Thanks for the shout out friend I appreciate that! I too am starting to have hive beatle issues and have been pondering ordering some of those entrances. I did spread some Diatomaceous earth around the base of my hives to kill any hive beatle larvae coming out of the hive to the ground. It's all about that preventative pest management. Or I guess IPM
No problem. Thank you for the cork idea. Your smoker hack video is a good one. (ua-cam.com/video/cJCLV-L7V4U/v-deo.html) Actually, I like the honeybee tree too(ua-cam.com/video/GOx0B_itmQM/v-deo.html). You need to coax those bees out of the tree and into a box. Maybe with swarm commander. Or just let them live in the tree and catch their swarm every year. Free bees. Anyway, I may do a proper shout out video for you because there are a lot of good channels out there like yours waiting to get traction. When I was starting out Backyard Bees NC (ua-cam.com/users/ifixoldhouses) helped me with a shout out and it was awesome. It really added some steam to my stride. I am still a small channel but I will do what I can to help you and a couple of other small channel I like out. Thank you for sharing your time with me and my channel. I really appreciate you Will.
@@BugFarmerBees yeah that bee tree is on my list for next year for sure. I'm fimilar with Backyard bees NC! It's crazy how many of us there really is out there but it's nice to see what works and dont from the other channels.
All year long I haven't seen the hive beetle in my house at all I've got 10 hives and I checked them pretty regular and I go through them all and I haven't seen the first five beetle and this let me know thank you brother have a blessed day
The premise on the guardian is that beetles land on the landing board and because they cannot crawl around sharp edges, they cannot enter thru the guardian entrance. Notice the actual entrance is about 1/4 inch above the bottom board when installed correctly. If the do happen to land on the guardian entrance portion, then they cannot traverse the holes and fall back through. Then, if they do happen to crawl up the inside, vertical edge, the channel keeps them crawling around the entrance, and again, they cannot crawl around the sharp edge, or they fall down on the entrance, and again, the holes. We have a guy in our club that actually found the correct spacing and has built a successful bottom board with the same design so nothing has to be installed.
Excellent. Do you think you can get him to share the design? I have also made a bottom board with a beetle deterrent and it is installed on the new hive from the yellow split. I was going to wait to see the results before I shared it. Any way, this will be a great product if it works but the all-in-one bottom board will be better an I would be curious to see it. Thanks for stopping in to have a look Mike. I really, really, really, appreciate you :-)
Bug Farmer he might share it. Problem is we haven’t met in moths now and he’s a long way from me. When the Ag centers open back up and we meet again, I’ll have to check with him.
@@MikeBarryBees I would love to build one and give it a try. Ever since I saw your beetle video I am afraid of getting slimed. I guess I really didn't take the hive beetles that seriously last year. This year I am scared and trying to be pro-active.
Bug Farmer honestly, I just don’t sweat it anymore. Not saying I don’t care and I’m not willing to try different things. But it’s one of those things where I’m just not throwing a ton of $$ at it anymore. I try to keep hives strong thru selective combines, movements, resource bumps, space reduction, etc., and then just count them in with any other loss. Mites are a worse problem. Beetles will always exist in the hives and won’t kill the colony, only take advantage of what the mites weaken. I will start drenching again in the soil. That is effective and not expensive.
@@MikeBarryBees I agree. Cheap is better. I try to do as much as I can on the cheap. Unfortunately, my knowledge is limited and has to be compensated with my wallet at this point in my beekeeping adventure. As I learn more, I will spend less; I hope, anyway. Thanks for all you do Mike.
This is the second year that I am using them. Expensive but they do work. Just be sure to have a well sealed hive and that the hive is not having a beetle issue to start with. I have them on one Flow hive and two long langstroth hives. If you use the round upper one, I recommend using it only for ventilation with 1/8" hardware cloth under it to keep wax moths out. Thanks and blessings to all that are trying to help our little sisters in their time of hardship. EDIT- I also use screened bottom boards and oil pans in all my hives...Mostly for varroa mites but it helps with SHB as well.
Thanks. I will be redesigning my hives this winter to account for my severe hive beetle infestation this year. I agree that the Guardian works but I have to close a lot of screened entrances in my hives ans add a counter measure to my hives. It will be a busy winter for me. :-) Thanks for stopping b=y and I really appreciate your taking the time to comment. Take care.
