Thought I should share some info that Dr. Shimanucki gave us concerning the
hive beetle being found in a few southern states in the US.
 
The Doc had just returned on Monday from a trip to South Africa.  He was
interested in the African attitude towards the hive beetle.  He said every
hive has the beetle, however, the African beekeepers are not concerned
about their presence.  He said the beekeepers he spoke with just remove the
beetles and go on.  They remove the beetles before any damage is done.
Even though they have the beetles, they could not recognize the picture he
showed of the damage done to honey supers.  The damage occurring in the US
hives, apparently is because the beetles were allowed to go unchecked.  He
stated there is an easy way to stop them.  Remove the frames from your hive
and spray them off with a garden hose with moderate pressure.  Just plain
water.  He said the larvae are easily removed from the combs.  They crawl
out and fall to the ground to continue their growth.  The eggs are laid in
any open comb, including the honey combs, which the beetle penetrates.  The
doctor said he was amazed at the way the Africans were nonchalant about the
beetles.  It may be that with large commercial US beekeepers, it is
impossible to catch the beetles before they cause the damage.  He thinks
hobbyists should, however, not have trouble with them if they inspect their
hives regularly.  He said it appears that the beetles either leave a scent
or cause the bees to become demoralized.  In any event, the bees abscond
from the hive.
 
He said it was very interesting to see the difference in the concern
between the African beekeepers and the US beekeepers.  He went on to say,
however, that in Africa hardly anyone ever buys any bees.  There are enough
feral bee colonies to replenish any apiary.  One beekeeper who has 200
hives said he normally loses half of them each year.  But all he does is
set the hives out and they soon have a swarm.  So he can replace all 100
lost hives within one to two weeks.
 
Dr. Shimanucki also spoke about a problem he sees that will probably be the
newest threat to US beekeepers.  He said it is called TROPILAEPS CLEARAE.
Controls for the varroa should also be effective against this mite.  This
mite prefers worker larvae, contrasted to the varroa which prefers drone
larvae.  The one good thing is that this mite will not survive when there
is no brood present, contrasted to the varroa which can survive on the
adult bee.  This mite will be a problem in tropical or subtropical climates
which do not experience any time when there is no brood present.  He said
the mite has been identified in SE Asia, Korea and the Mid East.  There are
no reported cases of this in the US at this time.
 
For your info.
 
Judy in Kentucky, USA