Best Small Hive Beetle control I have EVER found
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 4 фев 2025
- Rich gives you some exciting news from the researchers of the University of Georgia on the use of Scott’s Grub EX for the control of small hive beetles.
This information comes to us from Dr. Lewis Bartlett of the University of Georgia. To watch the entire video on Bob Binnie’s channel, see the link below:
• Possible New Hive Beet...
Beer and bees go together really well.
Agreed but don’t drink and hive! Have the beer after you finish.
I like your approach. I often wondered why combating SHB there wasn’t more focus on treating the soils around the hives. I treated weeds around hives with salt and liquid dawn spray, noticed SHB counts were way down. It occurred to me it may have been the salt around the hives and the SHB were killed or could not pupate. Not scientific but a possibility. Seems like treating soil around hives would be a great solution. Thanks for posting your video.
Thanks, Hank. It might also have been the Dawn liquid. The wetting agents may very well dry out the pupae. Worth thinking about, I’ll give that a try as well. Anything that keeps down the SHB is good to me.
Very informative, thanks. Has prompted me to investigate and research further !
Glad it was helpful!
Had a bad year with SHB last year and I was considering this treatment but I was scared it would harm my bees. Excited to see how this works for me. Thanks
You’re very welcome, that’s why I shared it. I was afraid too but it’s working great for me. Best of luck and thanks for watching!
Love the shirt. I just subscribed and am looking forward to your videos. I'm a big Bob Bonnie fan and must have missed that video. I'll spend time watching that video.
Good luck this season. We're still in the cold of winter up here. But hive beetles are an issue in summer.
He has great stuff.
Just ran across this Rich. Monday night was at our monthly Jax bees meeting with Jamie Ellis as a speaker and cover the same topic SHB. ands all the other things what causes hive destruction and losses. I'm in Jacksonville.. Verona as always is the main issue but if we can eliminate one pest all the better. UF is the well for information.. and I'm a Seminole appreciate this and will be following Thanks Rich
You're welcome Mike. Glad to help.
Living in Florida you have provided me with great tips. Catching swarms using a bucket & now beetle control. Thanks
I’m glad you’re finding these videos helpful, and thanks for watching.
Interesting stuff Rich. New subscriber here. I just found your channel. I need to try this. I hate SHBs.
Same here, Bruce. Thanks for subscribing!
I've used vinegar, salt and dawn dish soap solution around my hives to kill the weeds around them and it seems to help with SHB also. This seems like a good idea and I may try it this summer, thank you for the tips.
You're welcome. I did have to retreat last month after the second 19 inch rain event of the summer, but after a month I am back to one or two beetles per inspection.
I watched the same video and decided to mix Grub X, pollen and a little water and packed into my beetle traps in the hive. Placed an extra trap on the bottom board. Significant reduction in SHB last year. Went ahead and put it on the ground to start this season.
Glad to hear it. I put a half cup of grub X in a jar with a cup of water for a few days to extract the chemical and mixed that water with pollen substitute and put that in the traps as bait but the results were inconclusive since I had already put grub X on the ground.
Hello Rich a second comment I just found your Hurricane hive video an yes these boxes are close to the one I am interested in building. It is made like your hurricane hive but let’s just say the right side of your hurricane box is your brood box then a queen excluder is stood up in the middle an then in the other 8 frame side is your super side . I live in central NC an yes I do stack super. The reason for this stile of setup is so you can on inspections of your brood box you do not have to pull off all those supers to get into your brood box you can just take the lid off over your brood box an do your inspection an never have to do all that lifting of supers but your idea would work great for your setup also . THANKS . I enjoy your videos
Hi Kathy, I was just reading an American Bee Journal article from from the 1890s extolling the virtues of that same setup and claiming a 50 pound increase in honey production. Hope it works as well for you.
Thanks for this video. I am certainly going to give this a try.
Hope you have great success!
Just subscribed. I'm in SW, Florida and new to bee keeping. Any advice for S. Florida is greatly appreciated because most online tips is for Northern areas.
Exactly why I started doing this! Thanks for watching and btw, in SW Florida try to stay ahead of the bull ants. Use ant granule liberally.
