Here is one datapoint from NE Ohio (suburbs of Cleveland)
We had no history or reports of SHB in the area until last year when a package
supplier brought up a badly infested shipment. Our club purchased a box of the
BeetleBlaster traps and handed them out so members could help diagnose the
problem. Personally, I found that by mid-summer, I had a mild infestation - a
dozen or so adults in each trap.
Like you, I accepted the conventional wisdom that SHB would not survive a
northern winter so I did nothing else. I left two traps per colony in place
because, well, what could it hurt? During the winter, I lost 1 colony but it
appeared to be a combination of varroa pressure and a difficult winter. (The
two survivors had more Russian genetics than the mostly-Italian casualty.)
In springtime, I opened the hives up to discover many adult SHBs openly crawling
around the survivor hives and in and out of empty cells. I was dismayed to see
very few in the traps even though they had remained in the hive all winter -
until I realized that the particular spacing of my hivetop feeder probably was
such that neither the bees nor the SHB could get to the entrance of the traps.
(The frames are close to top-flush and the feeder is flat-bottomed except where
the bees move up to get the feed. Not an issue normally but it effectively
closed the trap against the bottom of the feeder.)
Note: SHB did not appear to attack the deadout. I found no evidence of damage
even 2 months later except a single wax moth track on one frame. My hypothesis
is that without the bees to sustain an internal temperature, the SHB could not
survive at ambient.
My neighbor to the west also discovered SHB when she opened her hive in spring.
Others in our local club have, for the most part, not reported seeing SHB this
spring. Interestingly, both I and my neighbor use the polystyrene hives. I'm
not sure if they moderate the temperature differently, offer more
hiding/breeding places or if it's just coincidence.
Treatment: I have since replaced the traps (and removed the feeders which fixed
the beespace so the traps work again). I also deployed parasitic nematodes in
the soil around the beeyard. It's been about a month since and no SHB noted
since, either visible in the hive or in the traps. We're still having a
tough spring, though (lots of storms) so I haven't had much chance to inspect as
thoroughly as I'd like. Nevertheless, I am seeing none of the signs of
catastrophic infestation such as my sister reports from South Carolina.
At the risk of a premature diagnosis, it appears that a few mechanical traps are
sufficient to control any local imports as long as you don't accidentally seal
off the traps.
I had not heard the recommendation to recage the queen. Personally, I would not
attempt that nor would I recommend the practice to our local hobbyists. It
would be far too easy to lose or accidentally damage the queen, jeopardizing
your entire investment in the package. SHB is the smaller risk.
Mike Rossander
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