I use a combination of the two. SHB are so nasty and can move fast. Hard to smush them all. Diatomaceous earth in the beetle blasters isn’t as messy as oil, and is very effective. Good luck with them.
Thanks ECP. Pop over to William Blanchards page. He is a really good guy just starting out and could use some support. Thanks for you comment and your time. I appreciate you. Have a great day!
@@ECP Maybe I could do a shout out for you, William, and a couple others who I follow. I am a small channel myself but I could certainly give it a try.
Whilst this is my first year in bee keeping, I brought 2 hives with these traps already on the entrances. On inspection even with these guardian entrances and bottoms boards, I still had problems with the beetles. I have even added beetle traps using oil in them to attempt to control the infestation. Not sure if these will control them as good as say
Someone just told me about a new beetle deterrent I may try this year. I forget the name but I added it to my saved items on Amazon. I will order and review it soon.
Take a beetle barn trap or an empty CD case, and apply Heavy Duty Double Sided Tape on the inner ceiling and floor of the trap, and see if you catch any beetles that way.
Me too. I still have to do a deep dive in each of the hives to manually remove any beetles I see as well as place the beetle blaster traps. I really think this may work though. I have high hopes.
I dislike hive beetles when they first showed up in my area for the first time i think it was 2006 or around then it wiped out all my hives with in a month. I started keeping bees back in 1994 and had never dealt with them. Never and a mite problem that killed hives, but beetles bad news. I am now subscribed looking forward to watching more videos. I do not do many beekeeping videos on my channel, bee and wasp relocation yes and some old videos from when I started.
I thought the Beetles first came to America in 1964. See what I did there? :-) Nice to have you along for the ride NorthernANTs. I'll give you channel a look. Thanks for checking out some of my older stuff, some of which is cringworthy but most UA-cam channels are in the beginning. Anyway, I am happy to have you here and I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. Take care.
I was watching as u installed the new guards and I have a question? when u installed the guards it looks to me like the holes that the beetals should fall to the ground is laying on the landing board witch they.dont fall and can just keep trying to get inn and could possibly figure it out from not falling to the ground. am i wrong?
The entrance is actually it an angle that allows the beetles to fall through the holes and land under the Guardian. I will know tomorrow if they work because I am going to do an inspection. Thanks for taking the time to stop by the channel. :-)
No. I actually use a standard screened bottom board on top of my flow base because I do not like the flow entrance. It doesn't accept a standard entrance reducer either. Just get, or build a standard landing board and use standardized equipment. Thanks for the question Ginger and thanks for watching. :-)
I am going to say yes. But that comes with a caveat. I still have a few hive beetles running around in the hive. The good thing is I am pretty sure they are not coming in through the entrance. I am pretty sure they are coming in through the hardware cloth I used to cover the vent holes in my cooling unit. I will be covering those holes this year with a very tight weave screen from a screen door which should solve the problem. As far as the Guardian goes, I have actually seen beetles being thwarted by the entrance and not able to figure it out. I do believe in them and have just received 4 more for my new hives. I will be discussing my experience and findings in an upcoming video but you have the inside track. Thanks for the question. I hope I answered it satisfactory. Have a great day!
Is there an up & down to those things? I ask because all the entrance guards were put in on the left except the one. Really hope these solve the beetle problem for you. =)
Actually, there is a right/left on the entrance reducers. No reason, just the way they were cut. The Guardian attachment is standard and can bee applied to most any wooden entrance reducer. Thanks for stopping in to have a look. :-)
It will take them a few minutes to figure out how to get in but they will and any beetles that try to get in they will have them in trapped in the bottom under the holes. Also helps with robbing because robbers just want to fly straight in and don't know how to use the entrance especially if its a wild colony doing the robbing.
you could use dry swiffer sheets to catch the ones left inside ( see brucesbees recent posting youtube channel) I use them and they work great' also use beetle blasters w di earth instead of oil. I also use oil-filled screened bottom boards. also great videos you put out a lot of great info and laughs 😁😷 Stay safe
I used these this year and my hive beetle problem is much worse earlier in the year than in past years. My Langstroth hives are overrun and my Layen's hive are all doing well with very few beetles. Both have Guardians installed. In my opinion they are useless kin combating SHBs.
