SHB  (Small Hive Beetle) usually do not enter or lay into any cell, 

If the colony is dead, dying and/or extremely weak (not enough bees to police all the frames of comb), then you may find SHB eggs and larva in cells.

SHB do not enter or lay into any cell, much less a queen cell.   


Sorry Steve,  your completely Mistaken.   Jamie Ellis has documented it as well as others  I have photos also   (Bee Culture march  2015  I think)

There are others also who have documented it.

The beetle will oviposit into the capped cell from the side in a cell adjacent.  Those  larvae then hatch and feed on the bee pupa.

I suspect more hygienic bees catch it very quickly,  others not so much.   My best count was 22 SHB larve in one cell.


Its difficult to catch as the larve move so quickly and as they age they move thru the cell walls into other brood.  The only way I found to photograph it was to freeze the frame and try to photograph it then.


This occurs on a regular basis.  If it did not then we would not see continued SHB presence in most hives.   They have to be successfully breeding at some rate.

There is a "tipping point"  a point at which so many beetles are laying in brood  that the bees lose out.  It IS NOT always a dead or almost dead hive.  They can and do take down strong hives also.  Some will argue it,  but I have watched it and confirmed observations with Jamie and Dr Harris both.  

Charles

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