I am a newbie here. I have two brood boxes full and a third that bees were starting to build comb in. I put flow box/frames on last week and last night when I checked the back observation window ( where you actually harvest ) I notice one hive beetle in a cell. This morning it wasn’t there. This evening there are a bunch of them - maybe 2 dozen - and bees looked like they were trying to do something with them. I have beetle traps in next box down. Too hot to go into the boxes this eve I think. I will go into them tomorrow morning to check ( and maybe move?) beetle traps. Should I remove the super flow frame box completely and wait until spring ? I do have a little video I will try to upload. I have a mentor , but she is new to the flow frame so I thought I would ask here as well. Thank you !
I believe it is too late for a honey super. I’m in NJ. I stopped using beetle traps last year because they required me to attract beetles. I’ve had no beetle problems this year.
Beth,
Beetles are beetles … Flow-frames are just another type of harvest tool. The flow-frame box is just another type of honey super. Your mentor if good should be able to direct you correctly if they are worth their salt regular honey super or Flow. Bees are bees n beetles are beetle… Work with her/him !
Good luck n enjoy,
Gerald
If you have two built out brood boxes and a standard super that is not built out then remove the flow box. It is creating too much space for the bees to defend. Also, where you are you should be preparing the bees for winter, not thinking of robbing them. Keep the flow box for next spring when they have built up and there is a flow on.
Cheers
Rob.
Thanks for the info. I thought maybe I could get a little something from the goldenrod season. But I will wait till spring now. I started using the traps after I saw beetles - they are the kind I put oil in. I have actually watched the bees hers beetles into the trap !
Thanks, Rob. I will remove it tomorrow and wait till the Spring.
Hi Beth, what the bees are doing with the hive beetle is chasing them until the beetle find somewhere to hide, once that happens, the bees propolize them in. That’s my experience. I reckon I’m in the heart of shb country. I don’t use any traps. I just keep the colonies strong & don’t leave anything inside or out of the hive that’s unprotected for the beetle to breed up in.
Thanks. I feel like my hive is healthy - but what would I have inside or outside my hive that would be so attractive to the hive beetles ? Maybe I can get rid of whatever it is ???
And loose wax that fell off your hive tool… 
Your welcome, the beetles like to lay eggs in bee larvae/pupae, dead bees & pollen. Inside the hive we need to make sure that frames containing larvae/pupae or pollen have a good covering of worker bees on them to stop beetles laying eggs in them. We need to make sure we don’t leave any dead bees in the hive that the workers can’t readily remove.
Outside the hive we need to make sure we don’t leave any frames containing brood or pollen sitting around. Also a by product of processing beeswax is slumgum. It’s important for any beekeepers in shb areas not to leave that sitting around because the beetles readily breed up in that also.
Thank you, Jeff. That is very helpful. On my earlier and more frequent inspections all looked as it should - as you described. I slowed down full hive inspections as the weather got really hot and all other indications showed a healthy hive. I will go into a more thorough inspection today when I remove flow. I will resume feeding them again also. I was feeding 1:1 up until last week when I put the flow super on.
Update / I removed the flow super and was able to kill most of the hive beetles that were hanging around in there. I inspected the rest of the hive and all looks well and healthy and happy! Yay! Lots of new brood and honey and no sign of beetles in cells or comb. Back to feeding and will wait till spring for the flow super. Thanks again for all of your help and advice.
Baited Beetle Traps?
I’m going to add some more traps this week - have some with oil in between frames - and I see bees herding beetles into them. I may add a bottom trap but not so sure about adding bait as one poster suggested that it attracted more beetles. But was happy upon inspection of frames in lower boxes that there weren’t too many beetles and none were evident in comb.
Hi Beth:) your most welcome. I’m pleased that everything is going well.
I meant baited beetle traps are attracting beetles.