Facts:
- Insecticides or pesticides do not need to be used. No poisons are used.
- Hives are NOT opened for checking and may be checked at any time.
- Traps have been tested for six years and positive results recorded .
- Recommended killing agent (Agricultural lime) is environmentally friendly.
- Checking the traps can indicate diseases or problems with hive location and condition of the hive.
- Beetltra traps DO NOT reduce the carrying capacity of the hive.
- Only one (1) trap per hive. Cost over 10 years $1.50 per year
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. What is a BEETLTRA KIT?
Beetltra kit is a tray, two rails and fitting screws, instructions and FAQ sheets.
Q. Where is the kit fitted?
The tray rails are fitted to the outside and underneath the bee box floor so that the tray can be held against the floor but be able to slide out like a drawer for inspection.
Q. How do the beetles get into the trays?
Escape slots are cut through the hive floor large enough to allow the beetle to enter but small enough to prevent the bees from getting into the trap.
Q. Does the hive need opening to check the trays?
No, the trays are fitted on the outside and underneath the bee box
and work like a drawer.
Q. Can the Beetltra tray affect the use of a hive barrow or hive locking straps?
The trays are designed to fit between the barrow forks and hive locking straps.
Q. How does a Beetltra tray kill the small hive beetle?
The killing agent (Garden lime) causes suffocation and dehydration.
Q. What is the killing agent?
The recommended agent is Agricultural Lime ( common garden lime ) which is inexpensive and readily available at garden or rural outlets. Lime must be dry for maximum efficiency so replace the lime if humid conditions cause the lime to become wet. However, even if the killing agent does become wet the beetles cannot escape from the trap.
NOTE – Some have used cooking oil in the trap. However, both used and new oil have been observed to attract rats in particular, and spilt oil can solidify and cause jamming of the tray rails. We recommend the use of dry agricultural lime only.
Q. How often is the tray checked?
Tray checking depends on the number of beetles present. For example, if the beekeeper finds only one to twenty beetles, stirring up the lime to cover the beetles may be OK for several days. If there are more beetles then you should empty the tray, replace the agent, and check more frequently. We have had reports of 40 beetles caught in 2 hours in one trap, reports of 1000 beetles in six days in one trap, and 500 a week later from that one hive. The highest number we have caught in one trap was 430 beetles in six days – we inspected the hive the next day and there was no beetle maggot infestation.
Q. After the trays are fitted and contain beetles, what is the next step?
We have two 10 litre buckets , one contains about 1 litre of water with washing up detergent added. The tray can be dumped into this , and then recharged with dry lime from the other bucket.