ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers
List archive
Re: [ocba] small hive beetles (already!?) in newly installed package
- 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:
|
-
[ocba] small hive beetles (already!?) in newly installed package,
Erika Wittchen, 05/07/2014
-
Re: [ocba] small hive beetles (already!?) in newly installed package,
Randall Austin, 05/07/2014
- Re: [ocba] small hive beetles (already!?) in newly installed package, annallys Goodwin-Landher, 05/07/2014
- <Possible follow-up(s)>
- Re: [ocba] small hive beetles (already!?) in newly installed package, birdcr AT concentric.net, 05/08/2014
-
Re: [ocba] small hive beetles (already!?) in newly installed package,
Randall Austin, 05/07/2014
Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.