Bee Chores

Here we are doing a check on one of our hive beetle traps, as you can see I am the one running away as our angora rabbit nervously watches from a distance. It's important to do regular checks if you install these little hive savers in your hive to see how many beetles met their demise to one of these wonders.

Here is what the actual trap looks like. You can buy them from a local bee shop owner or be a genius and just use that thing they call google and google hive beetle traps, you can buy them for about two dollars. It's a good investment, I strongly urge you to buy two for each side of a hive box, you won't regret it.

As you can see there are little slots at the top where the beetles can crawl in and fall into the basin where the bait is. These work extremely well to keep the hive beetle population down in your hive.

And this is the prize, trapped, dead, a drowned hive beetles.

To remove them out of the trap just shake them out or turn your garden hose on high and shoot them out with the water, then you can re use the trap again. This is a rather small 'harvest,' there have been many times where we have seen as much as one hundred or more stuck in each trap. Having only two in there, is a sure good sign.

Here is what we use for the bait, apple cider vinegar and olive oil. We use equal parts as the bait liquid. Just mix it up and pour it in the trap. There is something about the apple cider that they're attracted too, don't ask me what it is, I have no idea. All I know is it works, so it's as simeple as that

Oh and I almost forgot, here are the stars of the shows themselves, hive beetles. Also with a link to learn more about them http://www.bugwood.org/factsheets/small_hive_beetle.html
                                  Know thine enemy.......