Honeybees-by-the-Sea is a micro apiary, or honeybee garden, on the Crystal Coast
of North Carolina, with an Organic Terra Preta Vegetable garden. Our
approach to beekeeping is pesticide free and as non-invasive as
possible. In 2012 the Small Hive Beetle became a real threat
to our colonies and we investigated the options. I installed a
Hood trap but it has two major issues. First, the colony is
disturbed when the trap is installed and monitored. More
importantly, the bees immediately began to propolize the trap
entrance rendering is useless. I had already read about the
Freeman SHB trap and placed an order for an 8-Frame Freeman
trap, This trap sits below the colony and is maintained from
the rear. It replaced the screened bottom board with a screen
and tray system. My Husband customized the trap by taking the
Brushy Mountain Hive stand and cutting it down for the added depth
of the Freeman trap. We have custom stands that were built
especially for the Brushy Mountain Hive Stand. Here is the
step by step process. Photo DML
06/30/12 |