Email me. The address in on the about page. I don't have a storefront yet but I am working on it. The battle with the ants continues but I am winning :-). Thanks for watching :-)
I wish I could answer that question. This is the season where we find out. I have set up different hives with different configurations and we are going to see what works best. I have see the guardian repel beetles trying to fly in but I have also experienced a large number of hive beetles in my hives. This season I have closed up all entrances in the hives with the exception of the guardian entrance.l. If beetles get in the hive they will have come through the Guardian. This season will tell the tale.
What part of Georgia do you live in I live in Lithia Springs Georgia mines bringing and very little pollen but I see that you're busy is bringing in a lot and can you figure out what kind of pollen they're bringing in on you mind I think they're getting them from these trees around these big buildings he's bushes and everything crepe myrtles and all give me a shout back and let me know what part of Georgia do you live in I appreciate it brother you have a blessed day
I am in south east metro Atlanta. The girls just started bringing in tons of very yellow pollen but I have no idea where it is coming from. I look around nothing is blooming so I would have to assume it is maybe pine or grass. I am waiting patiently for the Goldenrod and Astor to make an appearance in my area but nothing yet. Maybe someone has a pollen feeder out and they are getting substitute from somewhere. I will keep an eye out and let you know when I figure it out. Thanks for watching Claude, I really appreciate you stopping in to have a look.
Use peppermint candy got 2 hives added the candy about a month ago and haven’t seen 1 single beetle in any trap. Hillbilly beekeeping has a video about it. No need to keep buy all these traps and stuff that doesn’t work
I have tried something similar with peppermint oil on cotton balls. I have chosen not to ad peppermint candy to my hives because the bees will consume the sweet candy and I fear honey with a peppermint twist :-). The best defense from hive beetles I have learned is a solid bottom board and a strong colony of bees. :-)
@@BugFarmerBees I personally like the screened boards helps with the heat and my mentor tells me it helps with mites but I haven’t gotten honey yet my plan is try it with one hive next year to see if their is a taste in it
They are creepy. And if they are left in the hive they will take over and "slime" the hive by laying eggs in the cells which quickly turn into larva (maggots) Hive beetles are the worst. How is the bird and your husbands model building?
I need to start training my birds to eat SHB. I'll bet if I let my chickens walk around the hives they would make a dent in the beetle population. :-) Thanks for stopping in to have a look and thanks for taking the time to comment. Take care.
@@BugFarmerBees you're welcome, i am in central europe and we don't have hive beetles yet, they look like chore so i am preparing myself for eventual infestation, but my guinea fowl and chickens seem to pick wax moths and fly from landing boards imminently, while avoiding bees, with no training coming by my part, guinea also eat all ants from around hives, and dead bee bodies, they also trim grass around hive area too.
Thanks for the shout out friend I appreciate that! I too am starting to have hive beatle issues and have been pondering ordering some of those entrances. I did spread some Diatomaceous earth around the base of my hives to kill any hive beatle larvae coming out of the hive to the ground. It's all about that preventative pest management. Or I guess IPM
No problem. Thank you for the cork idea. Your smoker hack video is a good one. (ua-cam.com/video/cJCLV-L7V4U/v-deo.html) Actually, I like the honeybee tree too(ua-cam.com/video/GOx0B_itmQM/v-deo.html). You need to coax those bees out of the tree and into a box. Maybe with swarm commander. Or just let them live in the tree and catch their swarm every year. Free bees. Anyway, I may do a proper shout out video for you because there are a lot of good channels out there like yours waiting to get traction. When I was starting out Backyard Bees NC (ua-cam.com/users/ifixoldhouses) helped me with a shout out and it was awesome. It really added some steam to my stride. I am still a small channel but I will do what I can to help you and a couple of other small channel I like out. Thank you for sharing your time with me and my channel. I really appreciate you Will.
@@BugFarmerBees yeah that bee tree is on my list for next year for sure. I'm fimilar with Backyard bees NC! It's crazy how many of us there really is out there but it's nice to see what works and dont from the other channels.
I'm adding you!
