Small Hive Beetle Battle Marches On

I had a very good inspection of the first hive today. Feeder jar was about one-third full and the bees seemed to be doing well. When I first approached the hive I noticed a tremendous amount of activity around the entrance. At first I thought it must be because of the heat, but then I noticed that there were dozens of drones coming and going from the hive. Those fellas are big! And they're loud, too; kinda like horsefly loud.
I felt very successful. I pulled and looked at every frame in the brood box, with no protective clothing and no stings. I took my time, kept my nerves in check, and things went great. I moved a full frame of brood, etc. up into the upper hive box, so we'll see how that goes.
The second hive was experiencing some slight bearding at the entrance. This is when it is hot enough inside the hive that the bees cluster on the outside. I opened the top to discover they had emptied their feeder jar, so I will have to make them some more of their honey-tea and bring it back in the morning.

Alas, when I pulled the monitor tray I was upset to find small hive beetle larva squirming in the oil trap. There were only two or three, but I'm concerned. I did not have time to inspect that hive at that point, so I will do so when I return with the feed. I'm really hoping I do not find larva in the frames. I hate when a good day ends on a sour note. I can only keep my fingers crossed and hope and pray for the best.

Here's a video from Spikenard Honeybee Sanctuary. In it you see some strong drone activity very similar to what I witnessed at my hive today, only I observed more of them flying off and returning to the hive:

Small Hive Beetle Update

Towards the End of May

So I have to be honest; I'm feeling a little moody. Having to deal with Small Hive Beetle has been a bummer, and I'm worried about the bees. I have confidence that the stronger hive will manage fine, but I have concerns about the smaller colony. Their beetle numbers are higher, and even though I have installed a screened bottom board which is helping, I'm still worried. I have some oil traps on the way that will fit between the frames, and I hope those will also help. I have also been reading and hearing about not opening the hives too much, because this counteracts the work the bees have done chasing the beetles into corners and keeping them there. When you pull the frames the beetles make a run for it and some get away, who in turn then reproduce.
I have also taken a little gamble and stopped feeding. Both colonies now have their second hive body in place, and although some would say it is premature to stop feeding, I think they will be okay. They've been bringing in nectar fine. The queen might also need some time to play catch up with egg laying; if all the cell space is being occupied by nectar, she won't have room for eggs. The bees need to keep building comb. We'll see how it goes.
In other news I will be attending a showing of the wonderful film Queen of the Sun which explores issues of Colony Colapse Disorder. I have seen it once already, and I highly recommend it.

Hive Inspection Videos

So here are some videos of my recent visit with the bees. The main goal was to take a look at the Small Hive Beetle situation, and remove any I found. Audio is a little weak, and camera angle not the best, but otherwise I'm glad I managed it.

Small Hive Beetle Discovered

Small Hive Beetle

So I have a problem. This little critter is a Small Hive Beetle, and I have now seen at least two or three of them in each hive. The beetles themselves are not a massive problem but their larva are. They eat through the honeycomb and can ruin entire frames of comb, honey, and pollen.
I've been looking around on some forums and it seems like one of the best tactics is to move the hives into full sun, which mine are definitely not, and I've been worried about this already. Turns out the shade and cool climate near the edge of a wood is not the best spot. I'll have to do this soon, ideally before I add an additional hive body to either hive. It also sounds like I'm going to have to inspect the hives more than once a week for a little while and hopefully keep the beetles from getting too destructive. I also need to add screened bottom boards to the hives. Normally that tactic is used to combat Varroa mites, but it should work against the SHB, too.