Speaker notes for 60+ Years of Beekeeping. Notes from a presentation in Southeast Alabama. During the past 60 years, somethings have changed while some things are nearly the same. This is a short look at the differences.
Speaker notes for 60+ Years of Beekeeping. Notes from a presentation in Southeast Alabama. During the past 60 years, somethings have changed while some things are nearly the same. This is a short look at the differences.
Nucs recently brought into the state have small hive beetle. Formic acid is being recommended for small hive beetle but State of Florida states Formic acid kills everything in the hive but the bees. What is your opinion now that we have 50 nucs infected with SHB
Like so many other things in beekeeping, standard procedures for controlling the Small Hive Beetle have not yet evolved. If the population is low, many beekeepers use the traps (like Beetle Blaster). If the population is high, freezing the combs to stop the larvae growth has been suggested. Occasionally, the beetles are present but really don’t cause harm while at other times, they slime everything. I don’t have experience using formic in this instance. While it may not kill the bees, I can’t imagine that it makes them feel good. I ask that you contact the state apiarist and get her take on the situation. I wish I could have been more helpful.