All year long I haven't seen the hive beetle in my house at all I've got 10 hives and I checked them pretty regular and I go through them all and I haven't seen the first five beetle and this let me know thank you brother have a blessed day
My hives were clean until about three weeks ago and them WAMO! they hit with a vengeance. Now the battle is on! :-)
The premise on the guardian is that beetles land on the landing board and because they cannot crawl around sharp edges, they cannot enter thru the guardian entrance. Notice the actual entrance is about 1/4 inch above the bottom board when installed correctly. If the do happen to land on the guardian entrance portion, then they cannot traverse the holes and fall back through. Then, if they do happen to crawl up the inside, vertical edge, the channel keeps them crawling around the entrance, and again, they cannot crawl around the sharp edge, or they fall down on the entrance, and again, the holes. We have a guy in our club that actually found the correct spacing and has built a successful bottom board with the same design so nothing has to be installed.
Excellent. Do you think you can get him to share the design? I have also made a bottom board with a beetle deterrent and it is installed on the new hive from the yellow split. I was going to wait to see the results before I shared it. Any way, this will be a great product if it works but the all-in-one bottom board will be better an I would be curious to see it. Thanks for stopping in to have a look Mike. I really, really, really, appreciate you :-)
Bug Farmer he might share it. Problem is we haven’t met in moths now and he’s a long way from me. When the Ag centers open back up and we meet again, I’ll have to check with him.
@@MikeBarryBees I would love to build one and give it a try. Ever since I saw your beetle video I am afraid of getting slimed. I guess I really didn't take the hive beetles that seriously last year. This year I am scared and trying to be pro-active.
Bug Farmer honestly, I just don’t sweat it anymore. Not saying I don’t care and I’m not willing to try different things. But it’s one of those things where I’m just not throwing a ton of $$ at it anymore. I try to keep hives strong thru selective combines, movements, resource bumps, space reduction, etc., and then just count them in with any other loss. Mites are a worse problem. Beetles will always exist in the hives and won’t kill the colony, only take advantage of what the mites weaken. I will start drenching again in the soil. That is effective and not expensive.
@@MikeBarryBees I agree. Cheap is better. I try to do as much as I can on the cheap. Unfortunately, my knowledge is limited and has to be compensated with my wallet at this point in my beekeeping adventure. As I learn more, I will spend less; I hope, anyway. Thanks for all you do Mike.
This is the second year that I am using them. Expensive but they do work. Just be sure to have a well sealed hive and that the hive is not having a beetle issue to start with. I have them on one Flow hive and two long langstroth hives. If you use the round upper one, I recommend using it only for ventilation with 1/8" hardware cloth under it to keep wax moths out.
Thanks and blessings to all that are trying to help our little sisters in their time of hardship.
EDIT- I also use screened bottom boards and oil pans in all my hives...Mostly for varroa mites but it helps with SHB as well.
Thanks. I will be redesigning my hives this winter to account for my severe hive beetle infestation this year. I agree that the Guardian works but I have to close a lot of screened entrances in my hives ans add a counter measure to my hives. It will be a busy winter for me. :-) Thanks for stopping b=y and I really appreciate your taking the time to comment. Take care.
I use a combination of the two. SHB are so nasty and can move fast. Hard to smush them all. Diatomaceous earth in the beetle blasters isn’t as messy as oil, and is very effective. Good luck with them.
Don't you worry about the beetles leaving the trap and spreading DE around the inside of the hive?
Once they fall in, they can’t get out. The inside wall is slick and the de kills them. De doesn’t get rancid like oil.
Yeppers.... I all ready use a cork and hive beetle traps... might try the entrances if I need too...
Thanks ECP. Pop over to William Blanchards page. He is a really good guy just starting out and could use some support. Thanks for you comment and your time. I appreciate you. Have a great day!
Bug Farmer will do.... I greatly need bee support too .... all my viewers of my bee videos are from the coin community
@@ECP Maybe I could do a shout out for you, William, and a couple others who I follow. I am a small channel myself but I could certainly give it a try.
Bug Farmer That would be great.... I can do the same for all of your channels....
