Beetle Jail

The Beetle Jail is an effective, easy-to-use and reusable trap to catch small hive beetles. It features a bait compartment that when filled, draws small hive beetles to the trap. It conveniently hooks over the top bar of a frame. Once the trap becomes full of dead small hive beatles, you can discard the beetles, refill and use again. Made from recyclable polypropylene plastic. Measures 7” long x 2” wide x 7” high.

Beetle Jail Features

• The Beetle Jail trap has a “patent pending” inner bait compartment.  The bait compartment has a separate lid so the beetles cannot get to the bait, but they can smell the bait through vent slots.  A variety of baits may be used including pollen, fruit, and even live beetles.  Beetles love to huddle up with other beetles.
• The trap is shorter - 7 inches long so it will fit in queen mating nucs.
• The trap is ¼ inch deeper to hold more beetles, and makes spilling oil less likely.
• The trap top surface is recessed, so that it is lower than the top of the frames.  So when the trap sits on a frame the beetles go down into the trap and not under it or along the side of it.
• The lid has a small barrier wall on the ends to form a recessed pocket, with the adjacent frame.  Beetles are looking for a hiding place and naturally go down into the pocket and into the entrance slots.
• The trap has small tabs on the ends to allow a hive tool to pry it off a frame without opening the lid.
• The traps are made from recyclable polypropylene plastic.

Beetle Jail Usage

A variety of nonpoisonous oils or powders may be used in traps to kill small hive beetles including vegetable oil, mineral oil or food grade diatomaceous earth. Fill the two larger sections of the traps about 1/3 full of oil or diatomaceous earth. Various fruits, pollen, or beetles may be used for bait in the bait compartment. Close the bait compartment lid before closing the main lid. The traps will hang on the top of a frame in the hive. The frame may be removed from the hive for inspection without removing the trap.  If the trap is removed, it will sit on its flat bottom without spilling.

Beetle Jail Placement

The traps may be placed anywhere in the hive. If there is a high concentration of bees, during summer increase, the beetles will typically be pushed to the extremities of the hive, top and bottom corners. Traps on the outside frames against the hive body are generally most effective. In winter the beetles will stay as close to the cluster as the bees will allow. So the traps may be more effective in the center area of the hive.