De Witt wrote:
> Boy did I get a scare just now! I opened one of my new hives and under =
> the Telescoping lid, but over the inner cover, there were three =
> "cockroach" like insects dark brown to black about 3/4 to 1" long. =
In addition to our nasty house cockroaches, there are several wild species
which live in the woods and fields. Occasionally I have had these living on
the inner cover, and they run quickly when the hive is opened. I had been
worried that they might take up residence in the honey house when bringing
supers in, but in my 30 years of beekeeping I never saw them except upon
the inner covers. I concluded that they were harmless.
The small hive beetles are much smaller than 3/4 inch. Don't worry that
these are what you saw.
Ted Fischer
Dexter, Michigan USA