Tanya Pankiw
Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University
PREVENTION
Prevention through sanitation in the honey extraction plant and the apiary is the first line of defense against small hive beetle infestations.
In the Honey Extracting Plant
Beekeeper hygienic behavior is the best prevention. The honey house and extracting equipment must be kept clean.
Honey supers should be promptly extracted after they have been pulled from hives and put back onto hives as soon as possible.
Honey and slum gum should be stored in tightly sealed drums.
Wax cappings should be stored in sealed drums or quickly processed into cakes of wax.
Store combs as you would for wax moth control and examine at least once every three weeks for the presence of larvae.
Freezing the equipment at -12°C (10°F) for 24 hours is reported to kill all life stages of the beetle.
If it’s practical for your operation, rotating combs through a chest freezer then tight storage may be worth it.
In the honey house beetle larvae can be trapped using florescent lights overnight and then swept or vacuumed up and destroyed.
In the Apiary
Weak colonies should be either combined with other colonies, re-queened, strengthened, or the comb surface reduced in order to maintain enough bees to adequately protect the comb.
EARLY DETECTION IS THE BEST PROTECTION
To reduce the spread and damage caused by the small hive beetle, beekeepers are encouraged to regularly inspect their colonies to detect early infestations. Currently, the best way to monitor for the presence of small hive beetle is to pay close attention during hive inspections for signs of beetles or the damage they cause.
Visual Detection
When opening a hive containing beetles, they can be seen running across the combs.
Often found on bottom boards attempting to hide in dark corners.
Masses of adults and larvae may be seen on the combs and bottom board if the infestation is heavy.
Adult beetles can also be detected at night by shining an amber light, which causes them to move on the frames.
Trapping Detection
Corrugated cardboard with the paper removed from one side, placed on the bottom board at the rear of the hive, has been successfully used in detecting adult beetles (see below). The beetles are likely seeking a dark and concealing place to hide.
Damage Symptoms
Damaged combs. Larvae tunnel through comb with stored honey or pollen, damaging or destroying cappings and comb.
Discolored honey. Larvae defecate in honey and the honey becomes discolored from the feces.
The honey develops a characteristic odor of decaying oranges.
Activity of the larvae causes fermentation and frothiness in the honey.
The characteristic odor of fermenting honey is sometimes associated with the presence of the small hive beetle.
Damage and fermentation cause honey to run out of combs, creating a mess in hives or extracting rooms.
Heavy infestations may cause some colonies to abscond.
CONTROL
CheckMite+TM plus GuardStarŪ 40% EC use at the same time is strongly recommended.
Prior to exercising any of the registered control measures you are urged to confirm beetle identity by contacting the
State of Texas Apiary Inspection Service. Always follow label instructions carefully.
In The Hive use CheckMite+TM to Control Adults
Do not use on hives kept for comb honey production.
Remove honey supers before application of CheckMite+ Strips and do not replace until 14 days after the strips are removed.
Prepare a piece of corrugated cardboard approximately 4x4 inches by removing one side to expose the corrugation.
Cut one CheckMite+ strip in half crossways and staple the two pieces to the corrugated side of the cardboard.
Tape over the smooth side of the cardboard (the side opposite the strips) with duct tape, shipping tape or similar tape to prevent the bees from chewing and removing the cardboard. Or use one-sided plastic corrugated sheets commercially available in 5X5 inch format from major beekeeper suppliers.
Place cardboard as near to the center of the bottom board as possible with the strips down. Make sure the bottom board is clean and the strips lay flat on the bottom board.
Leave strips in no less than 3 days and no more than 45 days. For maximum efficacy leave the strips in the hive for at least 42 days (six weeks). Do not leave strips in hive for more than 45 days.
Treat no more than four times per year for the small hive beetle.
Honey supers may be replaced 14 days after strips are removed.
Wear chemical-resistant gloves or at least rubber dishwashing gloves when handling CheckMite+TM. Dispose of used
strips according to label instructions.
These are guidelines. The label instructions constitute the legal use of CheckMite+TM; follow them carefully.
In the Apiary use GuardStarŪ 40% EC to Control Pupae
GuardStarŪ should be used as soon as beetles or larvae are detected in or around hives.
Mix a solution of 5 ml (1 teaspoon) of GuardStarŪ 40% EC to 1 gallon of water.
Apply the solution using a sprinkler can. Thoroughly wet the ground in an 18 to 24 inch area in front of each hive. One gallon of this mixture treats about 6 hives.
Apply in the late evening after bees are inactive. Do not apply GuardStarŪ 40% EC to colony entrances, it is toxic to honey bees. These are guidelines. Label instructions constitute the legal use of GuardStarŪ 40% EC; follow