Wow......i usually don't have that big of issue with them, but a few hives last year did.....looks like your method is as good as any I've seen, thanks for sharing Bruce!
I watched your video on SHB. I didn’t know I had any until I pulled honey today. There were a few on the frames with honey. My question is the honey ok or should I get rid of it. I live in north Alabama
I’m planning bee keeping in the Philippines. I noticed beetles like to hide in small crevasses. Could a crevasse trap be designed to use the sheets while keeping bees out? Or, is the loss of a few bees insignificant in the long run?
Disclaimer: as with anything on this channel I am trying to share my experience with both successes and failures. I have had tremendous success using these towels in recent years. The towels will catch a few bees. In my experience very few but there are usually a few in the fibers. So if they can catch bees there is a very small chance that a queen might get caught. I have never had any confirmed queen catches that I know of but it is possible. Thanks for watching and coming along with me for my journey! I wish only the best for you and your bees.
Here in Australia I am using " Chux" cloth and also "Rag on a roll" . Similar products to yours just different brand names . I use a full sheet cut to fit under the lid. Works well , still not convinced about peppermint candy but syill trying. We have verroa here now as well , fun times ahead 😂
@@jonathanclark257yeah. I am not opposed to peppermint. Have tried it some and maybe it helps. But it’s just hard to apply peppermints consistently to the number of colonies I have.
I run them front to back. Lengthwise. But really any direction would probably work. Some are concerned about bees getting caught and so they fold them up in the corners. It is the same principle as Swiffer sheets. Could I have explained it better in the video?
@@brucesbees no, your explanation was fine. I've been using swiffer sheets running across the frames placed near the front and rear of the hive. Works well, just curious if placement and direction made a difference.
This was just a quick little tip. Didn’t want to do a full length video. I actually filmed this after I shot the footage for the full length video. The reason for no link is because they are priced differently on Amazon and if you shop a bit you can get the best price.
Can you send me a link? A lot of commercial use those towels to administer “off label” products. Have no idea if that’s what they are doing. But if they can use them for SHB that would be good to know!
Hey Bruce. I had 4 hives in your same neck of the woods (dale county), and I lost all 4 to the SHB. I tried the H700 paper towels, but I think it was too late. We lost the first one, they were all slimed, and then one week later the last 3 were also slimed and abandoned. We had installed the little traps with oil and they seemed to have cought a hand full of beetles. Did we take too long to put the paper towels in? Are we supposed to do it before we even see any beetles? Also, I notice on one of your other videos, you treated the ground with grub poison. Do you know if that is working for you? Anything else we can do to prevent this from happening again? I'm going to start over next spring, but don't want to lose them again. It made me sick.
Yeah it’s good to get in top of it early I. The season. By the time you start seeing a ton of beetles it might be too late. I seem to have greatly reduced the beetle count in my hives though there are still a few. Strong colonies, proper space and treatments all play a role. The towels have saved many hives for me over the years. I am excited about the Grub Ex. Got it out kind of late this year. I plan to spread it earlier next year before the beetles get a hold and maybe reapply a time or two. The best way to minimize beetle issues is to be proactive. Sometimes that’s easier said than done. I have lost a few this year though things seem better so far.
@blackberry5908 i may need to do that next year. I have noticed that the hive beetle numbers have been fewer but not sure if it is because of the Grub Ex or a combination of everything I did plus seasonal changes. It id pretty subjective and I put the treatment out kind of late in the year. The plan for now is to apply earlier next year and see what happens. This is a great suggestion. Maybe I can document it a little better next year if I get started earlier in the year. My first impression is that is probably helped though. For the price of a bag of Grub Ex it is definitely worth a shot.
I tried Swiffer sheets this year but I killed too many of my bees and I didn't have any Beetles on it. I was trying to put it in as a preventative measure but I really don't see any beetles in my hives so took it out.
@@brucesbees thanks for the response. I was reading through comments and people say the Beetles can kill their hives in just 3 weeks so I was worried about not taking preventive measures. How long does it take those things to take a foothold in my hives?
@jamielandry9856 it doesn’t take long but most of my hives have a few. I am still having some issues down here. It seems they peaked late in the Ozark beeyard. Usually they are not an issue this time of year. If you are not typically seeing any it is really nothing to worry about.
