The Complete Guide to Beekeeping for Fun & Profit: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply by Cindy Belknap

Author:Cindy Belknap
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atlantic Publishing
Published: 2013-07-02T00:00:00+00:00

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Hive beetles

The scientific name for the small hive beetle is Aethina tumida. These beetles were originally from Africa. Young hive beetles are a yellowish brown and, as they become adults, turn to a dark brown or black. They appear to be segmented into three sections, with the middle wing section overlapping the head and tail area. They are very hard to pick up by hand because of their size, quickness, and small hairs over their bodies. They like to find weak or dead combs and scavenge the remaining honey and wax. They also survive in storage rooms that have stored honey. Keeping tools and equipment lying around that have honey and wax still on them is a surefire way to attract small hive beetles. It is important to keep the apiary clean, especially for this reason.

The eggs of the small hive beetles are similar to the eggs of the bees; they are only about 1.4 millimeters in length. Adult small hive beetles will lay their eggs in uneven clusters all throughout the hive, in any cracks and crevices in the wood, or in any stacks of equipment. The eggs will hatch in a week, typically. If the temperature is too low, the eggs will not hatch, and they also require a certain amount of humidity to hatch. Once the beetles have hatched, they begin to feed on the honey, bee eggs, pollen, and brood cells of the hive. They will eventually come out of the hive and burrow into the ground to pupate. Beetle larvae are also maggot-like in appearance. They do not eat the wax like the wax moth, but they will destroy an entire hive’s honey supply as they eat through the combs. They ruin pollen supplies and the newly converted nectar.

If you have a strong hive, the bees can handle the beetles. They chase them out or corral them in corners and put guard bees on duty to keep them confined. Give your bees a little help and purchase a hive beetle trap.

Missing queen

There are several reasons a queen might go missing. But no matter the reason, it is important to be able to recognize the situation as soon as possible. If not, your entire colony is in jeopardy. Your colony could reject the queen. This sometimes happens when a new queen is introduced. They will reject her as an intruder and evict her from the hive. A queen could have a weak pheromone scent. If this is the case, she is considered weak by the colony and will be killed. If a queen is missing, it is important to replace her as soon as possible. The most problematic issue for new beekeepers is usually thinking they are without a queen, introducing a new queen, then finding that the hive has killed the new queen. Being able to recognize your queen is never more important than in this instance. If a beekeeper has trouble identifying the queen, it may be a good idea to mark her with a small dot of paint.

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