Garth said "If a SA beekeeper loses a colony to Aethina tumida (small hive
beetle) theny they screwed up badly and did something wrong - usually
pesticide damage from what I have gathered here. If somebody has
pesticide damage happening to a hive, the cluster cannot maintain the
brood pretection and shrinks - if there is capped brood it gets
beetled. A healthy SA hive does not succumb to hive beetles."
 
I forget if Judy mentioned it, but Dr. Shim spent three weeks in S.A.
studying the beetle.  He told us that in examining hundreds of hives:
- Every hive had small hive beetles
- He saw no larvae!
 
Florida has lost 5,000-10,000 hives, all along both coasts where humidity is
high.  Hive losses are due to larvae activity, not that of adult beetles,
and some of the best beekeepers have had some of the largest losses.  We saw
slides of some of the yards that were lost and the hives were well painted,
well off the ground, and in lightly shaded conditions.  Beetles have been
seen inland, but there have not been hive losses.  The same is true in South
Carolina.  We had a commercial beekeeper from S.A. (the Northwestern part)
at the meeting and he said that 100% of his hives had the beetle, and they
were no problem.
 
Dr. Shim is speculating that perhaps the small hive beetle we have is a
sub-species of what he saw in S.A.  DNA tests are in process to find out.
He is also wondering if the Florida/South Carolina conditions of high
humidity and sandy soil is providing unusually favorable conditions for the
larvae.  There is much speculation going on concerning why this is not a
devastating pest in S.A. and seems to be here.
 
Garth, do you normally see larvae in hives?
 
Lloyd
Email [log in to unmask]
Owner, Ross Rounds(tm), the finest in comb honey production.
http://www.rossrounds.com