Beekeeping Blog

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A small hive beetle infestation can ruin a hive in a hurry. This article will show you the damage of small hive beetles and how to prevent it. The larvae hatch and then defecate on the honeycomb as they migrate down the hive and outside. This spoils the honey and often will cause a colony to abscond and leave the hive.

I Inspected a hive this week for a customer and found this. Hive beetles do not normally cause issues as a healthy hive can keep them at bay, but a weak hive will be hard pressed. such is the case with this hive. To prevent small hive beetle infestation make sure to keep a clean honey house and do not store full equipment, it is less likely to attract adult beetles to your yard.

To prevent small hive beetle infestation make sure to use a hive beetle trap on new hives if you live in the southern states. The winter climate up north controls them naturally.

To treat for hive beetle there are three methods, the first is called Checkmite, and the second is Gardstar. Gardstar is less likely to contaminate wax and honey but will not remove them from the interior of a hive. It is sprayed around the hive so that when the larvae leave the hive to burrow into the ground it kills them stopping the life cycle. Checkmite, on the other hand, will kill adults in the hive but not the larvae that manage to leave without contacting it.

The third and best method is to never let small hive beetles grab a foothold in a hive. We provide a product which does just this and is completely harmless to the bees and uses no harsh chemicals which could taint the honey in your hive. The freeman style small hive beetle trap with integrated screened bottom board. Check it out here.

If you already have a small hive beetle infestation this product can clear it up within 2 days.

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