Attack of the 50 Foot Bug

A couple more shots from the front of the hive and a small hive beetle assessment April 29, 2010

This is the first drone that I have seen out of my hive. He was resting outside before taking a mating flight. If he gets lucky, it will be his last mating flight. He’s a little bit larger than the worker bee and is a good bit louder when flying.

A worker bee shot at about a 2:1 macro ratio.
One of my primary concerns with sustaining the beehive in the backyard is parasite control. With than in mind, I purchased a bottom board with a small hive beetle trap. The trap is a tray that covers the entire bottom of the hive and contains a layer of cooking oil. When the bees see a beetle, they will chase it even though they can’t hurt the beetle. The beetle then looks for a crevice or any other tight spot to get away from bee. The trap has slots that look like a good spot to hide. The beetle crawls in and drowns. Last night, I counted about 20 dead beetles in the trap, which is not really considered bad at all. I plan on checking the beetle count on a weekly basis. If I can control this parasite using methods that don’t involve chemicals, the better it is for the hive. I still have wax moths, varroa mites, trachea mites, and a whole host of other diseases to concern myself with.