# SBH in Europe



## Adamd (Apr 18, 2009)

Many UK beekeepers think that imports of queens and packages should be banned to reduce the chance of bringing SHB to our islands. The main organisations and authorities seem to be sitting on the fence at the moment


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## Eduardo Gomes (Nov 10, 2014)

Adamd said:


> The main organisations and authorities seem to be sitting on the fence at the moment


Yes Adam. Was passed the same in my country in relation to velutina wasp.


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## mbc (Mar 22, 2014)

Adamd said:


> Many UK beekeepers think that imports of queens and packages should be banned to reduce the chance of bringing SHB to our islands. The main organisations and authorities seem to be sitting on the fence at the moment


Yes, I'm one of them, and I think the attitudes of the nbu(national bee unit)and bbka could do with growing a pair and actually trying to look out for the interests of us beekeepers a bit more forthrightly.


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

The beetle spreads in Southern Italy right now. About fifty apiaries are infected and the beetle seems to spread rapidly, from what I hear. A lot of German beekeepers do winter their bees down in that region. (Calabria.) About 25,000 hives can be found there all year round and another 20,000 hives are trucked into that area for citrus pollination. From what I hear they burned down a lot of hives to stop the distribution of the beetle but so far with little success.


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

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









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


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

Distribution maps:
http://www.izsvenezie.it/images/sto...-tumida/2014-11-21/2014-11-21-zoom20km-en.pdf
http://www.izsvenezie.it/images/sto...tumida/2014-11-21/2014-11-21-zoom100km-en.pdf
http://www.izsvenezie.it/images/sto...2014-11-21/2014-11-21-zoom20km-en-sicilia.pdf


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>The French authorities are vigilant by implementing several measures in order to eliminate any eventual infestation on the national territory. But first, they all want to educate beekeepers about of dangers from this little beetle hive , while the reminding about the importance of be vigilante , the major risk associated with any illegal imports bee queens and / or Beekeeping equipment since infected shingles or unknown status and the need to quickly declare any suspicion.

If the French are smart they will realize they can't stop them, but they can slow it and do what they can to slow it down. The British Isles, of course, have some hope of keeping them out if they are vigilant enough. At least until a swarm hitches a ride on a ship and no one notices...


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## Santa Caras (Aug 14, 2013)

I'm with Michael on this one. If they're on the continent, then yes eventually they'll make it your hives. I'm not sure they're as bad as the Varroa tho. With SBB with trays, and strong hives, the bees can keep them in check.


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

Is the same true for nucs? And splits?


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

BernhardHeuvel said:


> Is the same true for nucs? And splits?


It really depends on how they adapt to your climate. In the US they are by far the worst in wet, temperate climates of the southeast. I first saw shb in our bees over 10 years ago. They are always lurking but rarely a problem even in smaller hives. I would classify them as a minor nuisance in our operation UNLESS you bring patches of brood into the honey house with your surplus honey and fail to extract them within 4 to 5 days or unless you put on more pollen supplement than the bees can clean up in a week.


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## Tim B (Apr 16, 2009)

Sorry to hear that the continent has been infested with this scourge. They're not too bad in winter and spring but by late july they'll take out any weakened hives sliming your equipment in the process. They will also afflict stronger hives disrupting brood rearing going into the fall leaving them weaker going into the winter. Hives that have too much honey with reduced populations are targets as are hives are stressed for any reason. The storage of wet frames is nearly impossible without freezing and placing in an air tight room while storing extra space on hives only gives the beetles more space to infest. They also quickly overcome weak mating nucs adding additional losses to queen rearing. The only satisfactory solution we have found is placing hives in open fields rather than near or under trees. I'm not sure I would have made it as a beekeeper if I had to deal with them when I started out 20 years ago.


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## Snowhitsky (Mar 1, 2014)

Here's a site in French looking at the progress of SHB in Calabria:

http://www.plateforme-esa.fr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=441:situation-de-linfestation-par-a-tumida-en-italie-mise-a-jour-le-22-septembre-2014&catid=159:actualites-internationales-aethina-tumida&Itemid=328

The red marks are for infested hives/apiaries that have been destroyed and green marks are hives/apiaries without SHB. The red circle indicates the 20km radius around infected hives that is being intensively monitored and there is a larger 100km observation zone.


