Gary
 
From our classes I've heard of an intriguing idea.  Diatomaceous earth plus chickens.  Won't work for commercial operations, but may be useful for backyard and home apiaries.

Dust the ground in front of hives with diatomaceous earth (I assume volcanic and fly ash would work).

It is a desiccant and abrasive, so there's some chance of reducing larval survival.  Abrasive dusts are one of the oldest known pesticides.

Chickens like to eat both adult beetles and grubs.  

Add to that the dust on the ground, and reportedly the chickens like to scratch around in it.  I've reports of chickens starting in front of hives each morning.

Personally, after I left the dairy farm, I had no interest in keeping animals that required daily attention, so I've not tested the chicken control - but it sounds like fun AND maybe it would help.
 


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