Hi Madeleine and All
 
I recently recounted my system gleaned from an old tropical
beekeepeing handbook of dealing with bee pirates (preadcious
insects), wherebye a t shaped stick is placed near the hive and
poison placed on the stick.
 
Madeleine, you mentioned a fear that the bees may track this poison
into the hive. This is not a problem as the bee wolves/pirates always
sit about 1.5 meters away from a hive, hence bees never land on the t
bar. If they did, they would die as well as contact poisons are
nasty.
 
I am however personally loathed to use such devices as I am fortunate
on keeping my bees on pastures at present that have not seen a
pesticide in ten years. The lands are part of a nature conservancy
which a group of farmers use for farmin venison (Kuda/bushbuck etc)
and hence not even dips have been used on the animals. The last time
pesticides were used were to control a minor locust swarm, but I am
told that should a swarm ever be found again the local authorities
will be using a fungicidal spray which only kills locusts in future.
 
 
Hope that helps allay your fears.
 
Keep well
 
Garth
Garth Cambray           Camdini Apiaries
Grahamstown             Apis mellifera capensis
Eastern Cape Prov.
South Africa
 
Time = Honey
 
After careful consideration, I have decided that if I am ever a V.I.P
the I. may not stand for important.
(rather influential, ignorant, idiotic, intelectual, illadvised etc)