Great shirt! And thanks for the info.
You are welcome. Stay tuned, it was my birthday last week and I got several new shirts that will soon be popping up in videos.
South Florida small (hobby) farm apiary, agricultural, poultry, cattle info/tips/advice is hard to find. Good to find you.
Happy to help!
Great information
Happy to help!
Hello Rich I have watched this video of yours before an had to come back an watch it again because I was thinking I saw something behind you that I am very interested in. The hives you were working around. Are those hives a double wide hive with the brood box beside the super . I saw another bee keeper that was doing this an it really caught my attention. ???. Thanks
Hi Kathy, Look up my video on "hurricane hives". Double wide 8 frame medium which means 17 frames across, then as the season progresses another 8 frame super for a third brood box and another box beside it over a queen excluder for the first honey super. right now hive one has two more supers above that. Alternately, you can run 3 five frame boxes over the brood chamber, 5+5+5+2= 17 if you can't handle much weight. Based on the English Dartington hive which evolved into the German Beehaus.
Thank you so much for your information. I am located in Broward County also (Davie) and I am just starting my journey with bees.
I have a property in GA which I will retire there...I would love to get in touch with you and, maybe, get some advices...let me know...Thank you again for your helpful info...
Just join the Broward Beekeepers Association. That way, we can talk at meetings, workshops, the private Facebook group, and you would have access not only to me but to many other SFL beekeepers as well, many of whom are in Davie. Go to Browardbees.org Join around the first
Did you ever make a video on the hive beetle traps you mentioned in this video
I have done videos on my opinion of both beetle barns, real and made from CD covers and frame traps. Basically our bees propolis everything up before they have much of a chance to work. I rely on Swiffer sheets in the hive when needed.
Just tried this today. Hope it works.
Fingers crossed, we have had great success down here.
I'm with you. I used bifenthrin granules for sod worms and though it under my hives right before a rain.. I've scene that active ingredient that you showed, c_____, but have only used the bifenthrin. Going to try the grubX now as well. Bifenthrin will harm bees, but i was relying on the granules being sown in the grass and rained in. Yep, and reason I started with the granules was due to having an effective way to get under hives with the screened bottoms. Never showed it on any of my videos because same reason as you stated at the beginning...
I do the same, I change up chemicals when possible and try not to use the same once twice in a row.
Thanks for your post. I will incorporate this into my apiary this weekend. New sub!
Thanks for the sub!
Awesome shirt!
Thanks, I tend to speak softly and wear a loud shirt. LOL
Thanks for your sharing!
Thank you for watching!
The instructions on the bag says to wet it down after you apply.
Good idea
Thank You, I just discovered beetles to. On my way to Home Depot.
Good luck, and drive carefully.
Great information. Thanks for sharing.
You’re very welcome! Thanks for watching.
I am glad you are trying this experiment. I tried using the beer traps experiment in the hives and in my area of Georgia (Atlanta) the heat would either evaporate the beer or cause it to ferment. The trap is Cutts Mini beetle Blaster. It is a shorter and deeper than a regular Beetle Blaster. This is what the young man used at the University of Florida. I tried it on six hives, using both types of Beetle Blaster. Beer in the mini and oil in the regular size. I think the beer would work if you could check it every day to see if it is present. No, the bees or the beekeeper are not drinking the beer. It was recommended by the speaker to use Miller High Life beer as it did better than the other types or brands of beer in the experiment. I think I will try the experiment again this year and see if I can spend a little more time working it. I saw the video and you are the first I have seen to use it. Please check your hives of a beetle count before and after you start to see if you can find a true reduction of beetles. I enjoy your tips. www.mannlakeltd.com/login.php?action=check_passwordless_login&token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvd3d3Lm1hbm5sYWtlbHRkLmNvbSIsImlhdCI6MTY2OTg1NDEyOCwiZXhwIjoxNjY5OTA4MTI4LCJkb21haW4iOnsiY3VzdG9tZXJJZCI6MjM4ODIsInRva2VuIjoiOWIyNTM3NzAxNTZiZmI0MzgyZWE4Mjk0Y2JhYWY4NGI5ZDY2NDZmNzkyZTJkMmY5M2NkNjYzYTUyODJlNjFkOCJ9fQ.F-duFM94GxQWMO_mJEqrbtkr-4EUMBRMTsf--AA8s3U&redirectUrl=%2Fcheckouts
I’ve never tried beer in my beetle traps. I have tried sugar and yeast, to attract wax moths, with very little success. As far as the SHB hive count goes, my numbers are so low to start with because I stay on top of it that I have trouble evaluating new trap designs. I am trying two right now (from Australia) and am having trouble deciding how well they work. I believe that my low numbers are due to using the grub insecticide that I show in this video.
