small hive beetle larvae 2020

I lost one hive - small hive beetle (SHB) larvae ate their way through the comb and fermentation "slimed" the frames making them unfit for honey extraction.   As shown, I moved all boxes with frames away from the backyard hive locations for sky burial.  SHB arrived in south Georgia in 1999, subsequently SHB numbers can not be reduced to zero - they have become part of the beehive population.

To understand how bad things happen to good people - here I summarized an Australian agricultural pamphlet describing how to manage SHB.   For this lost hive, I've placed a check mark next to my summer 2020 beekeeping practice and observation:

• Minimize hive manipulations ✅
• Keep a high bee to comb ratio (aka maintain colonies with strong flight activity)
• Maintain good hygiene around the apiary ✅
• Avoid using combs/equipment that are infested with any stage of the SHB life cycle ✅

In comparison, a surviving joined stack of two hives has strong flight activity.   This joined stack consists of an overwintered hive on the bottom capped with an open Cloake Board and topped with a medium sized spring 2020 swarm capture.

As shown, the screened bottom board has fermented debris, SHB larvae and a few adult SHB.  I ordered beneficial nematodes (Heterorhabditis Indica) to treat the soil for SHB larvae. As described on the Southeastern Insecectories website, "Each SHB larvae killed by H.indica can cause reproduction of up to 20,000 more nematodes."