Whilst this is my first year in bee keeping, I brought 2 hives with these traps already on the entrances. On inspection even with these guardian entrances and bottoms boards, I still had problems with the beetles. I have even added beetle traps using oil in them to attempt to control the infestation. Not sure if these will control them as good as say
Someone just told me about a new beetle deterrent I may try this year. I forget the name but I added it to my saved items on Amazon. I will order and review it soon.
Take a beetle barn trap or an empty CD case, and apply Heavy Duty Double Sided Tape on the inner ceiling and floor of the trap, and see if you catch any beetles that way.
That is a great idea. That way I don't have to use borax or DE. Thanks for the idea and thank you for stopping in top have a look.
Heading over to william's channel now!!
Thanks. I am sure he will appreciate it. He is a good guy just starting out.
I think they will work perfectly 👋🙏👍
We will find out in Friday's episode. :-)
Thanks for sharing im always learning something new
Hi Miss Canadian Scrapper. Good to hear from you as always. :-)
I can't wait to see in a few months if they work. 👍👍
Me too. I still have to do a deep dive in each of the hives to manually remove any beetles I see as well as place the beetle blaster traps. I really think this may work though. I have high hopes.
I dislike hive beetles when they first showed up in my area for the first time i think it was 2006 or around then it wiped out all my hives with in a month. I started keeping bees back in 1994 and had never dealt with them. Never and a mite problem that killed hives, but beetles bad news. I am now subscribed looking forward to watching more videos. I do not do many beekeeping videos on my channel, bee and wasp relocation yes and some old videos from when I started.
I thought the Beetles first came to America in 1964. See what I did there? :-) Nice to have you along for the ride NorthernANTs. I'll give you channel a look. Thanks for checking out some of my older stuff, some of which is cringworthy but most UA-cam channels are in the beginning. Anyway, I am happy to have you here and I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. Take care.
I was watching as u installed the new guards and I have a question?
when u installed the guards it looks to me like the holes that the beetals should fall to the ground is laying on the landing board witch they.dont fall and can just keep trying to get inn and could possibly figure it out from not falling to the ground. am i wrong?
I can actually c how they work i thought you would have had to cut out the landing board there but now I c that they can fall through the holes
The entrance is actually it an angle that allows the beetles to fall through the holes and land under the Guardian. I will know tomorrow if they work because I am going to do an inspection. Thanks for taking the time to stop by the channel. :-)
Will the Guardian fit on a Flow Hives smaller, not as deep entrance?
No. I actually use a standard screened bottom board on top of my flow base because I do not like the flow entrance. It doesn't accept a standard entrance reducer either. Just get, or build a standard landing board and use standardized equipment. Thanks for the question Ginger and thanks for watching. :-)
Did it work? 8 months later?
I am going to say yes. But that comes with a caveat. I still have a few hive beetles running around in the hive. The good thing is I am pretty sure they are not coming in through the entrance. I am pretty sure they are coming in through the hardware cloth I used to cover the vent holes in my cooling unit. I will be covering those holes this year with a very tight weave screen from a screen door which should solve the problem. As far as the Guardian goes, I have actually seen beetles being thwarted by the entrance and not able to figure it out. I do believe in them and have just received 4 more for my new hives. I will be discussing my experience and findings in an upcoming video but you have the inside track. Thanks for the question. I hope I answered it satisfactory. Have a great day!
Is there an up & down to those things? I ask because all the entrance guards were put in on the left except the one.
Really hope these solve the beetle problem for you. =)
Actually, there is a right/left on the entrance reducers. No reason, just the way they were cut. The Guardian attachment is standard and can bee applied to most any wooden entrance reducer. Thanks for stopping in to have a look. :-)
It will take them a few minutes to figure out how to get in but they will and any beetles that try to get in they will have them in trapped in the bottom under the holes. Also helps with robbing because robbers just want to fly straight in and don't know how to use the entrance especially if its a wild colony doing the robbing.
Thanks for your suggestion Mike. I really think this is going to work based on the way it is designed. I think it's a winner! :-)
@@BugFarmerBees put your traps in with diatomaceous earth in them and get all you can get out and problem solved with the shb problem 👍
you could use dry swiffer sheets to catch the ones left inside ( see brucesbees recent posting youtube channel) I use them and they work great' also use beetle blasters w di earth instead of oil. I also use oil-filled screened bottom boards. also great videos you put out a lot of great info and laughs 😁😷 Stay safe
Thanks Richard. I really appreciate you. Have a great day and thanks for watching.