I would agree, I think it’s your grub treatment as well.
I believe i heard you say it can be added to pollen patties…Are you able to explain ratios of GrubEX to pollen..etc, etc,…? Thank you
No, No, No! I said some researchers are experimenting with the possibility of using the insecticide in pollen patties. Follow the links to the research articles. I only used their method of extracting the insecticide to mix it into a pollen patty to use as poison bait in beetle barns or CD cases. Never anywhere the bees could get to it. I'll buy their patties if they get this working, but would never try it myself.
I dont like this arguement...
Was the substance applied to mature bees or bees in larvea stage?
I don't understand your comment. The Grubex is applied to the ground around the hives. Small hive beetle larvae have to leave the hive and drop into the soil to pupate and that is where it kills them. It isn't applied to bees at all. Now researchers are experimenting with putting a very carefully regulated amount of the active chemical into pollen patties to prevent infestation by larvae, but those results are not out yet as far as I know, and I would never try that in a backyard context. Not enough control.
@southflbeekeepingwithrich researchers claim this chemical does not effect the bees. Lets put it on some beetle larvea for a real test, otherwise we are not being honest in this statement.
Its like asbestos doesn't harm people, as long as its not disturbed. Well, when its disturbed it can kill people.
@southflbeekeepingwithrich if you want to pass a test, have your friends design the test but the results can't he taken as gospel.
If you want to know that your bold claims of "this product doesn't harm bees" allow your opposition the opportunity to prove you wrong.
I dare say the tests leading to the claim above were tested gently.
Actually it was tested carefully. The grub-ex was worked into the top inch of soil so that accidental exposure was minimized. ( As I still do with any corn meal carrier based alternative chemical) I did not learn until later that researchers were experimenting with putting the same chemical into pollen patties to minimize grub infestation. NOT something I would try at home.
thanks man
You are welcome
Had a single hive for over a year. The colony wasn’t ever what I considered strong. Had SHB pretty much since they came from the package. Tried beetle blaster, hive beetle murder sauce, fiber cloths, peppermint, and grub-ex. just checked into a slime-out yesterday. Pretty sad.
Sorry to hear about your slime out. Treat the ground with GubX and start over, don’t give up! You don’t mention your location but if you’re in S Florida come on by and I’ll give you some free bees!
@@southflbeekeepingwithrich
North Florida Panhandle. Appreciate though. I’m wondering if the SHB problem came from the NUC when I got it.
@@southflbeekeepingwithrich
Why are bee farms sending out nucs full of beetles??
Just saw someone using a mini car/keyboard vac
I’d like to see your application of it
I thought I did that in the video?
Why not an IG regulator for hive beetles?
Not saying dont do what you're saying, but couldn't you also treat the area with IGR to prevent the grubs from maturing?
IGR could affect bees as well. Not really sure.
Not to worry, no IGR exists as yet for this class of grubs.
I’ve wanted to try beneficial nematodes for breaking SHB lifecycle. Haven’t tried or researched it yet but seems like it should
It is one of the things reccomended, but BTI is similar, I have used it with some success and it is much more available and cost effective. Mosquito bits from Home Depot is readily available. Bacillus thurengensis Israeliensis is what BTI stands for.
What are those numbers on your boxes?