There are typically a few bees that get caught but usually very few compared to the beetles. Theoretically there is a risk the queen might get caught but I have never knowingly seen that happen. To me the risk is worth the reward. I could not treat for fear of losing a queen and lose a bunch of colonies. Or I could treat and lose far fewer. This is just one of the tools in my toolbox for eliminating beetles. I also use beetle blasters if the problem is severe. I also tried spreading Grub Ex around the colonies this past year. Still trying to figure out the best method but using these towels has been an effective tool for me in the past. I will say that these treatments seem to be much less effective in the winter time. Not sure why.
@brucesbees I have a hipotesis. Or a theory if you will. Perhaps the condece humidity and the low temperatures turn the towel into a brittle sheet of ice. Not allow the fiber to rap around the legs of the bettles. It's just a wild guess. But thanks for the info.
@brianrosado7211 I could see that happening in a colder climate but here it rarely actually freezes. I think the beetles just spend their time amongst the bees in the winter and so they do not move around up where the towel is. Thanks for checking in.
Bruce, Have you tried "Homemade Weed Killer" under and around your hives? Although it is widely used for weeds, the ingredients that kill the weeds may do quite a number on small hive beetles as well. The formula: 1 cup salt. 1 Tablespoon dish soap (your choice) 1 gallon vinegar (white is best) The dish soap is a surfactant. It gets the solution to cover all surfaces and into the ground easily. The salt kills most anything it touches, and tends to stay in the ground for a while. The vinegar provides acid to break things down. It is the key ingredient and does the most to kill weeds (and soft bodied grubs). Word of caution... pay attention to where you apply this as: it kills all plants (not just weeds); the salt can make the ground "bad for plants" for a few years, and can contaminate groundwater if enough is applied; lastly, be mindful of runoff, don't let it get into ponds, lakes or streams. Despite this being a potent mix, it is actually quite safe as long as it is not over applied. Just a thought. Maybe try it on one or two semi isolated colonies to see if it works or not. I've never tried it for bugs specifically, but I have noticed that bugs tend to avoid treated areas.
@brucesbees, It is. You can use it in a sprayer or pour it from a pitcher/jar/bucket. Just remember to rinse the corrosive salt out of whatever you use to apply it.
Thank you for taking the time and sharing this information!!!
Your welcome. Thanks for watching.
Wow......i usually don't have that big of issue with them, but a few hives last year did.....looks like your method is as good as any I've seen, thanks for sharing Bruce!
This is definitely an effective tool to have in the toolbox.
Wow that’s amazing, thankfully I’ve never seen that many beetles. 1 of those cloths has more beetles than in all 50 of my familys hives. I’m up north…
Yes I hate hive beetles. Glad you don’t have to worry about them.
Great tip and cheaper than Swiffer sheets
Yes they are cheaper. A box like this will last a long time. Thanks for checking in Randy!
Thanks for the tip. Got my box of Dixie towels today. Will try out in coming days as I go through hives.
Hey that’s great. I hope the towels work as well for you as they have for me.
Ha bruce I got the towels and they are in my hives. thanks for the tip;
Cool deal. Hope they work out for you like they have for me.
On a winner there brilliant. Cheers.
Thanks for watching.
Hey it looks like they work well! Thanks for sharing
They do. Or already have worked well for me.
I watched your video on SHB. I didn’t know I had any until I pulled honey today. There were a few on the frames with honey. My question is the honey ok or should I get rid of it. I live in north Alabama
Honey should be ok unless they have started to slime it.
Wow Bruce, now that is a HB problem. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for this, does it matter what side is up?
I don’t think so.
I’m planning bee keeping in the Philippines. I noticed beetles like to hide in small crevasses. Could a crevasse trap be designed to use the sheets while keeping bees out? Or, is the loss of a few bees insignificant in the long run?
There are some different types of traps that can help out.
Bayer MaxForce FC
Good stuff.
Disclaimer: as with anything on this channel I am trying to share my experience with both successes and failures. I have had tremendous success using these towels in recent years. The towels will catch a few bees. In my experience very few but there are usually a few in the fibers. So if they can catch bees there is a very small chance that a queen might get caught. I have never had any confirmed queen catches that I know of but it is possible. Thanks for watching and coming along with me for my journey! I wish only the best for you and your bees.
Any bait used on the towels?
No. Same principle as Swiffer sheets.
Here in Australia I am using " Chux" cloth and also "Rag on a roll" . Similar products to yours just different brand names . I use a full sheet cut to fit under the lid. Works well , still not convinced about peppermint candy but syill trying.
