Just Saw Judy's post about the ABF report back and what 'Shim' had
seen in SA.
 
It is important to remember that in SA we have two hive beetles that
cause problems - the small and the large. The large hive beetle,
which is a bit smaller than a bee, but wider is easy to get rid of as
one just tacks a few nails at the entrance of the hive and it cannot
get in. I suspect beekeepers hardly ever have problems with these.
 
 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.
 
 
Keep well
 
Garth
Garth Cambray           Camdini Apiaries
15 Park Road
Grahamstown             Apis mellifera capensis
6139 South Africa
 
Time = Honey