Last week, when it was still warm and sunny and the bees were out giving the goldenrod a good shakedown, we did a quick look into a yard of production hives to see if they’d put up any late season honey. The hives were fragrant with the particular butterscotchy fragrance of goldenrod honey – except for one, which reeked of fermentation, the tell-tale signature of small hive beetle infestation.
Off with the boxes! The cappings frass on the solid base was wriggling with tiny beetle larvae, the pollen in the frames was moving slightly and little heads were poking up in protest at the sudden light. There was no sign of capped brood, so we concluded the hive had lost its queen and weakened to the point that the beetles could take over. It brought on the usual existential doubts, and affirmed that placing a yard along a woods was nice for shade and protection from wind, but not the best spot for happy bees. It is slated for relocation as soon as possible.
So, dodging the inevitable, we set the boxes out for the weather and robbers to deal with the mess. It could have been so much worse. In time, a pool of honey would have formed at the bottom entrance and the beetle larvae would have reduced the frames to a nasty slime. What was not on the to-do list at all is now at the top, and a hive by hive inspection for beetles is imperative as we condense the yards for winter.
So, what are small hive beetles, anyway?
They are in the beetle family Nitidulidae, the so-called picnic beetles. They run about ¼”, shiny and black, with cute little knobs at the tips of their antennae, sometimes with patches of tan or white spots. Back when there actually were insects in food crops, before wide-spread use of seed insecticidal treatments, they showed up in ears of sweet corn, munching the silks before invading the kernels, and making themselves welcome at picnics if food was left uncovered.
The name ‘small HIVE beetle’ would make one think they are tiny, but they are fairly sizeable, and fast. It should be pronounced, ‘SMALL hive beetle’, because they are a pest in small hives. A good strong hive can easily police the invaders. They also tend to be more of a nuisance when the hives are in shade. So, can we conclude the hives weaken because the bees do not do as well in shade? Certainly, the foragers do not launch as early, the hives are cooler, the workdays are shorter, and the work force is grumpy.
There are a number of traps available on the market, and various ways to snare the beetles, but for now we will rely on our bees to fight them off.