Linda's Bees: Small Hive Beetle Trap Saga: "Yesterday I did all the construction for the Sonny-Mel Small Hive Beetle trap and put it on my three hives. I posted pictures of the proces..."
I created a similar trap, if a little more ghetto. (You know, I don't want to use that word anymore, even though it implies what I mean, which is that I used the materials to hand, that may have been junk before I turned them to a new purpose. I've resolved to do whatever projects need doing around the place with the junk I already have, as opposed to buying new junk. I'm a worse packrat than the packrat who stole all my pottery tools a few years ago. Anyone need some glass shower doors salvaged maybe 12 years ago?) In this case, I fished a plastic tub with a lid out of the recycling, and used that instead of the plastic sandwich tub Linda used.
I followed Linda's recipe for the banana peel lure, filled the trap with olive oil because I don't have any mineral oil, and slipped it into the hive behind the follower board. It was raining a little at the time, but the bees didn't get mad. Maybe because I kept up a steady murmur of "don't get mad, bees, I made you something cool, don't be mad..."
I took that larvae infested comb back out of the freezer, shook off the dead grubs, and hung the bar between the blocks below the hive, so the bees can check it out. I figure I'll just keep an eye on them today and see what they do with it. They might want the honey and nectar out of it. If they're indifferent, I'll probably keep the wax for candles (as opposed to face cream, for which I am keeping the new clean wax).
I've been on the computer a lot today and I think I should do something else. Don't forget to check out tonight's recipe, which is sprouted lentil & rice stuffed peppers with olives, tomatoes, and feta, with a crunchy vegetable side salad. Not sure what that will be until I dig around in the veggie drawer. Stay tuned.
I believe the word you want is "Jethro," a la Beverly Hillbillies :-). A term I learned in Florida, from a man who was traveling with his family in a converted bus (converted by him, of course). There had been a trailer pulled along behind, but on the first big downhill the hitch died and the trailer rolled free and crashed to smithereens. So he salvaged the stuff and Jethroed a platform onto the back of the bus where a big pile of stuff was bungeed on. Voila!
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