I just received a hive beetle alerrt from Clemson University with
information frrrrom Dr. Keith Delaplane. Univerrsity of Georgia.  Since
therre are no controls he had some cautions when working with the hive
beetle.
 
1.      Bee claen around the honey house.  Do not leave filled super standing
long before extraction.  Do not leave cappins exposed for long periods.
Beetles build up in stored honey.
 
2.      do not stack or store infested supers onto strong colonies.
 
3.      Be aware the supering colonies, making splits, exchanging combs or
use of porter bee escapes can spread or provide room for beetles to
become established away from the cluster of protective bees.
 
4.      monitor colonies for hygenic behavior, ie. the ability to actively
rid themselves of both larve and adult beetles.
 
5.      experiment with trapping or cultural control measures.  it may be
possible to trap beetle larve as they attempt to reach soil and pupate.
Moving colonies may be advisable to keep a beetle population from
building up in a particular apairy.  Fire ants may be a beneficial
insect in the context if they are found to prey on pupating beetles.
 
6.      bees will normally not clean equipment orr supers full of beetle
fermented honey.  Bees may finish the job if the beekeepr washes out as
much as possible with a high pressure water hose.
 
I have found beetles in 50 strong hives in the south carolina
lowcountry.  I have found the larve in the ground onder the hives which
are on trailors 3 feet off the ground.  I think our succes will be to
treat the ground and break the life cycle which 38 -81 days to develop
with 5 generations per year in southern africa.  I remember seeing a
post from Garth (of South Africia) to keep hives strong. Some have been
present since august 1997 but never confirmed.
 
Ron Taylor, President of South Carolina Beekeeprs, Cottageville SC
 
Gary C Lewis wrote:
>
> Hello Bee Folks,
>    I was was watching tv this morning and while "surfing" I came across
> a piece about bees. There is a beetle that has shown up in Florida that
> is really doing a job on the hives that it has been found in. It is
> eating everything in the hive and the hives are dying.
>    The beetle comes from Africa where the "African" bees eat the eggs
> laid by this beetle. They keep it in check. Our bees however have not
> learned to eat the eggs so the beetles thrive.
>    This report was about the beetle in Florida but at the end of the
> short segment. the comentator said that recently the beetle has been
> found in hives in South Carolina. He also stated what we have all know
> for awhile now. 90% of all wild honey bees in this country are gone and
> 60% of the comecial bees are gone.
>    So along with the usual conditions that bee keepers have had for
> decades along with the "mites" we now have a beetle to contend with. The
> future of the honey bee does not look good.
>    At this time there doesn't seem to be a way to get rid of the beetle
> without killing the hive it is in. So either we kill it or the beetle
> does.
>
> Gary C. Lewis
> Duke Center, Pa.
> USA.