Survival and Reproduction of Small Hive Beetle (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) on Commercial Pollen Substitutes

Abstract

An assay was developed to investigate the potential survival and reproduction of the small hive beetle, Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), when provided artificial food resources in managed European honey bee, Apis mellifera Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Apidae), colonies. Supplemental feeding was done to maintain the health of the hive, initiate comb building, expand colony numbers, and promote pollen foraging. To complement the protein requirement of honey bees, commercial pollen substitutes have been developed and are available for producers. Small hive beetles also exploit the pollen substitutes when present in the hive. Adult beetles were provided with 7 different commercial pollen substitutes and allowed to freely feed and oviposit over a period of 30 d. Beetles that survived the longest on the treatments did not necessarily produce the most larvae. The supplement Bee-Pro® supported the greatest survival, yet produced very low larval numbers. Global Patties® produced the most larvae; however, adult survival was low. This result may have been due to the larvae using all of the food resources in a short amount of time, leaving little to support adult survival. Four of the 7 treatments supported 70% or greater beetle survival for the entire assay period. This study suggests that the protein supplement needs to be readily consumed by the honey bee colony if it is to be effective for pest control. Careful selection of the amount and type of honey bee supplemental diets is important in balancing nutritional needs of bees and reducing potential problems with small hive beetles.