# Small Hive Beetles discovered in Pollen Patties in California/Nevada



## snapper1d (Apr 8, 2011)

I quit using patties because of hive beetles and started putting pollen sub out in 5 gal buckets laid on their sides to keep rain out.Every time I would put on a patty in a week I would find beetle larvae eating my patties.


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## rwlaw (May 4, 2009)

Where were the patties in question stored? If it's in a garage or shed, those little SOB's will find it. I can't keep any pollen or honey in frames in my outbuildings w/o them laying eggs and sliming things up. The bole barn I can see, but the garage is pretty well sealed up.


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## 2rubes (Apr 28, 2005)

Our club member opened the brand new box that was just shipped and found them. We keep ours in our root cellar and the ones that we put in the hives, only saw bees on them when we opened them up, even the two that we saw SHB's in. Not sure where Randy stores his. I'll ask.
We just had a week of nice weather, bees were bringing in pollen and when I checked, the pollen patties we overwintered in sugar were mostly gone. The bees tunneled through the sugar to get to the pollen patties. A good amount of harden sugar was left. No signs of SHB's.


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## beesohappy (Jun 3, 2009)

About 5 years ago I bought some hives from a commercial beekeeper here in Sacramento. Thinking I was doing the right thing I tucked them up under some black walnut trees and feed them patties. The next spring when I started prepping the hives for spring I started seeing a lot of them. I bought my patties from Mannlake in Woodland. I'm not saying they came from there. In fact I had an extra 40 pound box that ended up not being used that I held onto for a couple years before throwing away and never found anything in them. I've only noticed a couple here and there in the weak hives since then. I've sworn off parties and now only use the more expensive dry pollen sub dry in the fall.

I haven't seen a small hive beetle this year.


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

Hive beetles have been in the Sacramento area for a lot longer than a year. Try at least 5 if not a year or two more. Putting sub on a hive which is way to weak to consume it all within a week or two is an invitation to a SHB birthing party. Be judicious about timing and quantity.

FYI : chickens love them grubs..


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

I see a couple every year, no big deal. I'm seeing more this year already though than previous years, saw like 3-4 already.... I've never seen them in sub as well, even in weak hives or deadouts. They always on honey frames where the bees have corralled them I guess.


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## Norcalkyle (Apr 23, 2015)

Found about 5 dead ones in each hive in early December after a hard freeze (for California) of about 18 degrees on 3 consecutive mornings. Went through all of the hives about 2 weeks ago and no sign of any and no damage to any comb.

Is it obvious when they are in the pollen patty?


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

The patty will be squirming.


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