. They are opportunists which take advantage of weakness. Seeing a few beetles is expected and isn't anything to worry about at all as long as you understand the conditions that the beetles desire and then don't provide those conditions. For example, don't arrange frames, feeders etc. such that there are safe pockets in the hive that beetles can lay eggs in but the bees can't reach.

Randall Austin


On 5/7/2014 11:12 AM, Erika Wittchen wrote:
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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