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## Tim B (Apr 16, 2009)

*You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

The beetles can live and propagate in any sort of over ripe and or rotting fruit. That is the reason that hive near gardens with melons or orchards have such a terrible time with them. They can detect and fly many miles to infest a hive. Once they establish there is no getting rid of them.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

>The red marks are for infested hives/apiaries that have been destroyed and green marks are hives/apiaries without SHB. The red circle indicates the 20km radius around infected hives that is being intensively monitored and there is a larger 100km observation zone.

They will later regret the huge waste of destroyed hives trying to stop the inevitable. If we destroyed every hive with a small hive beetle there would be no bees left in North America.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

>The red marks are for infested hives/apiaries that have been destroyed and green marks are hives/apiaries without SHB. The red circle indicates the 20km radius around infected hives that is being intensively monitored and there is a larger 100km observation zone.

They will later regret the huge waste of destroyed hives trying to stop the inevitable. If we destroyed every hive with a small hive beetle there would be no bees left in North America.


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## Adamd (Apr 18, 2009)

mbc said:


> Yes, I'm one of them, and I think the attitudes of the nbu(national bee unit)and bbka could do with growing a pair and actually trying to look out for the interests of us beekeepers a bit more forthrightly.


Hi MBC, Agreed. The Italians are at least trying to elliminate SHB and I wish them sucess, although it's fair to say they are unlikley to suceed. They might slow down the speed of infestation. Eire and the UK are islands so we have a better chance of keeping SHB away from our shores for longer, provided robust methods are used and anyone bringing in bees illegally has their nuts cut off. Sorry, I mean that there should be severe punishment. Just to accept the inevitable without trying to do something about it is rather a lilly-livered approach.


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## Adamd (Apr 18, 2009)

My thought go out to the beekeepers in Italy who have lost their colonies and possibly their livelihoods as a result.


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## Eduardo Gomes (Nov 10, 2014)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

In the US there are any other living being ( bird, insect , whatever) that eat this beetle?


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## Eduardo Gomes (Nov 10, 2014)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

I'm sure you have seen and reviewed many ways to combat the SHB , and the excerpt from wikipedia that I will present will probably be one that has already been analyzed . But as I know little of the subject and the biological control seems to me a path for analyzing I quote:

"Biological control through beneficial soil nematodes specific to the SHB is also effective.Nematodes are microscopic roundworms found living naturally in most soils. Many species of nematodes exist and each has a unique purpose in nature. Also they pose no threat to the environment and are exempt from registration and regulation by EPA and FDA.

Beneficial nematodes are used by applying them to the soil while suspended in water. They may be applied as a pressurized spray or simply poured from a watering can. Nematodes applied to soil burrow downward in search of insect pests. Once found, nematodes enter the body of the insect and release a powerful bacterium which quickly kills the pest. Released bacteria dissolve the internal tissues of the insect which becomes food for nematode growth and development. Matured nematodes then mate and lay eggs to produce more nematodes within the dead insect. Several such generations may occur over just a few days. After the inside of an insect is consumed, tiny infective stage nematodes leave the dead insect shell and begin searching for more pests. As many as 350,000 nematodes may emerge from a single dead insect after only 10-15 days. Numbers depend on insect size." in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_hive_beetle

What are the contraindications of using the nematode? Thank you!


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

We had a gentleman fly in from Italy asking about small hive beetles. They burned his entire apiary of almost a hundred hives though they only found beetles in one hive. 
Small hive beetles are large enough to see in queen cages and can be screened from package bees as well. Queens are imported to SHB free countries every week safely. A total ban or destroying an entire apiary is an overreaction.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*



Eduardo Gomes said:


> In the US there are any other living being ( bird, insect , whatever) that eat this beetle?


fire ants have been observed eating shb larvae.

http://www.clemson.edu/extension/beekeepers/factsheets/small_hive_beetle_ap2.html


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## Eduardo Gomes (Nov 10, 2014)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*



squarepeg said:


> fire ants have been observed eating shb larvae.


