Hive beetles, commonly called Small Hive Beetles (SHB), are a serious problem. They can quickly take over a beehive, killing bees and honey, and weakening the hive to the point where a queen will leave the colony. It is therefore important to be able to prevent them from entering your beehives in the first place.
The best way to prevent a SHB infestation is to keep your hives in a safe place and to make sure they are well protected from the elements. This can include a combination of both physical and chemical defenses.
One of the most important things to do is to remove all the comb, pollen, and honey from your beehives and then place them in a clean hive box. This will help to stop the infestation in its tracks, and will also help to keep the bees from being attracted to it.
Another important thing to do is to place your hive boxes in a shady area and to ensure that the ground around them is free from weeds and other vegetation. This is especially important if you live in an area where winters can be very harsh.
You will also need to cover the soil beneath the bottom boards of your hives with rocks or other types of protective covering. This will help to prevent the hive beetle larvae from pupating in the soil and from coming back to your hives.
If you have a small beehive, you can also purchase small hive beetle traps that can be placed inside your hive to help prevent these pests from invading your hives. These traps have compartments that are filled with various types of bait or mineral oil to attract and suffocate the adult beetles.
This type of beehive trap will allow you to catch and kill all the hive beetles that come into your hives without contaminating any honey or brood from your bees. These traps can be a very effective way to keep your beehive from being infested by this pest, and they are very easy to use.
The traps can be removed when you are ready to inspect your beehive, but it is a good idea to make sure that you do so carefully to prevent them from accidentally contaminating the honey or brood in your hives.
There are many different types of hive beetle traps available and each one is designed differently to try and trap and suffocate the hive beetles. Some traps are rims that replace the bottom board of your beehive, while others have a series of trays that sit on top bars inside the hive.
Some of these traps have a small hole where you can insert a small amount of beetle bait. You can buy this from many beekeeping supply stores and some of these traps even come with the bait already in them.
You can also place a small amount of beetle oil in the larger compartments of these traps to help to suffocate the beetles as they are trapped in the trap. Some beekeepers have also reported success in using Diatomaceous Earth instead of the oil to suffocate the beetles.