> > Mann Lake sells a 5X5 pad to mount the Checkmite strip, in halves in their > online catalog. If I do a sugar shake and find a yard that needs varroa > control AND it happens to be one of my yards with bottom boards, will the > Checkmite poised for SHB control also control varroa? Looks doubtful to > me... > I lost two five frame nucs with the pad in place, it does not help much. There were a number of dead adult SHB under the pad but there were THOUSANDS of larvae in the comb. I have stacks of nasty supers stacked in the garage that I am allowing the larvae to fall to the ground before I clean up the frames and allow the bees to rob out the honey. The plastic bags I put under them are alive with SHB larvae. These are from failed hives as well as extraction. Having SHB larvae active in the hive seems to cause the queen to stop laying. I am considering pulling frames from such hives and putting in foundation to see if I can get one to recover. I am also trying to soak frames in brine (salt water) to kill the beetle eggs and larvae and get the frame back to the bees faster without having to scrap it down. What a mess. -- | There is no doubt we need government in our lives. There is also no doubt that we need salt in our diet. Watch out for too much of either one. AA4YU http://www.beekeeper.org http://www.q7.net