Thank you! 
"Biological control through beneficial soil nematodes specific to the SHB is also effective." in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_hive_beetle
There is some experience in the field?


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*



Eduardo Gomes said:


> There is some experience in the field?


you are welcome eduardo. my experience with shb is that they are not a big problem for me or my bees. colonies that are queenright and strong enough in population to patrol the space they have do a very good job preventing a shb infestation.

i do use these beetle traps with simple vegetable oil and will find a few beetles in them now and then:

http://www.mannlakeltd.com/beekeeping-supplies/product/DC-685.html

i agree that the destroying of those colonies seems like a big waste. the beetles are most likely reproducing in other locations besides just bee hives.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

i meant to add that the problem with fire ants and nematodes is that they are attacking the shb larvae after they have already hatched out in the hive and may have already ruined the honey. they may limit the next generation of beetles but a better approach is to keep the colonies strong, use traps, and prevent the infestation in the first place.


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## Eduardo Gomes (Nov 10, 2014)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*



squarepeg said:


> my experience with shb is that they are not a big problem for me or my bees. colonies that are queenright and strong enough in population to patrol the space they have do a very good job preventing a shb infestation.


We over here in Europe we are worried. Partly it is because we do not have a very concrete idea of ​​the damage that can happen. As I have realized that many of you, yet they preferred to have this vermin away, do not make it a case of great alarm, that makes me more peaceful.

Worse than varroa should not be and we have learned to live with it. Thank you very much sq.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*



Eduardo Gomes said:


> Worse than varroa should not be and we have learned to live with it.


yes, this one is very easy compared to varroa.  

best of luck to you eg.


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## Eduardo Gomes (Nov 10, 2014)

squarepeg said:


> i meant to add that the problem with fire ants and nematodes is that they are attacking the shb larvae after they have already hatched out in the hive and may have already ruined the honey. they may limit the next generation of beetles but a better approach is to keep the colonies strong, use traps, and prevent the infestation in the first place.


I see. I fully understand that on an individual level each beekeeper has this strategy to minimize as much as possible damage to their hives.

At the institutional / state level do you know if your state agencies or federal agencies are rehearsing these biological weapons to reduce the pressure of SBH?


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

Eduardo Gomes said:


> At the institutional / state level do you know if your state agencies or federal agencies are rehearsing these biological weapons to reduce the pressure of SBH?


that's a good question. i am not aware of any such efforts being made, perhaps others on the forum can comment. in my area there is very little involvement by our state or federal agencies.


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## mbc (Mar 22, 2014)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*



Adamd said:


> My thought go out to the beekeepers in Italy who have lost their colonies and possibly their livelihoods as a result.


Agreed, can't imagine the trauma 



Michael Bush said:


> They will later regret the huge waste of destroyed hives trying to stop the inevitable. If we destroyed every hive with a small hive beetle there would be no bees left in North America.


If, by some minor miracle, the Italian efforts to eradicate this, let's not forget, new incursion of shb, are successful then the entirety of beekeepers in the rest of Europe will be enormously grateful and should not forget their sacrifice.



AmericasBeekeeper said:


> A total ban or destroying an entire apiary is an overreaction.


This is an initial response to an invasive species and if it succeeds in stopping it from gaining a foothold then it will be an amazing achievement, if it fails then I'm sure tactics to slow it's spread will change, and yes, those poor beekeepers who lost their colonies will be wandering why.


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## mbc (Mar 22, 2014)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

The latest concern I've seen flagged up is the possible effect of shb on our wild bombus populations, any experience of this?


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## Eduardo Gomes (Nov 10, 2014)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

I start by saying that I admire the effort that the Italians are doing to control this pest .
However I am very skeptical , given the proportions it has reached (post #6 from Bernhard).

To my knowledge the SHB has been identified a few years ago in Portugal. Was brought in a *legal importation of bees*. The beekeeper quickly communicated to our national veterinary authorities, who promptly confined and eliminated this early focus.
The Italian case unfortunately has won dimensions such that only a great miracle can solve.

