Thursday, October 20, 2005

Small Hive Beetles

I read recently on the local bee group's mailing list that the small hive beetle was found in Tulsa County. This pest is like a wax moth that eats anything! It sounds like a good defense would be to cover the ground with black plastic, so they couldn't pupate and complete their live cycle. This would be a good weed control solution too. Of course, the best defense is a good strong hive, but we as beekeepers are responsible for the environment surrounding our bees.

Possible actions:
Ground Cover (black plastic)
Seal alternate entrances to hive (cracks)
Combine weak hives (this is generally a good practice in today's environment)

If any fellow beekeepers have some good suggestions, post a comment!

As I learn more, I'll update this posting, or add a link to other entries on the subject.

1 comment:

Stephen Olner said...

have a look at http://freemanbeetletrap.com/ people are ranting about it at the moment.