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Entomology & Plant Pathology
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, MS 39762-9775

TEL: (662) 325-2085
FAX: (662) 325-8837

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  1. Small Hive Beetles, A New Beekeeping Pest Found in Florida

    A new exotic pest of honey bees was discovered in early June 1998, in Florida. The small hive beetle, Aethina tumida Murray (Family Nitidulidae), was originally found in four beekeeping operations on the east coast of Florida in the Fort Pierce and St. Lucie area. Further surveys have shown the beetle to be in St. Lucie, Indian River, Brevard, Lake, and Polk counties, all in the east central and central part of the state. Since the initial find in Florida, the pest has also been found in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

    This beetle is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical South Africa and is described as being as destructive as the wax moth. This is the first record for this beetle in the Western Hemisphere. In South Africa there are few beetles reported in strong colonies; however, the beetle normally attacks weak colonies and stored equipment. The small hive beetle has killed colonies that were apparently strong in Florida.

    The adults are broad, flattened beetles about 3/16 inch long, about 2/3 as broad as they are long, and dark brown to nearly black in color (Figure 1). The larvae (Figure 2) are elongate, whitish grubs which under magnification have rows of spines on the dorsum. Adults and larvae inhabit beehives where they feed on stored pollen and honey. Combs are damaged, and bee brood killed by the burrowing of the beetle larvae. Bees in Florida have been observed to abandon combs once they are infested. Colonies have been found with hundreds of adult beetles and thousands of larvae.

    Although the adults may be found anywhere in the hive, they are normally found in debris on the bottom board, seen immediately after the inner cover is removed from the hive, lurking in the cavity behind the metal rabbets or in cavities in the burr-comb the bees may have built between the top bars of the frames and the cover of the hive.

    The wax cappings of stored honey are eaten off, and the beetle larvae defecate in the honey making it unattractive to the bees. As an infestation develops, the honey ferments and bubbles out of the cells. The frothy, brown, fermenting honey oozes to the bottom board and may be found on the hive exterior. The fermenting honey is said to have the odor of decaying oranges.

    In South Africa, development from egg to adult required 38-81 days, with five generations a year possible during the warmer months.

    Females lay eggs in cracks and crevices of the hive. The eggs are similar in appearance to those of honey bees, except they are about two-thirds as long. They are deposited in irregular masses and hatch in 2 to 3 days.

    Larvae feed for 10-16 days, and at maturity they are 7/16 inch long and slightly more than 1/16 inch in diameter. Larvae that feed on honey only do not do as well as those that feed on honey and pollen. Mature larvae leave their host colony and burrow into the ground to pupate. The larvae can become covered with the fermented honey, and as they migrate away, they leave trails of it behind them discoloring the surface over which they crawl. As they leave the hive through the various openings and cracks, the exterior of the hive may become discolored, particularly in a heavy infestation.

    Pupae are white to brown and are found in the soil beneath hives. Most adults emerge after three to four weeks in the ground. Newly emerged beetles are quite active and take flight readily; as they age they rarely fly and seek dark refuges within the hive. About a week after emergence from the soil, the females begin to lay eggs. Adults can live up to six months.