Thus far what to do? Surely we can do a lot , but at what cost and with what efficiency?

Think for a moment what happened in Europe with the accidental introduction of velutina wasp. His focus was not immediately identified and eliminated . At this time their presence there is already in a good number of European countries.
As nature has its own laws, some of which seem to quite cruel, some exotic species spread rapidly since the new ecosystem give them enough and needed comfort. Nature abhors a vacuum, and all the empty tend to be filled by the fittest.

How to fight the exotic species as they were already installed in the new habitat? Not being an expert on the subject, I venture to give my small contribution :
1 ) on an individual level , do what the US beekeepers and other other nationality has been doing . Is sufficiently described in this forum and I will not be repeating .
2 ) the research level study very well the new species , particularly their life cycle, and identify the weaknesses of the species .
3 ) the governmental level , help beekeepers and research to mitigate and to consider how best to respond to the plague of a cost- effective manner .

Finally here I leave a small note of how research can give a good medium-term aid to combat an exotic species. This case is about velutina wasp (also asian wasp or yellow legs wasp). 

This new " alien" , a form of biological control , was discovered by a research team at the University of Tours ( France) , led by Eric Darrouzet . This team established a causal relationship between the death of wasp queens of yellow legs and a small insect , the parasite by depositing eggs in the abdomen of Asian queens. After the eggs hatch , just like an alien , the larva of this small parasite devours the queen's organs, causing his death and soon the whole nest. This small insect , like a small wasp, is native to Europe ( the scientific name is Conops vesicularis ) and can contribute decisively to limit the number of colonies of Asian wasps, and even lead to its decline in Europe.


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## antonioh (Oct 15, 2014)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*



AmericasBeekeeper said:


> Queens are imported to SHB free countries every week safely.


 

Well, not quite...

Here in Portugal , in 2004 / 9, we had a problem with imported queens from US (and they had veterinary certificate).

Fortunately, the beekeeper , shortly after the intoduction, spotted the problem and alerted the veterinary services.

The hives were destroyed, the soil treated and the problem erradicated.

Also in Egypt,they had a similar problem and they were able to eradicate it.

To follow the news in Italy, here is the late post by the italian federation :

http://www.federapi.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1319&Itemid=1

The problem , as I see it, is that in Italy the SHB was lurking around for a while and took big proportions and extended in a vast area, so its eradication here is more than problematic.

Also, I don´t believe that the italian authorities have a complete control over the region...


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

Even with something like Varroa which is an obligate parasite of the honey bee and nothing else, eradication has never succeeded. The problem with SHB is it is NOT an obligate parasite of honey bees. I can live and reproduce just fine on rotting fruit...


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*



Michael Bush said:


> I can live and reproduce just fine on rotting fruit...


Sometimes typos are funny. :lookout:


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

Yes... I'm sure I told my finger to type that "f" but it apparently didn't press hard enough...


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## rweaver7777 (Oct 17, 2012)

Adamd said:


> My thought go out to the beekeepers in Italy who have lost their colonies and possibly their livelihoods as a result.


While I don't wish SHB on anyone as I HATE HATE HATE seeing them, I have changed my mind over this past year. I used to think my main problem was SHB and have since by observation and the wisdom here determined that my colonies that died out were not primarily from SHB, but from an initial varroa problem. SHB are opportunistic and I truly doubt that an otherwise properly managed hive with SHB would succumb to them. There is always some other issue that allows them to take over a hive - high varroa counts or just too much comb for the bees to cover.

Continental beekeepers should immediately adopt the strategy of beeks here of keeping varroa in check and having strong hives, and SHB will not grow to be a problem in their individual apiaries. They will exist, but not be the plague it is being made out to be. Given that beehives are not the ONLY place SHB reproduce, destroying hives is fruitless at best, and counterproductive and damaging to the beekeeper population at worst (who would want to keep bees again after having Big Brother come in and destroy your hives?). Personally I would restart in secret or get out of the business.

That being said, since I hate them so much, I also take SHB countermeasures - oil traps beneath sbb mainly.


