The Australasian Beekeeper

On a recent trip to Queensland I was lucky enough to see a great idea for combating Small Hive Beetle. An older beekeeper, who had stopped commercial beekeeping many years ago and is looking at re-entering commercial beekeeping with his son, put some thought into Small Hive Beetle. He and his son, a former sheet-metal fabricator, came up with the idea below.

Using a heavy-grade galvanised sheet-metal base, they used a laser cutter to cut slots in the base, close to the hive entrance, so that the beetles would fall through the slots as they entered the hive; the slots extended the width of the base, and were offset so that the beetles would not be able to walk across the ‘bridges’ to get to the back of the base. Holes for screws (to fix the base to the rim, and also for fixing the base/rim to the box, and also for fixing the base to the cleats) were cut at the same time by the laser cutter.

Underneath, guide runners were spot-welded to the base. These guides held in place a tray, which contained diamataceous earth to kill the beetles.

Thus, the beetles entered the hive, fell through the slots into the tray, and were killed in the diatomaceous earth.

The trap has been field-tested and proven to be extremely efficient. The biggest drawback was the price - about $30.00 for each sheet/tray – but did give a long-term solution to a continuous method for reducing SHB levels in the hive. It would be well worth the investment for anyone starting from scratch or replacing bottom boards, but anyone with sound bottom boards would have to evaluate the cost. 

 

10 frame box, with base, showing the slots cut by the laser cutter

View from underneath, showing the guides for the tray of diatomaceous earth. To one end, the guides had been flattened so that the tray could only be installed from one side. This enabled the boxes to be used on pallets, with a left or a right-side installation. 

Box with the ‘catch’ tray in the process of being installed. The tray was sealed at each end and was to have diatomaceous earth in it.

Tray with encapsulated dead SHB. Each’pellet’ is a dead beetle.