Frontiers in Small Hive Beetle ControlDate: Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, 7:00-8:30pm via Zoom
Location: Zoom
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As far back as the 1960s, the American beekeeping industry had identified Aethina tumida as a potential threat to US beekeeping. Decades before their arrival in the United States, Caron (1978) stated that “One can only hope the beetle will not be transported [from Africa] to other beekeeping areas.”
Despite their long-identified threat to American beekeeping, very few controls have been labelled or licensed for in-hive use. Further, no acute control has been licensed for ‘safeguarding’ supplementary pollen or protein substitutes, substitutes that frequently invite severe Aethina tumida infestation. Faced with warming weather and changing climates, the impact and foot tarsi-print of small hive beetles is increasing every year.
This talk will explain how the biology and ecology of these beetles determines their presence and impact on beekeeping, and the research happening here in the US and elsewhere on their control.