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Home Brewed SHB Trap for Flow Base

#1

So when I did my first hive inspection there were two visible Small Hive Beetles on a frame. I was surprised (but not any more after reading they can fly incredible distances - further than bees can) and worried because I had just seen a guy’s hive slimed out on a Facebook.

I immediately ordered Beetle Blaster traps and installed two on the edge of the frames and after 3 days I had caught 2 beetles. As I have read the more types of trapping the better and not planning to open the hive for at least another week I decided to bodgy up a trap this morning using the Flow baseboard and Chux (with the assistance of an offsider).

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I checked the board just then after 6 hours in place and found two of the little buggers which I promptly, and satisfactorily, crushed.

Thought I would share it in case anyone else is super paranoid about SHB

#2

Is that Chux preloved?? We have J Cloth (same think) in UK.

Me thinks a preloved Chux will be more frayed, knotty and possibly better trap

#3

From what I have been reading, people are using a variety of these reusable wipes. Here in the states we have Scotch-Brite brand.


Swiffer sweep sheets are similar.

Some people have used dryer sheets, but those usually have a lot of chemicals and scents. I wonder if the Swiffer dusters would work even better because they are already a fuzzy mess.

#4

That is sort of what I was getting at. The fuzzier the better.

Also any Chemicals I would hope are gone

#5

Don’t bee getting crazy with fluffy and fibrous. The bees get their legs caught in anything felted or felt like, which isn’t good for the bees. Cloth and non-wovens without significant nap or pile (e.g. smooth) are best.

That is why hive cloths are close woven.
~M

#6

For the Screened Bottom Board (SBB), not in the Bee box - to help with Small Hive Beetle (SHB)

#7

A local and well established beekeeper use this to control SHB.
He cuts a 75mm square of 5mm corflute and gentlly cuts away one face of the corflute leaving one piece with valleys and one flat. With a syringe of gel fipronil cockroach bait a line of gel is placed across the valley section about midline and the flat piece is replaced and taped in place with gaffer tape and dated.
The corflute square is place on top of the brood frames. Bees cannot enter the 5mm corflute holes however the SHB can.
He gave me a trap to place in my flohive when the neuc arrives.
Within three days I slid out the corflute sheet at the bottom of my Flohive and it was populated with hundreds of SHB.
As the days go by there has been a great reduction of dead SHB on the corflute sheet.