H.Indica (Heterorhabditis Indica) Nematodes Item #95 Control small hive beetles using soil-dwelling nematodes (H. Indica). These nematode worms are released into the soil around your bee hive in a water mixture. They can be poured onto the soil using a simple watering can or in a pressurized sprayer. The nematodes burrow downwards and seek out insects. On finding small hive beetle larvae or pupae, they enter the body of the insects and release bacteria that kill them. The nematodes then reproduce in the mass of insect matter and spread out further in the soil around your apiary. Their effectiveness is however relative to certain soil types and they may not survive winters and droughts. Here's a 2010 research study done by the university of Georgia Honeybee Program: "In this study, we evaluated the potential use of entomopathogenic nematodes as a control for the beetle Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae). In par...
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