We have verroa here now as well , fun times ahead 😂
Thanks for sharing. I really have no opinion on the peppermint either. Maybe it helps but it is tedious to apply to a lot of colonies.
They will only take peppermint certain time if the year
@@jonathanclark257yeah. I am not opposed to peppermint. Have tried it some and maybe it helps. But it’s just hard to apply peppermints consistently to the number of colonies I have.
I’m in AUS too. Are you just laying them front to back of the hive? Under the hive mat AND in between super and brood box??
I put the church cloth on top the frames under lid , the mints between the frames . Usually around 4 mints per hive
How often do you change out the paper towels?
Whenever they are full of beetles or lose their fluffiness.
@@brucesbees I just realized that you have to tear the paper towels not cut them. Not frizzy enough if you cut em
Bruce, do you run the across the frame or with the frames?
I run them front to back. Lengthwise. But really any direction would probably work. Some are concerned about bees getting caught and so they fold them up in the corners. It is the same principle as Swiffer sheets. Could I have explained it better in the video?
@@brucesbees no, your explanation was fine. I've been using swiffer sheets running across the frames placed near the front and rear of the hive. Works well, just curious if placement and direction made a difference.
@@brucesbees Well, yes you could have. Showing the sheets being put it, linking to a source to buy them, etc. would have been helpful.
Dixie H700 towels on Amazon. There might be another more detailed video coming…🤔
This was just a quick little tip. Didn’t want to do a full length video. I actually filmed this after I shot the footage for the full length video. The reason for no link is because they are priced differently on Amazon and if you shop a bit you can get the best price.
Have you seen the blue shop towels Chris Warners uses? Wonder if they would work for you.
I don’t know. Does he use them for beetles like this? Might be worth a try.
ua-cam.com/video/b6432SlcYe0/v-deo.html
Check that video out I don't think it's just for hive beetles but they talk about it helping
Can you send me a link? A lot of commercial use those towels to administer “off label” products. Have no idea if that’s what they are doing. But if they can use them for SHB that would be good to know!
Hey Bruce. I had 4 hives in your same neck of the woods (dale county), and I lost all 4 to the SHB. I tried the H700 paper towels, but I think it was too late. We lost the first one, they were all slimed, and then one week later the last 3 were also slimed and abandoned. We had installed the little traps with oil and they seemed to have cought a hand full of beetles. Did we take too long to put the paper towels in? Are we supposed to do it before we even see any beetles? Also, I notice on one of your other videos, you treated the ground with grub poison. Do you know if that is working for you? Anything else we can do to prevent this from happening again? I'm going to start over next spring, but don't want to lose them again. It made me sick.
Yeah it’s good to get in top of it early I. The season. By the time you start seeing a ton of beetles it might be too late. I seem to have greatly reduced the beetle count in my hives though there are still a few. Strong colonies, proper space and treatments all play a role. The towels have saved many hives for me over the years. I am excited about the Grub Ex. Got it out kind of late this year. I plan to spread it earlier next year before the beetles get a hold and maybe reapply a time or two. The best way to minimize beetle issues is to be proactive. Sometimes that’s easier said than done. I have lost a few this year though things seem better so far.
@@brucesbeesCould you make a full video of the GrubEx if it helped you.
Thanks
@blackberry5908 i may need to do that next year. I have noticed that the hive beetle numbers have been fewer but not sure if it is because of the Grub Ex or a combination of everything I did plus seasonal changes. It id pretty subjective and I put the treatment out kind of late in the year. The plan for now is to apply earlier next year and see what happens. This is a great suggestion. Maybe I can document it a little better next year if I get started earlier in the year. My first impression is that is probably helped though. For the price of a bag of Grub Ex it is definitely worth a shot.
What brand and any other info cheers mate.
Dixie H700 disposable towels. I usually order them on Amazon.
@@brucesbees cheers mate.
i do upper boxes to avoid queen,brawny dixie h700
Yep found them.
Eu moro no Brasil, também tem esse besouro aqui,mas não sei o nome desse material branco que vc botou queria saber o nome para eu usar aqui no Brasil
I tried Swiffer sheets this year but I killed too many of my bees and I didn't have any Beetles on it. I was trying to put it in as a preventative measure but I really don't see any beetles in my hives so took it out.
Yeah I probably wouldn’t use them if if beetles not a problem.
