I was doing a couple of routine hive inspections and with the hot and humid weather found a concerning and unusual high amount of SHB. Holding the metal QX I saw that there was many hiding in the flat metal band around the edge and looking closer found it packed with them.
As a fix I fitted a couple of beetle blaster traps in the brood box under the QX and as a permanent fix holding the QX on its edge I used Selley’s Aquadhere, from any hardware store, and poured it into the channel of the band till it was full and set it aside till it ‘went off’ and then rotated it treating the other three sides. I will be rotating out the QX’s that haven’t been sealed till they are all done. I suggest anyone using the metal QX have a close look at them for the little buggers, I was amazed how many were in the slot.
Regards
Thanks Peter, this gives me a heads up on what to look for when I order my replacement QEs - my plastic one is cracked & broken at the corners & metal seemed to be the answer…
The metal QX is dearer than the plastic ones but it is certainly going to last so much longer it is cheaper in the long run. The metal one has no sharp corners and it seems the bees don’t hesitate at passing through.
My thread was for new QX’s as the bees become aware the SHB hide there and over time will propolize the SHB beetle in and fill the gap. I don’t use baits or traps for SHB usually and the bees normally control the numbers but with new QX’s I have learnt a lesson to help the bees.
Don’t let that put you off the metal units, they are not perfect, but what is that is mass produced.
Cheers
Hi Peter,
If your QX is metal (we don’t have those little up here in the cold wet Puget Sound/Seattle area). I’d get out my gas torch n fry their butts . That would kills eggs n Beatles I’d think 
! Let cool n reinstall in the hive … just a thot !
Our colonies are in cluster/sleepy time mood up here. Only see a bee or so on poop flight in sunny. Days now.
Seasons greetings n Merry Christmas 
Bro !
Gerald
Thanks for the tip on using a gas torch to fry the SHB, that is so logical but to be honest it didn’t even cross my mind. Or is it did cross my mind it went through at high speed 
It is now our Summer and our wet season with hot and humid weather. SHB is a big issue now over here and a slight tapering off in honey production. It was a very busy and productive long Spring. The Winter was very short, about six weeks of wearing jeans instead of shorts.
All the best for the festive season to you and yours, mate. 
Hi Jerry, great idea, it would kill them.
However, part of the key to SHB management is to give them no place to hide. @Peter48 is aiming for that as well as killing them. I think if I found them in an all metal QX, I might use your torch, but the gaps still need caulking to stop them from hiding in there. They soon come back if you don’t remove their hiding spaces. 
My metal QX is wood-rimmed, so I think the torch might be a bit too inflammatory… 