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

I liked it.


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## AR Beekeeper (Sep 25, 2008)

In South Africa the beetles do not reproduce on fruit, the only place I have read that they reproduce is in bee colonies. They have caused them to reproduce on fruit in the lab, and they do feed on fruit, but it is unusual for them to do so if there are bee colonies in the area. 

The hive beetle came to Portugal and was detected early enough for the inspection services to eradicate them as Antonioh has stated, I doubt the Italians will be so lucky.


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## Eduardo Gomes (Nov 10, 2014)

In Europe we have to go with another element in this equation: the velutina wasp. We know that the pressure velutina wasp in the summer months can greatly weaken the colonies, not only by direct predation of bees, but also because it prevents the bees foraging the pollen essential to brood healthy winter bees. What is the impact of these two pests together? Good good would that velutina wasp began to prey on the SHB , and that this would cause poisoning in velutina wasp.

I hope the Italians ares able to contain this pest, although I'm very skeptic, as I said earlier . 
Not being sure, I suppose that Italian beekeepers who see their hives burned by the veterinary authorities are financially compensated by the Italian state. The best would be that this was not necessary, we all agree.


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## Slow Drone (Apr 19, 2014)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

They took the same approach torching hives when varroa came to Madagascar. After destroying countless numbers of hives they also came to the conclusion it was a waste of time and bees. I do hope the European countries have success with a program that can eradicate shb.


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## Adamd (Apr 18, 2009)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

In the UK we had a problem with introduced Coypu which a are in no way native to the British Isles and were causing havoc just a few miles away. After several years and some expense, they were eradicated. Hooray! So sometimes it works  However as I wrote last year, as the British Isles are islands, then we do have a fair chance of keeping SHB away if the authorities make the effort. It's been agreed that it is unlikely that SHB will arrive on friut or in soil and the most likely means of transmission is with bees. We don't need bee imports, so we should stop them. The Scottish have called for a 1 year ban to see what happens over 2015; this seems a sensible approach.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*



Slow Drone said:


> They took the same approach torching hives when varroa came to Madagascar. After destroying countless numbers of hives they also came to the conclusion it was a waste of time and bees.


Same thing happened in America when Tracheal mite arrived. Wasn't it Maryland that depopulated, among others.


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## antonioh (Oct 15, 2014)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

I think Germany will be the next hot spot (I would like to think that I´m completly wrong) , as they import many queens from Italy and also, winter their colonies there.

Let´s put our head under the sand, and dream that Italy did manage to eradicate the beetle.


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

Quite some professional beekeepers and hobbyists from Germany winter their bees in South Italy, and the biggest importer of package bees into Germany has it's apiaries right down in Calabria. He has a family business in South Italy and Germany. Also many go down South for citrus pollination. So yes, it is rather a matter of time. 

Now advertises pop up in German beekeeper magazines: Pollen for sale from South Italy...Seems they sell out all their assets before it will be burned. They say the pollen is frozen and hive beetles (and their eggs) are supposed to die in frost. But who knows. 

Let's hope the best.


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## Snowhitsky (Mar 1, 2014)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

I know for a fact demand for Spanish nucs for France has gone through the roof as French beekeepers seek alternatives to Italian suppliers. They've been hit hard by the Velutina wasp and aren't too keen on adding another problem to the list. 

However, I concur that SHB is here to stay and will spread to the rest of continental Europe no matter what. While the Italian government may be able to control apiaries there is no way it can control feral hives in Calabria. Even if they put in massive resources the terrain is just too rough and the Appenines extend all the way north to the Alps.

:ws:


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## antonioh (Oct 15, 2014)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

Let´s be prepared...

So , from what I´ve seen around the forum, and please correct me if I´m wrong, the beetle itself is rather manageable if you keep strong hives and use traps... 

My question is : if you keep strong hives and traps, do you ever have problems with their larvae ? Or it´s very remote that they occur ?

And what seems to me the major problem - How to deal in the honey house ? As here, many hobbyist beekeepers bring their suppers from the hives on one weekend, and extract the honey the next weekend. It seemed to me that this, will not be possible anymore...