@@brucesbees thanks for the response. I was reading through comments and people say the Beetles can kill their hives in just 3 weeks so I was worried about not taking preventive measures. How long does it take those things to take a foothold in my hives?
@jamielandry9856 it doesn’t take long but most of my hives have a few. I am still having some issues down here. It seems they peaked late in the Ozark beeyard. Usually they are not an issue this time of year. If you are not typically seeing any it is really nothing to worry about.
Does this bother or endanger the bees in any way? The towels, I mean.
There are typically a few bees that get caught but usually very few compared to the beetles. Theoretically there is a risk the queen might get caught but I have never knowingly seen that happen. To me the risk is worth the reward. I could not treat for fear of losing a queen and lose a bunch of colonies. Or I could treat and lose far fewer. This is just one of the tools in my toolbox for eliminating beetles. I also use beetle blasters if the problem is severe. I also tried spreading Grub Ex around the colonies this past year. Still trying to figure out the best method but using these towels has been an effective tool for me in the past. I will say that these treatments seem to be much less effective in the winter time. Not sure why.
@brucesbees I have a hipotesis. Or a theory if you will. Perhaps the condece humidity and the low temperatures turn the towel into a brittle sheet of ice. Not allow the fiber to rap around the legs of the bettles. It's just a wild guess. But thanks for the info.
@brianrosado7211 I could see that happening in a colder climate but here it rarely actually freezes. I think the beetles just spend their time amongst the bees in the winter and so they do not move around up where the towel is. Thanks for checking in.
Looks like a queen bee stuck on the beetle sheet at bottom @ 1:14 to 1:20
Others have mentioned that but looking at some other footage from a different angle it was a worker bee. Not a queen.
Those things are from the deepest pit of hell! 🔥🔥
I would tend to agree.
Put some Scotts GrubEX in front of the hives to kill the shb grubs in the ground. There's a video on YT of a guy in Florida showing how to do it.
Stay tuned for my long form video that will be coming out. I might have just done that!
It does not work as well as you would hope.
Will have to see. A little late for the Grub Ex this year. Next year will try to get it out earlier and see if I notice a difference.
Bruce,
Have you tried "Homemade Weed Killer" under and around your hives? Although it is widely used for weeds, the ingredients that kill the weeds may do quite a number on small hive beetles as well.
The formula:
1 cup salt.
1 Tablespoon dish soap (your choice)
1 gallon vinegar (white is best)
The dish soap is a surfactant. It gets the solution to cover all surfaces and into the ground easily.
The salt kills most anything it touches, and tends to stay in the ground for a while.
The vinegar provides acid to break things down. It is the key ingredient and does the most to kill weeds (and soft bodied grubs).
Word of caution... pay attention to where you apply this as: it kills all plants (not just weeds); the salt can make the ground "bad for plants" for a few years, and can contaminate groundwater if enough is applied; lastly, be mindful of runoff, don't let it get into ponds, lakes or streams.
Despite this being a potent mix, it is actually quite safe as long as it is not over applied.
Just a thought. Maybe try it on one or two semi isolated colonies to see if it works or not.
I've never tried it for bugs specifically, but I have noticed that bugs tend to avoid treated areas.
Thanks for the tip. Sounds like it might work!
Sounds easy to use as well.
@brucesbees,
It is. You can use it in a sprayer or pour it from a pitcher/jar/bucket. Just remember to rinse the corrosive salt out of whatever you use to apply it.
@brucesbees,
Please let me (and everybody) know how it works.
I imagine the salt can annihilate the SHB larvae. An old commercial guy here in Alabama throws salt in front of his hives to accomplish that goal.
$70 a box. Does that sound right?
I haven’t bought in a while but that sounds about right.
That is absolutely insane how many you caught. . .
Yeah. It is crazy. No telling how many colonies have been saved by these towels in recent years.
Curious if you have tried the peppermint candy (with real peppermint oil not just peppermint flavoring)?
I have used peppermints. Not sure if real peppermint oil or not. I do believe they help some. It’s juts hard to apply them often.
I used only Swiffer sheets this year and had great results. Last year I had traps (3 versions) and guardian entrance's didn't quite do the trick
Yep these towels so the trick. Basically the same principal as Swiffer Sheets.
Do. U. Oil. The. Paper. Towels
No. Just tear them in strips. Similar strategy to using Swiffer sheets.