Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth
50 Grams
Uses:
1: In Beetle Blasters or Beetle Jails to kill the beetles, avoiding the problems with vegetable oil.
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Most instructions will tell you to add vegetable oil to kill the beetles that fall into the trap. The problem is, you will periodically tilt a box which causes the oil to spill out all over the comb, ruining it. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you consider Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth. Fill the trap about 1/4 inch. When the bugs fall into the trap, this fine powder, which microscopically is very sharp crystals, will get in the joints of the beetles and kill them.
2: To spread in the soil around the bottom of your hive.
The small hive beetle larvae crawl out of the hive and fall to the ground to pupate then return to the hive in mass which will soon overwhelm it and destroy it. Although Diatomaceous Earth seems like powdered sugar, microscopically it is very sharp. Sprinkling (dusting with a simple sifter) Diatomaceous Earth into the soil below your hive will help kill the larvae and any emerging beetles. One 50-gram bag will treat the ground below one hive. It is recommended to treat in May and then again in July as the rain will diminish the effect.