How do you deal with this ?


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

First, shb are a tropical pest. In North America, the further south you go the worse the problem. Warm, high humidity locations are the absolute worst. Beeyards in full sun fare much better than those in shady location. Let me repeat....FULL SUN is best.
If I were to guess, I'd think that the southern third of Germany and France might be serious breeding grounds but north of that the beetles will mostly be a nuisance only. Also, much of Italy, Spain and Portugal will be higher risk. Just my opinion.
In my experience a queenright, well populated hive will keep them from reproducing. A queenless hive can succumb within days....no matter how many bees. As a beekeeper, you must remain vigilant with regards to your queens. A hive with a failed swarm or supercedure queen will quickly be overrun. 
I haven't found that traps, of any sort, really make a measurable difference. I have a friend who loves them. When working her bees we will shake dozens of dead shb from her traps but we still find her hives just as infested as mine.


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

Also, you might consider a product approved, I believe, in Australia.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1440-6055.2011.00852.x/abstract

*all live adult beetles were eliminated from hives containing APITHOR™, while beetle numbers increased by approximately 20% in co-located control hives.*


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## antonioh (Oct 15, 2014)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

Thanks Beemandan !

In meanwhile good news from Italy :

http://www.federapi.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1319&Itemid=1

The samples collected in the protection zone (20 Km from the initial spot ), after the radical measures, were all negative for shb.

Let´s hope ...


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## satya (Dec 12, 2014)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

sorry if i break your hope, but i have many reason to believe that shb already spread in italy, south france, austria & germany.....
thanks to our greed....and now we can only get ready


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## mbc (Mar 22, 2014)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*



satya said:


> sorry if i break your hope, but i have many reason to believe that shb already spread in italy, south france, austria & germany.....
> thanks to our greed....and now we can only get ready


I'm not denying this could be true, but what are your many reasons to believe this satya?


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## mbc (Mar 22, 2014)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*



satya said:


> sorry if i break your hope, but i have many reason to believe that shb already spread in italy, south france, austria & germany.....
> thanks to our greed....and now we can only get ready


I'm not denying this could be true, but what are your many reasons to believe this satya?


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## quattro (Oct 2, 2014)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

I do not mean to cause a firestorm by the anti-GMO folks here, but since all of these are invasive species, we really need to consider some of the successful methods that are being used by the mosquito folks. They are having tremendous success in eradicating specific species, with no lasting effects. Is anyone looking at something like this, or is the budget just too low for research. I know there is a war starting over this issue in Florida, but this just seems so win-win in this case.

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/genetically-eliminating-female-mosquitoes-could-end-malaria

Another thing that you could add in the short-term, since you do not have SHB yet, is the beetle baffle. I know it probably is not entirely effective where SHB are already present, but in an area where they have not yet taken over, it would slow the spread amongst kept hives significantly. Of course, there are the feral hives....

http://www.beetlebaffle.com/


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## Kidbeeyoz (May 8, 2013)

*Re: You can't get rid of beetles by destroying hives...*

I feel sorry for the Italian Beekeepers who are having their hives destroyed by fire. When the beekeepers have lost their income, the Agriculture Department employees and government officials who ordered the destruction, will still be getting their salary. I think past history in other countries, will show that destroying hives by fire is a futile way to eliminate this pest.

Since 2002 the Small Hive Beetle has spread to all Australian states except Tasmania which is isolated by sea. You can see from the attached maps of the land mass we have in this country.

In 2002, my hives were caught up in a quarantine zone to curtail the spread of SHB. At the time I was producing comb honey and was required to wrap all my comb frames in a heavy duty plastic before taking them to the honey factory where they were immediately placed in a freezer to kill anything associated with the Beetle.

I think it would be fair to say that we, in Australia, have never been able to curtail any bee pest or disease brought into this country. In all cases, we initially had all the Agricultural Dept people run around like chooks with their head cut off, but in the end the pest or disease escaped.

I use only physical barriers and no oil or poisons to control the beetle but if my observations are correct the bees are becoming better at dealing with the problem themselves.


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