Small hive beetle

Small hive beetle

Photo by James D Ellis, University of Florida, Bugwood.org

  • Brown-black beetle that consumes honey bee eggs, brood, pollen and honey within the hive, as well as laying eggs throughout the hive
  • The hatched larvae chew through the combs causing the honey to ferment and the hive to become ‘slimed out’
  • Large numbers of Small hive beetle can result in the death of the colony or the colony absconding
  • Present in NSW, Qld, Vic and parts of SA and WA, but has not been reported in NT or Tasmania

 

Scientific name: Aethina tumida
EPPRD Category:
Life Form: Beetles & weevils (COLEOPTERA)

Pest Documents

FS: fact sheet

CP: contingency plan

DP: diagnostic protocol