Honey Bee Pests And Mitigation Measures

There are a number of challenges a beekeeper is anticipated to face in their bee husbandry. Good bee husbandry and investing in good beekeeping equipment will go a long way in averting some common problems encountered in beekeeping. Honey bee pests are among the common challenges.

This feature seeks to highlight some of the common honeybee pests a beekeeper is likely to encounter in their bee husbandry and the possible solutions or intervention measures to avert them.

1.      RED ANTS

Red ants, black ants and Termites constitute the biggest problem to the tropical beekeeper. Ants will attack and decimate bee populations while termites will cause big damage to beekeeping equipment and structures, especially those made of wood. As a preventative measure:

1.     Use old engine oil or grease around hive stands or poles. Bitumen or tar can also be used.

2.     Termite damage can be prevented by use of wood preservative on all wooden products. If wood preservative has to be used on equipment housing bees such as hives or catcher boxes, it should be of a non-insecticide type and should only be applied to the exterior parts.

3.     Top bar hives are effectively protected against both ants and termite attack by hanging them between poles using strong wire which have been smeared with a bit of grease at the points where the wire makes contact with the poles.

4.     Legs of hive stands can be stood in water cans. It should however be ensured that the cans always contain water for this type of protection to be effective.

5.     Rocky areas are not prone to red ant or termite attacks. These can be advantageously used to accommodate hives. The fact that these are agriculturally unproductive areas makes them ideal for bee housing.

2.     WAX MOTH LARVAE

These are the larvae of a certain type of moths which feed on wax combs. They are prevalent throughout the year but are severe in hot, humid weather. To prevent attack or minimize on incidents:

1.     Fill up and close all cracks and un-attended entrances in the hive body which serve as entry points by wax moths into the hives.

2.     Remove all damaged, old, dark, and un-attended combs from the nest.

3.     Keep hives free of any combs immediately a swarm absconds.

4.     Prevent swarming which weakens colonies making them unable to adequately cover all combs.

5.     Destroy any wax moth larvae and cocoons when detected.

3.     HIVE BEETLES

These are armoured beetles which feed on bee brood. They cause a lot of damage to brood and hinder colony expansion. Against these, bees are helpless and will abscond if infestation becomes severe. They are more numerous during hot times of the year, especially between November and February.

To prevent their attack;

1.     Make hive entrances not larger than 10mm wide.

2.     Remove and kill them physically if found.

4. HONEYBEE DISEASES

Honey bees, like all other living things do suffer from diseases. The problem of diseases of the honey bee has, to some extent, been exacerbated by man. The traffic of honey bee colonies by man from one area to the other mean that honey bee diseases are spread from endemic areas to other areas. Whenever occurrence or presence of disease in a beekeeper’s stock is suspected, it should be reported to the relevant authorities without delay.

5. PESTICIDES AND OTHER CHEMICALS

Most pesticides and herbicides are toxic to bees. Colonies foraging on colonies which have been recently sprayed will be greatly reduced in numbers. Hives should be kept away from crops which are regularly sprayed.

Beekeepers should not contribute to this problem. Use of pesticides should be avoided as much as possible. When their use is inevitable, they should not be applied when flowers are open.

LOSS OF HABITAT

Bees depend on flowering plants for food. Unavailability of nectar and pollen sources will always result in honeybees migrating from such habitats. Loss of habitat can result from massive forest destruction and large scale mono cropping.

Beekeepers can help to ensure that there are enough plants for bees by:

1.     Planting flowering plants around apiaries.

2.     Allowing wild plants to grow wherever there is space, including by road sides, near houses and in-between fields.

3.     Engaging in forest conservation measures and not being part to indiscriminate tree cutting and avoiding environmentally degrading practices such as charcoal burning.

4.     Observing flowers in your area and determine

a)     Which flowers bees visit

b)     The time of the day these flowers are visited by bees

c)     Whether the bees are collecting nectar, pollen or both.

Be aware of pesticides. Regularly sprayed fields are detrimental to honey bee health. Colonies for aging on these will be greatly weakened in numbers with the probable result that the bees may migrate from the vicinity of such areas.

For your questions and clarifications from this feature, contact the author on 0967 419 551/0954186 973. Email: apisconcepts@gmail.com. For all your beekeeping requirements contact Al-Apis Concepts Ltd. Phone: +260 966 474757

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