Beekeeper vs Winter Hive Beetles? The War Continues!!!
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- Опубліковано 18 січ 2024
- Beekeeper vs Winter Hive Beetles? The War Conitinues! In this video I try a new tool, the Beetle Sucker 5000, a gift from Bug Farmer.
Check out his channel @BugFarmerBees
Link to how he made the BS-5000: • NO MORE HIVE BEETLES |...
#brucesbees #beekeeping #hivebeetles - Розваги
I can say there is nothing better than waking up on Saturday morning, drinking coffee, and watching 907 beetles meet their doom. I still cannot believe how many beetles you have this time of year. I hope the Beetle Sucker 5000 can reduce the beetle pressure in the hives and let the bees focus of the queen. Maybe we can get together this next season and play with some bees. 🙂
That would be fun. Thanks for sending me the BS-5000. It might be my only hope for saving at least some of these colonies.
I saw Bug Farmers video. Like you said, a pain but it does lower the beetle numbers. They can run but they can not run fast enough from the sucker
Yes it is a cool tool. I used it again today and probably got almost that many again off 2 or 3 hives. The biggest limiting factor with the vac is the battery life is not very long. But is an effective tool. I appreciate Big Farmer sending it to me.
A BIT worrisome going into Spring. Have you treated around your hives with something like GrubEx?? Bees look good!!!
I haven't seen any. My neighbors do ... God Bless!!!
I’m sure.
Thats a ton of beetles. Opened couple of my hives here in east tx and had quite a few beetles but not that many. I had to move all of my hives out of one of my shady apiaries this year. Beetles killed me there last year and were trying this year. Thanks for the videos.
Ingenious little vacuum. The number of SHB in your hives is insane. Between the Bug Farmer's Sucker 5000 and the strength of your colonies, hopefully those numbers get knocked down significantly.
I certainly hope so. Thanks for check in in!
WOW! Beetles have been terrible this last year. I love the ingenuity beekeepers have when presented with a problem and they find a solution.
Yes they have! Hopefully this beetle vac will help the bees get the upper hand.
I didn't have a chance to watch the video yet, but saw the title. Ive seen yards of hundred of hives slimed out hives and sucking up those hive beetles doesn't work with high populations but we also have a lot of fruit trees here so the beetles can be found in the rotting fruit under the trees. I would use a full brawny sheet, not a narrow strip of towel under your lid. Is there a reason you can't use screened bottoms with oil pan below? Thats the #1 way I kill SHB. And of course keeping those mite levels low. When the cluster moves up into the second box, do you take that empty box below off the hive? That would prevent the beetles from having so much space to roam. I'm surprised you're seeing so many in Jan. We keep our frames of drawn out comb in an air conditioned room and that is enough to keep them from breeding.
Yes never had this issue in the winter time before. Have had some dead outs but no slime outs. It’s almost as if the beetles are just living amongst the bees. I done use screened bottom boards. The towels and beetle traps do not seem to be as effective in the winter time when cold. Have sucked up a bunch of beetles with the vac. Fortunately, at least so far, the problems seem to be mostly in this one location. I have some nice strong bees in other spots that are doing really well. I have learned a lot about beetles through this whole ordeal. Hopefully will have a few colonies survive in that spot.
Never seen that many beetles, Crazy. Good thing Bug Farmer sent that beetle sucker to ya. Has to help removing that many from those hives. Good luck with those darn things. Been lucky up here in Ohio, haven’t had a big issue with them yet. 🤞🏻
Yeah I hope it helps the surviving bees the upper hand. It’s been rough up there in Ozark.
That is a good use of your time! Need to get Tony to do a Everything bee vac for beetles!
That's great 👍 it was Really nice to meet you at the Bee Expo. 😊 Looking forward to next year's show 😊
Me too. Great to meet you as well!
Hey Bruce, you told me you had a beetle problem, but I didn’t think it was that bad! I just ordered me a mini vac so I can build me one, anything that will make it easier to get rid of them rascals will be worth the money and effort. Always great to learn from your videos.
