Hive Beetles in Honeybee Hives

Hive beetles are nasty little creatures whose only redeeming quality, as far as I am concerned, is the fact that they have basically the same shape as a lady bug. That's it. Well, that and they don't bite or sting people.

Hive beetles are a solid blackish-gray color, about 2/3 the size of a lady bug. They like to hang out in bee hives, at least here in my southeastern neck of the United States. A good strong bee population will keep them in check, driving them into the corners, nooks, and crannies of the hive. In a weakened hive, however, hive beetles will lay eggs in the comb and wreak absolute havoc with their maggot-looking larvae, turning the honey comb into a useless, sludgy mess. Its gross. To kill the larvae, we put the ruined comb in the freezer for several days.

There are several ways to combat them. We prefer to use non-toxic methods, and that is what I will discuss here.

There are several traps on the market available from bee supply companies. We have had good luck using a large plastic tray trap that slides into the bottom of the hive. It must be filled with either non-toxic oil or lime. It has a plastic screen on top whose mesh is large enough to let in hive beetles, but not honey bees. There are other traps that fit in between the comb, which take advantage of the fact that the hive beetles like tight spaces away from the bees, and dark places. Some of the traps use pheromones or other attractants, and some don't. We are currently using 'Beetle Blaster' traps, which are the kind which fit between the comb...we just started using them, so we have no input as to how well they work. We switched to them because in order to use the tray traps, we must reconfigure the bottom of the hives to accommodate the tray and that can be a nuisance.

Another VERY inexpensive trap that works pretty well is homemade. Simply find a corrugated plastic sign... the political sort that tend to sprout up much to soon before elections work very well. Cut the sign into 4 inch square pieces, and place them on top of the frames on the top bee super, just below the lid. Put one per hive. When working your bees, carry a small bucket of soapy water. When you open the hive, grab the trap carefully and then tap the residents of the trap into the soapy water. If the political sign was for Republicans, tap them out using your right hand. If the sign was for Democrats, then use your left hand. If it was for an independent party, then do it however you please! :)

We try to squish the hive beetles that we see while we work in the hives. I have also heard it is important that if you have fruit trees, especially pear, to keep the fallen fruit picked up, as rotting fruit on the ground will attract them and give them another place to breed.

Monitor your hives, and if you see more than ten hive beetles when you are working, it is time to begin treatment...before you have a hive beetle crisis on your hands!