Merced County California has detected Small Hive Beetle or SHB (Aethina tumida Murray) during a routine apiary strength inspection of 198 colonies on 2-28-01. CDFA Meadowview lab confirmed the sample on 3-2-01. The bees were originally purchased from an out-of-business Florida based operation. The colonies traveled from Florida to Maine to North Dakota and then to California in October of 2000.