It is an effective tool for sure. Hope I have some colonies left in Ozark when winter is over. It has been rough up there!
Thanks Bruce !
Mercy sakes!!! Glad you’ve got that suckem-up apparatus!
Yeah me too. Hopefully it will help the beetles get the upper hand.
That's an incredible amount of beetles. That's a handy little sucker. 😂
Yes it is! Hopefully can get them under better control!
So glad we don’t have beetles up here like that. What a pain that must be to deal with. Anytime your hives are under attack it’s stressful. That beetle vac looks like it worked great!
Yes they are such a nuisance. I expect them in the summer but have never seen them like this in the winter time.
Maybe you can make traps to catch the larvae before they enter the soil. It mounts under your hive entrance. There’s a website that shows how they’re made. Look up sandpaper hive beetle trap. It’s just 4 pieces of wood screwed together with a window screen bottom for rain to pass through. The inside walls of the wood are lined with sandpaper. They can’t climb sandpaper to escape.
Thanks for the tip! I have not really seen any larvae of late so I don’t believe the beetles are actively reproducing right now. I think they are holding steady and awaiting warmer weather to reproduce even more. I am going to try some various things moving into spring.
Those beetles are insane
absolutely.
Never seen so many beetles even in a feral colony.
Yeah it’s a lot. I have seen number like this in the summer time and usually the colony is doomed. But never seen them like this in the winter I hope I can save at least some of them.
Hate to see you're still dealing with the beatles. Hope it improves. Looking out the window I see my hives buried in 8-10 inches of snow, makes me kind of jealous you're able to work bees right now.
Yeah it has been either cold or rainy here on the days when I am available so haven’t been able to get into my bees like I need to.
In the winter time I put my beetle towels between the brood chambers. I also put two side by side, with that infestation
Get them Beetles Bruce!
I am trying!
Great video Bruce!!! It seems we pay for our warmer weather with hive beetle habitat.
Maybe that has a something to do with it. Never seen anything like it.
@@brucesbees I do box changes seems to help. I will find the queen and shake everything out, bees march back in. It’s almost like trying to hold the tide back or something, just learning to live with them. We didn’t have them back when I first got into beekeeping. Didn’t have varroa either though.
Insane the amount of SHB in that yard.
Yes it is ridiculous!
wow...lots of beetles, surprised no slime...will it help if hives were out of treeline?....just curious, I am a first year beekeeper and learning to keep beetles away. I always enjoy your videos
It might help some. The beetles don’t seem to slime out hives or reproduce much in the winter when it’s cold.
I’ve never seen so many hive. Beatles in one colony we’re lucky we don’t even get those here in Maine. At least I’ve never seen any Beatles in any of my colonies but then again, we have to deal with the snow
🙃
Yep. Different challenges in different areas. These beetles are such a nuisance. Can’t stand them.
Great video Bruce, i do have a question about the beetle sucker as too the level of noise, i know it's cold now, but do you think the bees will mind the tone of that in warm weather, just thinking how they react to a weed trimmer at times. love your videos.
I don’t think they like it much even now. But it’s something that I think needs to be done. Hopefully I can get them under control and not have to use it much. You’re right about the weed eater. Yikes!
Wasn't that long ago those bees never looked better. Picked up some viruses . Happens when the drones start cutting back mites migrate over to the worker bees . Only takes few days. Research showed in 9 days workers went from 14% infected to 65% infection just because they layed off the drone brood . That's why those washes don't always work were washing the wrong bees . I'm definitely adding drone frames and plan on using as way to remove mites. Looks like they will build up just fine.. when do you get first pollen ? My sister just 30 miles north of Alabama thinking I need to take 100 nucs down in January and bring back 500 in April .
Yeah they have some issues with nosema per the bee inspector. I really think I just did some major manipulations/splits etc too late in the season and the bees have never really recovered. Has been a painful but learning experience. Hope I still have colonies left in that spot in a couple of months.
This is ideal for the hobby beekeeper with 8 or less hives (probably?). Luckily I rarely see hives with that many hive beetles here in Southern Ohio.
