Dear Florida Beekeepers,

My brother in law, Greg Ira, who is involved in the Florida State National
Park System, just moved into his new home in Tallahasee. Do you know of a
reliable source of packages and new equipment for him? I recommended a 3
pound package with a queen, plus another without a queen as a booster.

According to him, the magnolias, cherry trees and dogwood is in bloom around
his house. And, his lawn id suted with a yellow pollen each morning, which
he suspects is pine(?) pollen. He knows the ropes from keeping one colony
here in the Philippines.

Thanks in advance.

Joel F. Magsaysay
ILOG  MARIA HONEYBEE FARMS
KM. 47, Aguinaldo Highway, Lalaan 1
Silang, Cavite
[log in to unmask]
046 - 865 - 0018 (digitel landline)
0917 - 502 - 7538 (Joel's globe cell phone)
0917 - 477 - 2194 (Violaine's globe cell phone)
0912 - 318 - 7517 (piltel home cell phone)


-----Original Message-----
From: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Robert J. Bassett
Sent: Friday, March 02, 2001 8:53 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: On Hive Beetles


In a message dated 3/1/2001 10:33:23 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< I particularly don't want to hear I told you so and be blamed for
infesting
 the area with beetles.  So the question is... what chances are there that I
 will get a package for of beetles?? >>

If you are going to buy bees from an area which has beetles, you will
probably get the bug, eventually.  I can't imagine inspecting a package of
bees, visually and being assured that you are free of infestation.  I
wouldn't believe anyone who says they can do that.  The beetles are small
and
their size varies.  They are a bit smaller than our  "Lady Bug" beetles and
are black to dark brown, in color.  They can hide in a crack about 1/16"
wide.  They hide as the first order of business, when you open a hive.  I
don't think you could spot one in a package, very easily.  They can be quite
numerous and boil out the top of the hive when it is opened.  They get into
your clothes when you are working the bees.  They don't appear to give a
strong colony a hard time, but they can make a real mess out of a weak
colony.

They will mess up your supers of honey waiting to be extracted, if you don't
get to it pretty quick.  You just cannot store supers of honey in beetle
country.  You must extract your honey as soon as you can.  5 to 6 days of
storage and you may be in real trouble.  They can go through the destructive
larvae stage equally well in pure honey combs but they seem to prefer the
brood chamber.

I live in central Florida.  I moved my hives last year into an orange grove
about 40 miles away, to catch the citrus flow.  A commercial beekeeper from
New York moved his bees into the same grove about a week after I did.  I
came
home with my 4 hives infested with beetles.  I am sure the New York
beekeeper
helped me out with my infestation.  I don't know where he had had his bees,
prior to putting them in the grove, but I am sure he is spreading the beetle
wherever he goes.  I have been observing the beetles' activities since that
time.

I have a pretty good idea, having seen the Beetles multiply and observing
their life cycles, that they are quite capable of overwintering in northern
climates.  They are tough and they can go through all their life cycles
(egg,
larvae, pupae, adult) inside the hive.  I believe we will all be having
trouble with them, in time.  The best you can do is try to keep them away
from your hives as long as you can.  When you get them, I feel you will not
be able to get rid of them as long as you have bees in the area.  If we are
going to use chemical control, we will eventually raise 'super beetles',
just
like we have done with the mites.

I am encouraged by some physical control methods I have been working on for
these critters.  I will share what I learn in a later post.  I will say that
I keep the hives strong and have no noticeable loss of hive vigor or
activity, with the beetles now.  I have been told that if you move your
hives
to catch the flows, the beetles will not be a noticeable problem for you.
We
still have a lot to learn.  I better get back to it.    Bob Bassett - Beetle
Rancher