Hive Beetle Info

[tlynn]

At our monthly beekeeping meeting tonight we had a lecture from Justin Ellis from the Dept. of Entomology and Nematology, Univ. of Florida.  He did his Ph.D thesis on hive beetle behavior and I wanted to share a couple of things I learned.

Some guard bees get recruited specifically for herding hive beetles into corners of the hive.  This comes on average about day 18 of a worker's life.  He had a video showing the top bar of an observation hive with the glass just a few millimeters above the bar, so the hive beetles could pass through and the bees couldn't.  And the bees lined up in a row on either side of the bar and when the beetles would try to cross over to the side of the bar they would be stopped.  He has a theory that as hive beetle population in a hive increases, more foragers are recruited to guard the growing prison, which reduces product coming into the hive and helps weaken it.  Hmm...

Also, when one bee wants to be fed by another she taps on the other bee with her antennae, which stimulates her to regurgitate food that the hungry bee takes.  Apparently hive beetles have learned to do the same thing.  He showed a hive beetle tapping on the worker and receiving food.  But this doesn't always produce feeding.  He says about 10% of the time this works and the rest of the time they are ignored or herded.

Finally he said control methods work best in concert - traps in the hive and nematodes or pyrethrins on the ground.  For me, I have been using AJ's traps and nematodes the last few months and I am hard pressed right now to find a beetle.

[JP]

Interesting. If only bees could sting through the shb's exoskeleton, they try, it just doesn't work, they're like rats or some other obnoxious thing the bees just have to deal with, its apparent how much they hate them, when one is exposed, bees stop what they're doing to try and deal with them, by that time I've already done sqooshed the lil sucker!


...JP

[Cindi]

I know, we learned about that too when we took that course.  I always have wondered why, if the bees cannot penetrate the exoskeleton with their sting, then why couldn't they chew them up and kill them.  Must be a good reason.  Pretty intelligent to herd them all up and corner them though.  Have a wonderful, great day and life, great health.  Cindi

[Scadsobees]

I always have wondered why, if the bees cannot penetrate the exoskeleton with their sting, then why couldn't they chew them up and kill them.  Must be a good reason.   Cindi

Ever tried to pick up a plate that fell upside down on a smooth floor?  Once the bees start on the beetles, then the beetles hunker down and the bees can't get a grip on anything.  However, if the beetle gets too panicked, or if it is injured, then it can quickly be lights out for the little bugger, the bees start on them and they don't last long. 

That is also why they herd the beetles, that and the beetles allow themselves to be herded.  A beetle can walk through a hive, and it will get harrased by the bees, but it can get through.  And as soon as there is some disruption in the hive, those beetles get moving throughout.

I love my observation hive :)

Rick

[pdmattox]

Here is a link to the UF website with Jamie Ellis and crew.

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/honeybee/people.shtml

[tlynn]

Thanks for the link, pdmattox!  Cover the plants tomrorow tonight!  Brrr!