Ugly larvae on bottomboard

Cindi · May 31, 2008, 11:16:20 AM

When I was cleaning the crud off the bottomboard a while ago, I came across these ugly larvae on one colony's bottomboard. I have looked and looked on the internet to get a good picture of the hive beetle larvae, I can't find an excellent one that indicates that what I found is not the small hive beetle. This beetle has not surfaced here, as far as I know, but then one never knows.

These larvae were not in huge numbers, only a few, but that may be a start.

Please have a good look at the pictures and if anyone has seen the small hive beetle larvae up close and personal (I'm sure many have) indicate to me if they look like these, or describe what the larvae look like better. Have that most beautiful and awesome day as yours, to hold in the palm of your hand. Cindi

Larvae found in crud on bottomboard:

JP · May 31, 2008, 11:51:52 AM

Cindi, it looks a lot like shb larvae to me.

...JP

Keith13 · May 31, 2008, 04:32:28 PM

same thing i saw in my swarm trap i had to do away with

Sorry

Keith

wayseer · May 31, 2008, 07:47:58 PM

Have a look through your frames. SHB larve burrow into the foundation - you won't mistake it. You will also see the SHB ducking for cover as you inspect. No mistakes here. I'd be more interested to see what was going on inside. How's the colony going? Is it strong?

I'm interested in the sluge that accompanies the larve in your photos. Larve can come from lots of different insects and without proper ID it's a guess at this distance.

Cindi · June 01, 2008, 10:37:35 AM

Rats, hmmmm....should have looked better and kept some of the sludge. Keith, why did you have to do away with your swarm traps.

The sludge came from crap, no sure what kind of crap but crap. I think it would be a combination of pollen patty remenants, cappings, just junk. I scraped it all off and put some on a cloth to get a picture, that is why you see the moisture on the cloth. This crap looked like nothing other than ordinary crap that I have scraped off after the winter, when using solid bottomboards. There was nothing unusual about the sludge at all, except for these hideous larvae. I would imagine they grew from within the sludgey crap. As you can see, I love the word "crap", it signifies stuff.

The colony that had the crap on the bottomboard so much was an extremely strong colony. The examination was the second DEEP examination, taking all boxes apart and reversing supers, etc. The queen is a powerhouse, brood in all three chambers and added a fourth box. Not a weak colony by any stretch of the imagination.

I did not see any small hive beetles in any of the colonies when I examined all of them, I would have certainly seen one if there was, although I don't know what I am looking for. All I saw was strong colonies of bees, all powerhouse queens, not a doubt!!!

So, who knows what the larvae could have come from, I just know I disliked the look of them and the way that they lifted up their heads, those pointy things, if you can call them a head to figure out where to go, disgusted me. I love bugs, but I don't like larvae, eeks!!! Beautiful day, loving and living our greatest lives that we share. Cindi

JP · June 01, 2008, 12:47:14 PM

Cindi, a lot of times I find shbs at the bottom of a colony in the junk pile. Now I was trying to see if what you have pictured head's look like and I had trouble doing so.

If you say they are pointy on both ends its not shb larvae.

...JP

doak · June 01, 2008, 01:49:44 PM

Even with a really strong colony, some time if there is some unattended frames the wax moth will get to these frames.
doak

Keith13 · June 01, 2008, 03:09:17 PM

Cindi,
I had a colony of bees move into a swarm trap I didn't transfer them in time and the SHB moved in and destroyed the colony full of magots thousands of em it was disgusting

Keith

Little John_NC · June 01, 2008, 04:53:42 PM

Cindi here some small hive SHB larvae. Just happen to have few around :-D

Little John_NC · June 01, 2008, 05:06:53 PM

Miss Cindi

SHB larva in combs this not what you want see in your hive. :'( :(

This a picture of SHB at the top ,SHB larva below it, then a wax moth larva at the bottom.

Nasty things aint they Miss Cindi

wayseer · June 01, 2008, 06:58:14 PM

Good photos John.

I have a DPI 'Farm Note' which indicates that SHB larve make for the entrance of the hive to get out to continue the breeding cycle. I have not seen this myself.

Kathyp · June 01, 2008, 07:05:12 PM

cindi, i didn't think SHB was a problem for us (yet). i have not seen it and don't know anyone in my area that has (yet).

Little John_NC · June 01, 2008, 07:19:47 PM

Wayseer you are correct, after they slime up the hive and the bottom board they make their way out of the entrance and continue their life cycle. What ever this viscous matter(slime) is, robbing bees want even rob out the combs. Smell is really bad. Best way I have found to deal with them is to keep my hives as strong as I can. Bees deal with them well as long as there number dont get to high................John

sc-bee · June 02, 2008, 12:41:23 AM

Slime a little like this --- right LJ!!!

wayseer · June 02, 2008, 01:11:30 AM

Yes - that's the little beggars at work - good photo. What do you do now? I try and clean off what I can and then put the frame in a freezer for couple of days. Afterwards I give it another cleaning with hose - careful not to snap the frozen frame. I let it warm up before putting in back in a strong hive - the bees do the rest.

sc-bee · June 02, 2008, 01:41:41 AM

I usually just start over when this far gone!!!

Scadsobees · June 02, 2008, 10:13:31 AM

Whatever you have on your board looks more like a fly pupae to me (round, pointy ends, brownish, possibly a shell like outside). Possibly a SHB pupae, but I'd guess there were fly maggots in the sludge (if it was wet) and those are the pupae. The pictures I've seen of SHB pupae in the ABJ looked more like a butterfly crysalis.

Cindi · June 02, 2008, 10:23:13 AM

Awe, I appreciate all the great responses, truly do. I think that Rick has hit it right on the nail, some kind of ugly ol' fly thing. It is definitely not the SHB, that is for surely. Like Kathy said, we don't have them this far north, well, not supposed to be. I know there was one accounting of the small hive beetle in Alberta, but I think that was it, it was probably a fluke.

There were only about 10 in this mass of crap, I am thinking that it was something that hatched out of the brewers yeast, some kind of evil weevil. Anyways, the pictures were all great.

By the way Little John, I must tell you this, and I have told you in ventrillo too, I love it when you call me Miss Cindi. I know that is the jargon where you live, that all women are called Miss -- something-or-other, depending on their name -- I just think that it is really cool, sincerely mean that. It kind of makes me feel like a young girl from the deep south. No clue why I get that feeling, I don't think that you are in the "deep south" or are you, I think that you live in the southern states, but are they called that expression of the "deep south"? I do know also, that I love to hear your southern accent too, that is a very neat thing to me and there is just something extremely cool about that southern "drawl", beautiful. Thanks all for trying to help me with this little thing, you are all wonderful -- you are my forum friends!!! Have that most beautiful and wonderful day as yours, lovin' this life you all live. Cindi

Scadsobees · June 02, 2008, 02:10:42 PM

SHB not supposed to be this far north? Don't count on it.

-15F temps for a month didn't stop them here. They are like varroa...they survive in the toasty cluster.

Rick

reinbeau · June 02, 2008, 05:53:52 PM

Cindi, as for SHB not being that far north, don't count on it, they're up here, came up in those packages we get from Georgia :( Maybe they haven't got that far west yet!