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New Pest
Threatens Honey Bees
AUBURN, APRIL 26--A
recently discovered small hive beetle is the newest threat to honey
bees in the United States. Originally from South America, the beetle
has established itself in some honey bee colonies in various
Southeastern, Midwestern and Northeastern states.
 The small hive beetle
appears to be primarily a pest of stored equipment, especially full
honey supers awaiting extraction, says Dr. James Tew, apiculture
advisor with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.
The adult small hive
beetle is dark brown to black and about one-third the size of a
worker bee. Larvae are elongated whitish grubs that have three pairs
of legs. They are easily mistaken for wax moth larvae, however the
small hive beetle does not spin cocoons and must complete their
development outside the beehive in the soil. In severe infestations,
larvae may be seen crawling out of the hive entrance or from stored
honey supers, says Tew.
The beetles' life cycle
starts with eggs, which are laid in the hive and hatch into larvae
within two to three days. Ten to 16 days later, the larvae crawl
from the hive and drop to the ground outside, where they burrow into
the soil and pupate. In three to four weeks, they emerge as adult
beetles and re-enter the hive a week later. This process may repeat
several times a year, especially during the warmer months.
The small hive beetles
are most objectionable to adult bees. They defecate in the honey,
which results in fermentation and odor. The beetle larvae also
damage wax honeycombs. Honeycomb
damage occurs when beetles are actively reproducing in the colony
and are taken into the honey house.
Looking for small hive
beetles may be difficult, says Tew. The adult beetle is
dark-colored, moves fast and avoids light. Beetles may be found in
crevices in the hive, on the bottom board, or when temperatures are
cool, within the bee cluster. Many times when separating a hive with
two deep hive bodies, beetles are found along frame rest grooves.
Tew says several colony
management tools are effective against infestations when integrated
with the use of available insecticides. They include the following:
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Maintaining a strong
bee population in each hive
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Inspecting every
hive at least once a month
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Moving the hive to
disrupt the life cycle of the beetle
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Maintaining close
mowing or bare ground around the hive to facilitate chemical
controls and provide less shelter for beetle larvae leaving the
hive to pupate
Preventative use of
unapproved insecticides in and around beehives is risky and is NOT
recommended. Beekeepers should become familiar with the small hive
beetle so they can properly diagnose and manage the beetle should it
appear
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) has approved emergency exemption for
beekeepers to use pest control strips containing the chemical
coumophos. The strips can be used in Alabama under the trade name
CheckMite+ Bee Hive Pest Control Strip. The beetles absorb a lethal
dose of insecticide from the strips when the strips are placed in
the bottom of the hive body.
For more information,
contact your county Extension office and ask for publication
ANR-1186, "The Small Hive Beetle: A New Pest of Honey
Bees."
SOURCE: James E. Tew,
Apiculture Advisor, Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn
University
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