Did you figure out a way to protect against ants?
I did. Will share solution soon. It's a good one! :-)
I just bought two but have not installed the yet
I will be doing a Guardian review on Friday. It might be worth a look. "I'm-Never Bored" either :-)
Great video
Thanks Tom. The beetles are kicking my butt this year!
They are mine too. I use the beetle blasters with the DE. The hives look good.
I used these this year and my hive beetle problem is much worse earlier in the year than in past years. My Langstroth hives are overrun and my Layen's hive are all doing well with very few beetles. Both have Guardians installed. In my opinion they are useless kin combating SHBs.
I agree 100%. ua-cam.com/video/cCfbjZD5ULQ/v-deo.html
Do you Sell your Honey, and the Shirt you have On, I hope that works for you , did you get rid of the ants, thaks love your video's 🐝 Happy.
Email me. The address in on the about page. I don't have a storefront yet but I am working on it. The battle with the ants continues but I am winning :-). Thanks for watching :-)
I never see your hives with the Guardian on the hive. Did it not work for you? Did you trash them? Share you experience.
Keep watching the videos. :-) I have done several updates on the guardian. They have been working. The beetle population has been declining.
Have they worked for you?
I wish I could answer that question. This is the season where we find out. I have set up different hives with different configurations and we are going to see what works best. I have see the guardian repel beetles trying to fly in but I have also experienced a large number of hive beetles in my hives. This season I have closed up all entrances in the hives with the exception of the guardian entrance.l. If beetles get in the hive they will have come through the Guardian. This season will tell the tale.
What part of Georgia do you live in I live in Lithia Springs Georgia mines bringing and very little pollen but I see that you're busy is bringing in a lot and can you figure out what kind of pollen they're bringing in on you mind I think they're getting them from these trees around these big buildings he's bushes and everything crepe myrtles and all give me a shout back and let me know what part of Georgia do you live in I appreciate it brother you have a blessed day
I am in south east metro Atlanta. The girls just started bringing in tons of very yellow pollen but I have no idea where it is coming from. I look around nothing is blooming so I would have to assume it is maybe pine or grass. I am waiting patiently for the Goldenrod and Astor to make an appearance in my area but nothing yet. Maybe someone has a pollen feeder out and they are getting substitute from somewhere. I will keep an eye out and let you know when I figure it out. Thanks for watching Claude, I really appreciate you stopping in to have a look.
Use peppermint candy got 2 hives added the candy about a month ago and haven’t seen 1 single beetle in any trap. Hillbilly beekeeping has a video about it. No need to keep buy all these traps and stuff that doesn’t work
I have tried something similar with peppermint oil on cotton balls. I have chosen not to ad peppermint candy to my hives because the bees will consume the sweet candy and I fear honey with a peppermint twist :-). The best defense from hive beetles I have learned is a solid bottom board and a strong colony of bees. :-)
@@BugFarmerBees I personally like the screened boards helps with the heat and my mentor tells me it helps with mites but I haven’t gotten honey yet my plan is try it with one hive next year to see if their is a taste in it
Those things are creepy!
They are creepy. And if they are left in the hive they will take over and "slime" the hive by laying eggs in the cells which quickly turn into larva (maggots) Hive beetles are the worst. How is the bird and your husbands model building?
@@BugFarmerBees Jasper is psycho, and Ed is has been building walls for the house. Lol!
Tried chickens/guinea fowl? and extended pipe entrances? Beetle fail to land, bird picks it up, eats it, and repeat.
I need to start training my birds to eat SHB. I'll bet if I let my chickens walk around the hives they would make a dent in the beetle population. :-) Thanks for stopping in to have a look and thanks for taking the time to comment. Take care.
@@BugFarmerBees you're welcome, i am in central europe and we don't have hive beetles yet, they look like chore so i am preparing myself for eventual infestation, but my guinea fowl and chickens seem to pick wax moths and fly from landing boards imminently, while avoiding bees, with no training coming by my part, guinea also eat all ants from around hives, and dead bee bodies, they also trim grass around hive area too.