Exotics

The Small Hive Beetle: A New Pest of Honey Bee Colonies

The Small Hive Beetle, Aethina tumida (Order Coleoptera; Family Nitidulidae), can be a destructive pest of honey bee colonies, causing damage to comb, stored honey and pollen. If a beetle infestation is sufficiently heavy, they may cause bees to abandon their hive.

The beetles can also be a pest of stored combs, and honey (in the comb) awaiting extraction. Beetle larvae may tunnel through combs of honey, feeding and defecating, causing discoloration and fermentation of the honey.

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