Hi Taylor, that is my State of Florida Apiary registration numbers, aka Firm numbers. I bought a stencil through my local beekeepers club to put my number on all my hives. If you are going to keep bees in Florida, having registered yourself with the State can protect you against neighbor complaints to code enforcement. You can also ask for help from the State Apiary inspectors.
Just lost two hives today from shb ill be trying this as well cheers
Hope it works as well for you as it does for us down here.
You said that you change active ingredients so that the SHB do not develop resistance to the pesticide. Generally, that is a good approach but my concern is, are the bees equally tolerant of all of the different active ingredients you use. Unless and until they are all tested on bees, I would be cautious.
I am extremely cautious, yes. When using the other chemicals I still follow the procedures that I initially established. Putting it down in dry conditions and working it into the soil so that there’s no dust left on the soil surface and no granule laying on a hard surface.
Maybe I just got lucky, but I haven't yet needed any SHB control yet. I put my apiary on the edge of a pine forest here in coastal NC, so there is tons of sandy soil with pine needles all around the base of my hives. The beeks around me said last year was the worst year they had ever had with the beetles. I saw a few here and there, but nothing I ever had to mitigate.
You are putting hives where hives have not been before, so it may take them a while to build up. As far as I know, Sandy soil and pine needles are not a deterrent.
But do let me know how it goes
@@southflbeekeepingwithrich I've got a bunch of lizards that love to hang out under my hives as well, I figured they were munching on the bees, but eating little beetles/larvae is probably on the menu too!
What if you soak in water and just put it around your hives
I assume you mean putting the water around the hives? Not great, the clay medium is saturated with the chemical so that as the clay breaks down slowly the chemical is time released. If you just use the water, the next ten inch rain (like last weeks) will just wash it through leaving nothing behind.
How has this been working out for you? I saw your video on tanglefoot around the metal support beams, does tanglefoot trap the smallhive beetles, or just ants? Thank you very much Rich and filmer/editor.
Tanglefoot would be unlikely to trap SHB’s as they are strong flyers as well, and that’s how they access the hives through the front door. It’s only good against the creepy crawleys. But since SHB’s have to pupate in the soil, that’s why the GubEx works on them.
We ordered some nematodes. Hope it will curb the beetle population. If it doesn’t work, I may go with this route.
Thanks for the video.
How well it works will be temperature and rainfall related. I went with nematodes first, but South Florida heat and rainfall seemed to neutralize them.
@@southflbeekeepingwithrich thanks for the reply. I did everything in hopes the little dudes survive. I’m in Texas and it’s brutally hot here. We used some piled up manure, and I watered them in with dechlorinized water. Put shade boards up for them. Ugh, I hope it works. It’s for a friend’s bee yard so want to go natural. Beetles are such a-holes.
I’m in Sarasota…… I had a hive I was battling with stupid carpenter ants (big ones)…. Maybe bull ants? Any remedies?
Yes, Ant Granule. Amdro is kind of specific to fire ants, so you want a more general, perimeter pest control ant granule available at Home Depot or Lowes. I know you have a l lot more ant problems on the west coast then I do on the east coast.
Interesting, I'll have to look at Bob's video. A little confused, cloanthadin (probably spelled it wrong) is a neonic used as a corn seed treatment i believe. Isn't that supposed to be deadly to bees.
HI Glenn, the chemical on the bag says it’s “Chlorantraniliprole” is a non-neonic insecticide. According to the internet this is not a neonic. For one thing, neonics absorb into plants, and this is something specifically to kill white grubs in the soil and is not taken up into plants. Hope that helps your confusion.
@South FL Beekeeping with Rich your right, it sounded like you said cloanthidin which is a neonic, that makes more sense.
Any advice for earwigs?
I have never seen one in my hives so I have never had occasion to address the problem. Study the biology of the earwig and figure out where its Achilles heel is.
@@southflbeekeepingwithrich Thank you!
I just listened to Dr. Bartlett's talk and he specifically used chlorantraniliprole (an anthranilic diamide). The formula you mention is chlothinadin, which is a neonicotinide, and thus toxic to bees. These are two different chemicals with very different mechanisms of action. Can you clarify what you are using?