Yes. With the number of beetles I am dealing with it takes awhile to get them all sucked up so it only lasts for a few colonies. But if the numbers were more controlled it would be able to take care of a lot of colonies before the battery conks out.
I used grubex around my hives and it eliminated the beetle issue
I used Grub Ex last summer but maybe got it out too late. I need to buy a couple of bags and reapply to all my locations.
You forgot the sign in front of your apiary… “No Beetles Beyond This Point”
I hear ya lol. I would definitely do it if I thought it would work haha!
It's always been my experience I do a lot of hive change out. Change out the boxes seems to make the Beatles disorientated that just my experience
Thanks for the tip Rick. Any and all ideas are on the table. Maybe I will give it a try. It might do some good to reduce space in some of these colonies as well. Has been a rough year already in that location. But I have learned a lot about hive beetles!
Are the hives in the shade? I didn't have a beetle problem until I put hives in the shade.
Yes some are. But I have had beetle problems in sun and shade. The crazy thing is that I have never had them this bad in the winter
Have you tried using the grub ex under and around the hives? Or DE? That is a ton of SHB 😮😮 May need to use some rocks o pebbles under hives?
I spread Grub Ex last summer. Frankly the problem didn’t seem that bad during typical beetle season. It’s been strange.
Hey Bruce, not sure if you have or plan to, or if someone has already suggested it, but what about putting a bunch of Scott's GrubEx around the hives? Would help keepvfrom getting worse when it warms up.
Yeah I plan to do that. I did it last year but I think it was too late.
Love that sucker
Works well
@@brucesbees good to hear, I get them here too,so im shopping for one
Dang it, that is a bunch of beetles.
Yeah. It’s sickening!
My bees move down on their own without rotating boxes.
I just think beetle barns work good in the winter.. but I do love the beetle vac 5000 🤔
Thanks for checking in!
Those agravating things make my skin crawl
I can’t stand them!
Where can you buy the beetle vac? I couldn’t find it on the internet anywhere.
No I think you have to make your own. Go to @Bug Farmer and there is a video there where he shows how to make it.
Put wix dishcloth under and on top of the frames mate beetles get stuck in the fine hairs and cant escape clean that mess up real quick
Thanks for the tip!
I cannot get over the beetles still invading this time of year! I sure hope the beetle population decreases for you going into spring!
its nuts huh
Me too! Absolutely nuts.
Last time i saw that many beetles in my hive i lost the hive
Yes it is not a good thing to have this many beetles for sure. I hope some of these colonies survive.
@@brucesbees thanks for showing us. Not understanding how this is happening in january
Me either. Have never experienced this. The beetles were not as bad as usual during the summer. It’s really bizarre.
What's that machine called?
The Beetle Sucker 5000. I think I mentioned it in the video?
Try putting the beetles in oil to kill
That is a great idea. I tried soapy water. It is somewhat ineffective. I ended up freezing them. Wanted to be able to count them for the video.
You should really be installing Beetle blaster traps with Diotemeasous Earth in them to a 1/4 inch depth, it does not go rancid like oil and kill beetles on the spot, your beetle situation is absurd.
Yes it is. I typically use beetle blasters as needed but in the winter time the normal treatments don’t seem to be as effective. It seems the bees are living amongst the bees and the bees are not running them off and corralling them like they do im the warmer times.
@@brucesbees Well Bruce, even if you say the traps don't work as well in winter, its better than nothing right, maybe your bees are just so tired of not getting any help from you they just gave up chasing them around, don't knock it till ya try it, and while your at it, get them out of the woods!
Hate your still having such a problem with hive beetles. Gunline bees has a peppermint and eucalyptus oil mix they say works pretty well. Good luck
Thanks for sharing. I might need to look into to that.
If you could only find someone that would pay money for SHB then you would a rich dude. LOL
For real lol.
Bruce unfortunately looks like you are beetles keeper not a beekeeper!!
😆
That’s how it feels in that yard. Bees looking good for the most part everywhere else.
MAN THAT'S ALOT OF BEETLES! I Don't feel as bad about my few beetles now