Trapping Small Hive Beetle In Honey Supers & Brood Chambers of Honey Bee Colonies

摘要

To develop an effective, safe, and user-friendly trap for the small hive beetle, Aethina tumida (Murray), the vertical distribution of this pest within a honey bee, Apis mellifera, colony was examined by observation sampling and trapping in the top and bottom of honey bee colonies over a seven-month period. Two Hood beetle traps per colony were used to monitor beetle numbers, one in the top honey super and one in the brood chamber of 25 honey bee colonies. There was no significant difference in number of beetles captured between the two trap locations for any of the 10 sampling dates. Most small hive beetle traps that have been developed focus on trapping near the hive floor. Our data suggests that trapping can be as effective in honey supers abovethe brood chamber, although slight seasonal differences in trapping effectiveness occurred.