Do Tubed Hive Entrances Really Stop Small Hive Beetles?

Tubed hive entrances, do they really stop small hive beetles (SHB's) from entering? Find out what I learned about these entrances and if they are a good form of SHB control. Small hive beetles are a nasty insect that destroy bee colonies if not managed.

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[markstevenson]

JC, hi from 'Down Under' Au. I saw your first trial and went out and looked at what I had to do the same thing as your tubes. I ended up using a threaded 1" poly elbow. Drilled the 1" hole and screwed in the elbow (opening face down). Job took 4 minutes and cost $2.75. Keep going with the great videos.

[puttgeorgi]

I've been using 1 1/2" tubes for over 3 years. Nothing keeps SHB out but the freeman oil trays help keep them in check. Keeping your bees healthy helps them combat small pests. the tubes to help cut down on robbing, wax moths. I also use the end caps with 5/8" holes which helps cut the flow of "traffic" from outsiders.

[BlanchardsBees]

Thanks for sharing Jason. The SHB got bad this fall here in Iowa. I plan on trying the guardian and some of those nemotoads next spring.

[TheRainHarvester]

@Jason Chrisman Bees (JC's Bees)  if you glue tubes side by side, beetles could land on the top and not fall to the side. But if they still can't get in, because they can't bend their shell around the corner, then maybe use some sheet metal to make a wide rectangular entrance (cut slanted like your tubes )?

[josefsaldivar]

Get a 2 or 3 inch tube and stretch it out to a rectangle shape. Alot of videos on YouTube on how to bend and stretch round tubing. Great work my man !!!

[howardtoob]

This is exactly what I've been preaching! Your tube idea is outstanding. I always suspected that there had to be a way to exploit a limitation of the SHB and the way that they are able to fly is the perfect way expose an inherent weakness they possess.
Since going to top entrances I've had ZERO SHB problems. I do a ton of bee removals and many that I remove have top, or "neutral" entrances.
It's a shame that they still market "landing boards" on bottom entrances. It's like offering a fat kid unlimited ice cream and a PS 5.
You should take your experience to some publications.

[mark-wnek]

I made some observations this past learning curve is actually an upward slope...it just keeps going:)! In the past, I've dealt with robbing...due to different situations...but mainly it's occurred having mixed population hives in my yard. Double deep colonies situated near 5 frame nucs is akin to being a small nation on the border with Russia. They wake up one morning, overran with T62 tanks and Siberian troops and there is no resistance. The Prague uprising may be a poor analogy but the effects are the same....the little guys don't stand a chance. So...I left all my entrances reduced this year using the wider slot...it must be about three inches wide. On the nucs, they were just given the one inch entrance. What I learned was...robbing was 99% eliminated. The bees had no problem defending their hive. The nuc bees thrived as they are just bee nurseries. But the full size colonies were severely hampered...as you observed...bringing in the harvest. There was this constant traffic jam at the entrance as the workers tried entering and departing and negotiating around the guard bees. Last spring was a dismal honey production season as it was cool and wet....but the bees being further hampered by the reduced entrances barely managed to fill the upper deep, let alone any supers. The fall flow was better but I still fed heavily.
I didn't mean to write a book, but you can rest assured I learned a valuable lesson...all the experts in the crowd already knew all this, I'm sure. But, no more reduced entrances on full size, healthy colonies if you intend to produce honey. On nucs, I'll continue to use reduced entrances until I add a second box..then I'll use a wider slot.
Finally, I have noticed that my hives are all elevated off the ground....but a few are also on concrete pads....no hive beetles have been observed in those hives. Only those hives over earth had any beetles and those were very few. Coincidence? May be...but there seems to be a correlation. A shout out to the guy in Huntington....I'm just west of you near Grayson.

[Tony-qwgw]

Try using milky spore scattered in the ground by your hives I've used it for years and it works good for 3 to 5 years properly applied it's a bacteria that feeds off of larvae or grubs you can get it to pretty much any Farm Supply I get my 10:40 pound sacks at Southern States

[petermurphy]

Thanks Jason, I’m thankful we don’t have shb over here in the UK, but I’ve heard they are spreading across Europe similar to the Japanese giant hornet I think it’s only a matter of time I only hope by then you guys can get on top of them because they sure do make a mess of bee hives from what I’ve seen. Thank you mate for sharing your vlog with us.

[benca]

I would think the larger tube would be the way to go. Too many tubes and your bees have the same size opening in square inches as the typical entrance. If you have a 3/4x16 entrance, thats 12 square inches. A 1 inch circle is .79 square inches. So you could have maybe 5 or 6, 1 inch tubes and the bees would have that much less area to guard. It also seems to me that wild colonies typically have round or roundish entrances anyway. Just some food for thought. Thanks for the video!

[southjerseysound]

I think the tubes will do great with a little work. I also think they will help if those monster hornets get out East.
Last but least, I don't currently have any hives because I'm moving. But I started to work with diatemtios earth used in pool filters in the ground around my hives. It really seems to help interrupt their lifecycle like the nemotodes. But it's not affected by, temps etc and works year round. It basically works like a bed of glass would to us if we crawled through it and kills them by tons of tiny cuts. It's really great stuff for fighting pests without chemicals. But you have to be careful not to get any of the good stuff too.

[ME_MeAndMyBees]

What about using small plastic Funnels from the Kitchen supplies? Wide enough for the bees to go through the tube part, yet wider at the opening, allowing a wide to narrow (protected from SHB's) landing surface ! 🐝 Luckily in Scotland we don't have SHB. Phew !!! 🥳

[eddevault]

A lot to consider I guess...Good luck taking your hives through the winter....I solved my small hive beetles completely with stopping them from getting into the soil to pupate....black plastic covered with pea gravel ....works wonders....

[TheRainHarvester]

If screened bottoms are required for bees to fan/cool these reduced entrances, then will oil-filled trays reduce the airflow?

If you can't use trays, will the hive beetle be able to fly up through the screened bottom?

[banshong]

They're confused it may be because you used a red tube. Bees cannot see red color. Glad it worked out. I'll try it next year

[ECP]

Hello JASON neat finishing my first year as a beekeeper with 4 hives.... I am not too far from you in Huntington WV - I have been making a some bee videos too.... ECP

[stephenwells]

Great video! I’ve been stewing on it a day or two and I had a thought. Could you build and modify a slatted rack style insert to go between the brood box and the bottom board? The modification would be increasing the outer walls to be 3-4 inches to accommodate multiple larger tubes across the front face. The slats would be useful for eating up some of the dead space back on the hive to prevent stray comb buildup. I’m not sure if it makes sense, though.

[lutherjonaymaynard]

Thank you for this good idea.. I am getting my first hive this coming spring.

[alphaxanon]

Some statistics or even footage would have been nice: Beetle counts in tubed vs Guardian vs control hives.

[moogiesretirementhaven]

With the tubes was there a problem with them removing the dead bees?