I just went back and watched the video of Dr. Bartlett’s talk that I linked in my show notes again. He specifically referenced using Scotts GrubEx. And that is the product I am recommending. It is the product I have been using with complete success for some time.
Do you guys rear queens all 'winter' long?
No because the queen does stop laying drones.
@@southflbeekeepingwithrich aaaah, I thought you guys had endless non-winters.
arent you worried about GrubX getting into the honey?
Not at all. The Grub-X is in the soil in a clay medium. Other chemicals are in a corn meal medium and their could be a slight concern in early spring or summer pollen dearth if they found the corn meal dust, which is why I work it into the soil and water it in. At worst, the dust is on their feet, or gathered as pollen, not in their honey stomachs so should not be in the honey.
What is the Mason Jars for?
I water my bees from Boardman feeders on the front of the hives to keep them out of the neighbors pools.
I'll try this but I put a pan under the entrance and it fills with larva
What a clever idea!
If they put this stuff in a pollen paty, the bees will store it in the hive..
What is it going to do to a person who eats it?
The bees would store it as bee bread, and feed the bread to the larva. People eat, honey, not bee bread. It should not contaminate the honey at any point. But if you have questions, please direct them to the professor who did this experiment and publish the paper on it. I referenced it in the show notes.
Just found your channel and heard about GrubX elsewhere. Think I might try this. I placed a vinyl billboard tarp on the ground under my hives hoping it would help. It has but the SHB still find their way in. Will definitely try the GrubX! Thanks!
I think you’ll find the GubX works better. :-)
Weary interesting
Ok!
I’ve been spreading diatomaceous earth around the base of my hive stand legs and I put two hive beetle traps with olive oil in them in each box.
I have used diatomaceous earth in the past with some success but not as much as with the grubex. Hive beetle traps get propolized shut before beetles have a chance to get in them. By the way, DE needs to be spread completely under the hive. Beetle larvae crawl out of the hive, down into the soil, pupate and fly back into the hive. Protecting the legs only works for ants and things that crawl up.
I will put the de underneath
How about di earth on the ground
I have used DE may times, but it has never been as effective as Grubex. I still use DE inside my house for roach and ant control and believe in it completely.
I stopped using the Scotts Grub EX 3 yrs ago because I started bees. Now I wish I hadn't. Two 25 yr old Rose Bushes and a Rose of Sharon Bush was killed this year from Japanese Beetles Grubs. I am going to make some pollen patties and put Grub EX in it and put it in reusable beetle traps in my colonies.
Hi Dennis, that sounds like a great idea, let me know how that works for you as I was thinking of doing the same thing.
I don't have Japanese beetles because I have moles that Love to eat the grubs.
lol The first time I read Ellison's escape it angered me. I was trying to kills SHB and he was raising them plus allowed them to escape out into the world,
Thanks for the video. SHB literally killed my bee yard. Now I have something new to try that's reportedly successful.
You’re welcome. Everyone down here who has tried it has had great success.
I saw the Video you are referring to. I wondered if I could do this but feared it could be harmful. I’m glad you posted this.
Did you also see the study out of GA that hasn’t been published yet? It was in regards to using hydrogen peroxide? I found that to be exceedingly interesting as well. I think there will be future control methods that will include hydrogen peroxide: Again I won’t be experimenting with it until somebody else does.
I have not seen the study with H2O2. But it is a natural component of honey, so I would be looking for that one.
I have moles in my yard. They feast on Japanese beetle larvae, I suppose they'll also munch these!
I grew up with moles, but have never seen one in South Florida in over 40 years. I would be worried that they would destabilize your hive stands if they started burrowing around under the boxes.
Why would anyone use a front feeder
Only for water.
@@southflbeekeepingwithrich good idea if no water in area would that Attract robbers
Not really, unless you water to the point that there are puddles. I use a boardman feeder in each of my hives with Himalayan see salt in it for a water source.
Has anyone sprayed the grub killer water on bee larvae? If the poison is in the pollen patty, the bee "grubs" might be exposed to it. I want to know it it hurts them.
