This morning I installed traps in both hives to address the small hive beetle problem. The traps, which fit between two frames, are made of plastic with a chamber to be filled halfway with vegetable oil. The beetles, attracted to the dark color of the trap, fall into the oil and can't escape. Once the trap is full, it's discarded and replaced with a new trap.
I'm not sure how often I'm supposed to check and/or replace the traps, so I'll have to do some research.
In Hive A, I also removed the sheet below the screened bottom board, mainly to check for evidence of mites. But yikes! I found quite a few white larvae there instead, which are wax moths. My friend Drea informed me that wax moths got into some of her honeycomb and spoiled it. (sigh) Now I have to research this particular pest and find out if there's any way to combat them.
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A mother's job protecting her babies is never done. Then again, your "babies" are actually producing a practical product and not just angst.
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