Small Hive Beetle (Aethina tumida)
Krankheiten
The Small Hive Beetle Aethina tumida originates from southern Africa and has spread worldwide through trade.
The Small Hive Beetle Aethina tumida originates from southern Africa and has spread worldwide through trade. In Europe it was first detected in southern Italy in 2014. The adult beetles are dark brown to black, a few millimeters in size, with shortened wing covers and club-shaped antennae. They lay their eggs in cracks and gaps of the hive.
The actual damage is caused by the larvae. They feed on brood, pollen, and honey, tunnel through the combs, and leave behind a slime. Introduced yeasts cause the honey to ferment, become foamy, and run out, and the colony loses its stores. Heavily infested colonies abandon their comb and abscond. To pupate, the mature larvae leave the hive and burrow into the ground in front of it, which is why the ground in front of the hive must also be treated in the event of infestation.
In the colony, one looks for fast-moving beetles that flee into dark areas when the hive is opened, larvae on combs and the hive floor, foamy, fermenting honey, and a noticeable smell of decay. Bottom board inserts and simple traps are helpful. The Small Hive Beetle is significantly larger than the Varroa mite and easily recognized with the naked eye.
Infestation of honey bee colonies with the Small Hive Beetle is a notifiable animal disease in Germany. Any suspected case must be reported immediately to the responsible veterinary office (Veterinäramt). Under the Bee Disease Ordinance (Bienenseuchen-Verordnung), the responsible authority then immediately examines all honey bee colonies within a radius of at least three kilometers around the affected apiary. Further measures, up to and including the destruction of infested colonies and treatment of the soil, are ordered by the authority.
Acting on one's own authority in a suspected case should be avoided, in particular moving, selling, or relocating affected colonies. Preventive measures include avoiding purchases from infested areas, attentive inspections, and a clean extracting room, since the beetle can also multiply in stored comb material and honey residue.