The scientist doing the experiment did not do that. That wasn’t something that this research addressed, but it will have to be researched before they produce the pollen patty including the chemical. But I feel much safer now distributing the GrubX around the hives without taking as many precautions as I used to. I am also going to make a patty using the GrubX water but I will be using it inside a beetle trap as a poison bait.
@@southflbeekeepingwithrich Thanks for your answer. My concern regarding a pollen lure for adult beetles, is they are no longer grubs and easily may not be harmed by the GrubX, even full strength.The bait will only kill the grubs that are laid in the patty. That might be helpful- a diversionary tactic from patties for the bees
Top stuff here in AUSTRALIA FEW MATES USE BUNDY SAND AND TOP SHELF TEE TREE MULCH MIX 4 INS THICK BED THEY HATE THE STUFF WITH THAT MIXED IN WOULD BE THE DUCKS NUTS CHEERS AND THANKS FOR INFORMING .
Is Bundy sand the same thing as diatomaceous earth?
@@southflbeekeepingwithrich no mate loam sand found natural in area and rocky area.
Very interesting. Now I need something to make the wax moths go extinct.
And the mites
@@doctortcbkk2027 definitely the mites
Me too!
I've met people in Florida who cut up political signs as traps but I don't know what they use to bait them
I haven't found the magic ingredient for that yet. I have tried commercial bait, boric acid and honey, etc., placed on the bottom board, on the top frames etc. Maybe I will try boric acid, banana, and vinegar next? Always try new ideas.
Shb can travel 9 miles to a hive😊
And have a great sense of smell. They zero in.
👍🇺🇸
Thanks
This does not work. I have tried it 2 years in a row.
This is the first time anyone has said Scott's Grubex doesn't work. I have several bottles of good whiskey from commercial beekeepers in the club who are grateful for how well it has worked for them. This is a commercial product with decades of performance at killing a wide range of grubs. It turns out that small hive beetle grubs are just one that is not listed on the label. If my instructions in the video have failed you, then that is on me. Just follow the instructions on the bag and you should be successful.
@@southflbeekeepingwithrich it does not do anything. I have covered the entire ground around my hives with it really thick right next to the hives. Its nice for clicks, but it does not work
@@user-mb4dv7dc6l REALLY THICK??? More is not better. Use it according to label directions. Many insecticides do not work when used in too high a concentration. Insects tend to avoid high concentrations of a chemical. This is not click bait. This is a product with a long record of success. This is just an off label use of it, but that use is still at the recommended dosage.
Hhh I wonder Hydrogen Peroxide water mix and BT bacteria kill Squish vine borer organically. May work same for this larvae.
BT is a recommended SHB grub control. Don't know about H2O2.
She’s trying to help you and all you can do is be sarcastic to her. Sad.
You’re right, after 35 years of marriage sometimes you can get short with each other.
I don't want no grub, a grub is a worm that can't get no honey from bees (stupid song)
Sounds like something Sam Comfort would write! LOL
I've watched Dr. Bartlett;'s presentation a few times. His focus was on chlorantraniliprole, which is the active ingredient in "Scotts® GrubEx®₁ Season Long Grub Killer" (from Scott's website). I've found several grubex products with differing actives. HIs preliminary work was feeding small hive beetle (shb) larvae pollen sub mixtures with some untold portion of grubex mixed in. As best I can tell, the shb larvae go into the soil only to pupate, as their food is not in the ground, but in the hive. What is your opinion of the control mechanism responsible for your results?
I really don’t know, but everyone here in S FL who has tried this has seen the same result. It doesn’t seem reasonable that the response is as quick as it is, but apparently there is a greater turnover in adult beetles than I would have thought. Because within 3 weeks, everyone who has tried it has seen a clear decline in SHB numbers in their hives. The most important take away for me was that it was safe for the bees when distributed and I was happy with that even if the return was more long term.
Put it in the ground.
Thank you so much for this video. I have been fighting HB for 2 years since I started bee keeping and this worked it got rid of 95% of my beatles so far and have only had it out a couple months.
Good info, subbed and saw that Bennie presentation N.E. Fl. Beek🤡🤡
Yes, isn’t that great information?! Thanks for subscribing.