Natural Beekeeping International Forum

[SimonT]

From the SBA forum.
http://www.sbai.org.uk/sbai_forum/showthread.php?1831-Small-Hive-Beetle-in-mainland-Europe

[imkeer]

The shb was found in a trap hive in a container port in the south of Italy on september 5 2014. Several trap colonies were placed in this port, just because it has a higher risk of getting the shb in. So the guarding system with trap colonies worked !
Since then, Italy started a national surveillance program that has its focus on an area of 20 km. around this port...

Luc P. (BE)

[Adam Rose]

[imkeer]

I think you are thinking wrong here, Adam. It may be a translation problem. The bait hives were not meant to trap bees, they were ment to trap shb and were checked regularly. (I don't know the details but I suppose the university that set up these "shb trap colonies" based the frequency of the check-ups on the biological data of the reproduction of the shb.)
You don't have to believe everything that's placed on a forum, the same counts for what I'm writing here... So check it out!
There are better reasons to stop import/export of bees worldwide, very different from fear of diseases and pests. Locally adapted bees are more vital and healthy, and live longer.
The UK has "sentinel apiaries" and that's good to check what comes in and intervene if needed. I'm not sure every country has this...

Luc P. (BE)

[Adam Rose]

Ah - thanks for the correction. I thought someone had just some normal bait hives set out and the SBH were found in those.

[prakel]

The link mentioned at the top of this thread has now evolved to the point where reports of further cases have been discovered in another apiary.

[imkeer]

I'm all for a total import-export stop in the whole of Europe. But can't it be that the secondary case is also part of the guarding system with sentinel apiaries? Gioia Tauro is on one side of the container terminal, and Rosarno is on the other side...

Luc P. (BE)

[zaunreiter]

The Small Hive Beetle also travels with fruit that is imported, it is said. So with all the importation of food, it is just a matter of time until the beetle arrives.

A lot of beekeepers in Germany winter their bees in Italy. Even in south Italy.

[zaunreiter]

The first site where the small hive beetle was found was close to a harbour/sea port near the city Gioia Tauro in Calabria.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calabria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Reggio
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gioia_Tauro

Up to today 16 apiaries were tested positively for the small hive beetle. In a distance of 17 km to the first site.

All apiaries within a 100 km² get tested for small hive beetles. Within that region there are 20,000 hives off-season and another 20,000 colonies migrate into that area for pollination.

First apiaries were burned down. I don't think that'll help since the beetle can fly a long distance and can live from fruit and reproduce in bumble bees' nests, too.

Some information from Italy: (maps, and a table with data showing the sites of the discovery)
http://www.imkerforum.de/attachment.php?attachmentid=5717&d=1412321655
http://www.imkerforum.de/attachment.php?attachmentid=5718&d=1412321709
http://www.imkerforum.de/attachment.php?attachmentid=5719&d=1412321733



Photo credits and discussion: http://www.bienenaktuell.com/forum/kleiner-beutenkaefer-ist-in-italien-gefunden-worden?page=2

[zaunreiter]

Video from an inspection in Italy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFb9EZeIIzc

[Che Guebuddha]

I asked on the treatment-free facebook page what they do with SHB and this is the answer I've got;
"Keep a strong hive, and make sure you have enough bees to cover ALL your protein sources. And remember, your protein sources include pollen, pollen patties, brood, larval cocoons, even dead bees. If you don't have enough bees to cover all these, you need to remove some protein."

[zaunreiter]

Also an oil tray under a mesh bottom shall help as do beetle traps (with oil) in the upper part of the hive. Mineral oil is used commonly as it seems not to go sluggish as quick as vegetable oil would.

[JGW07]

They won't be able to stop them now. Y'all get ready! Now you can love to hate them as much as we do here in the States

I've had four years to deal with the beetles. I've tried the mesh floors with detachable tubs of oil underneath. I didn't like working with it, and the bees were losing a lot of pollen through the mesh. Also, wax moths were using the seams to spin cocoons. By far the most effective method I've found, at least for my region, which is the Southern US state of Georgia, is one I devised with canning jars and rings. I bait the jars with pieces of comb, preferably with some pollen, and drizzle some honey. I set it on a piece of bamboo in a shallow amount of mineral oil, about 1 cm or so. I then screw it onto the bottom board. Holes in the board allow for the beetles to access the jars. Funnels keep them from coming out again. Screened lids keep the bees from going in and getting trapped. There is no need to open the hive or expose the bees to anything that can hurt them. I've tried hives with three, four, and five holes. Three and four work fine, five is probably overkill. http://imgur.com/a/3YTzK?

[Che Guebuddha]

I just read in the Danish bee magazine that many professional beekeepers buy queens from Italy. Århus University is asking all those who bough queens from Italy to inform the university so they can set beetle traps and observe those hives. They are also asking people to stop buying Italian queens.

It is strange that they are "asking", instead the government should ban all imports of queens from Italy.

Apparently many German bees are migrated to Denmark for pollination. This is just creating more issues since migratory bees are known to spread disease on an alarming rate.

When will we realise that our very life style is the real issue?

[meant2bee]

Here on Kaua'i, we did not have the small hive beetle until about 3 years ago; now it is everywhere.

Thanks for the trap idea, JGW07- very explicit pictures. I see very few Small Hive Beetle in my Top Bar Hive so far but there is a constant drop of both beetles and larvae in my Lang, which has a screened bottom board and a pan of soapy water below. I've been unsatisfied with this as a means of control and may have to try some traps like you have.

[JGW07]

meant2bee, you're welcome. It's a shame Hawaii couldn't keep them out, but I don't think any place will be able to forever.

[zaunreiter]

Inspections for hive beetles in Italy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yJ9SxWGcVA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFb9EZeIIzc

[susi385]

Does anybody know, if this is still a case in Italy?
I am new to this forum.
Would love to hear from you,
Best Regards from Germany,
Susi

[susi385]

interesting case!