In-Hive Pests

Pests inside the hive are creatures that settle in the hive and feed on comb, honey, pollen or brood, or use it as shelter: wax moths, the small hive beetle, the death's-head hawkmoth, mice, ants and the bee louse. Most of them are no problem in a strong colony; seeing pests in a hive is usually a sign that the colony has weakened or has too much space. The exception is the small hive beetle, which is notifiable.

How to approach them

1. Identify the pest: is it a larva, an adult, or traces (silk, faeces, chewed comb)?
2. Look at the strength of the colony: how many frames do the bees cover, what is the state of the queen and brood? The pest is usually the consequence, not the cause.
3. Match the space to the colony: remove uncovered frames and empty boxes, and reduce the entrance.
4. Clean up the store and the apiary: unprotected comb, extraction residues left in the open and dead hives draw pests into the apiary.

Main pests in the group

Wax moths

Their larvae feed on the cocoon remains and pollen in dark brood combs, destroying the comb with silk tunnels and faeces. In a strong colony the bees clear out the larvae; the real damage is seen in stored comb and in frames the bees cannot cover. Stored comb is protected by freezing it and keeping it in a closed, cool, light place. Details are on the Greater Wax Moth page.

Small hive beetle: different and notifiable

This beetle of African origin has spread to several continents and has been found in Europe in southern Italy. In Türkiye it is on the list of notifiable diseases and pests. It differs from other pests inside the hive in two important ways:

• It can be a problem even in strong colonies; its larvae contaminate the honey with yeast, and the honey becomes watery, froths, smells sour and runs out of the hive.
• When mature, the larva leaves the hive and spends its pupal stage in the soil; control cannot be carried out inside the hive alone.

Telling it apart from a wax moth larva: The beetle larva has two rows of spines on its back and only three pairs of distinct legs, near the head; it has no prolegs along the abdomen and spins no silk. If you see a suspect beetle or larva, keep the sample in a container of alcohol, stop moving frames and honey from the hives and report it to the official veterinary service / local agriculture authority.

Mice and other visitors

Mice enter the hive in autumn, when the bees cluster and can no longer defend the entrance; they chew the combs, build nests and soil the hive. Fitting a mouse guard or perforated metal plate to the entrance before winter is the most effective measure; the guard should be sized to allow the bees through and dead bees to be thrown out.

The death's-head hawkmoth enters hives at night in late summer and sucks honey; it is occasionally found dead in the hive, stung to death. Because the moth is large, a reduced entrance is usually sufficient protection. Ants are generally a secondary problem and target weak colonies or spilled syrup. The bee louse is a wingless fly that lives on bees; it resembles a mite but has six legs and is generally harmless.

Seasonal calendar

Common measures

• Keep the colony strong: this is the single most effective measure.
• Reduce the space: do not leave frames the bees cannot cover or empty boxes in the hive.
• Seal cracks in the hive, and clean the floorboard regularly.
• Store comb protected: freeze it and keep it in a closed, cool place.
• Do not leave the harvest waiting: extract the removed supers promptly and keep the residues covered.
• Do not use chemicals: substances such as naphthalene leave residues in wax and honey; insecticides are not used inside the hive.