Cleofas R. Cervancia

Professor Emeritus, UP Los Banos

Importance of bees• For pollination of crops and wild

plants

• Source of food & medicine

• To preserve nature

• For added income to the family

• As a hobby

27/27/2016 7:04 PM

1

Pollinators = Food

At least 1/3

At least 1/3 of the world's agricultural crops depends

upon pollination provided by insects and other animals

KNOW YOUR BEES

SOLITARY BEES

carpenter bee (Xylocopa spp)

Pollinator of large flowers

)

anthophorids (Amegilla)

Leaf-cutter Bees (Megachile spp)

Mining Bees (Halictus spp)

SOCIAL BEES

Species of Honey Bees in

the Worldcourtesy of Dr. Niko Koeniger

Apis andreniformis

Apis dorsata

COMBS AND FRAMES

BEE HIVES

Apis cerana apiaries

Apiaries for pollination

Go for stingless bees!!!

Stingless bees used in large scale mango

plantation

Other Problems

• Severe Mite

infestation

• Failing queens

• Chalk Brood

infection

Treatment with miticide : formic acid, fluvalinate and

check mite

SMALL HIVE BEETLE

STATUS OF SMALL HIVE BEETLE

(SHB) IN APIARIES

Cleofas R. Cervancia

Aimee Lynn B. Dupo

Elmer Polintan

Anna Locsin

MAJOR, MAJOR PROBLEM

• Incursion of small hive beetle, Aethina

tumida Murray

• Reported – June, 2014

• Identification based on the specimens

collected by Epifanio Loyola

• Initial assessment Nov. 26-29, 2014

present in Lupon and Gen San

absent in one apiary in Bukidnon

Life Cycle of the shb

Eggs are white in color (c). They are deposited in masses inside sealed brood by making a

small hole on the cell capping or through the cell wall (d). Generally, a comb is not required for

egg-laying. Females can also lay eggs in crevices, e.g. underneath queen cell cups (e) used in

queen production. The egg incubation period takes about 2 to 3 days. (de Guzman et al2013)

Larval stage (de Guzman et al 2013)

• Creamy in color

• With 2 rows of spines at posterior end

• Most damaging stage

• 4 instars (first 3 most damaging)

• Last instar “wandering phase, leave hive, barrow soil (5-10 days)

• pupate just below the surface of the soil

Pupal Stage (Image by De Guzman et. al, 2013, ars.usda.gov)

The white beetle pupae (g) take 5 to 11 days to develop and

become young adults. These young adults are very fragile; thus,

they remain inside the cells for another 5 to 9 days to mature.

About 75% of the beetles’ developmental time is spent in the soil

as larvae (h), pupae (i) and then as young adults (j).

Adult Stage (Image by De Guzman et. al, 2013,

ars.usda.gov)

When mature adults emerge from the soil (23 or 39 days), they are maroon in color but will turn darker as they

age. They are about 1/3 the size of a worker bee (k). An easy way to identify SHB adults is their clubbed

antennae (l) and sinuated margin of the thorax (m) and shortened elytra (n), which are the hard wing coverings

of adult beetles

Damage to the combs (de Guzman et al 2013)

Hive beetle samples

Apiary inspection

Collection of samples, getting relative density,

abundance

Treatment with miticide

Use of shb trap (donated by Ken Olley)

Collecting samples

Explaining the behavior of beetle to beekeeper

A commercial bee farm- free of shb

Happy beekeeper- no shb, so far

RESULTS OF MONITORING

Mindanao

Lupon -detected

Panabo-detected

General Santos-detected

Cagayan de Oro (Bukidnon) - not observed

TAGUM

LUPON

PANABO

GENSAN

BUKIDNON

Maliwaliw, Guiuan,

Tacloban,Eastern Samar

Tarong, Iloilo

Guimaras

Bacolod

Iloilo

CEBU

• Balamban- not detected (N=20)

• Lapu Lapu City- all the apiaries negative

Metro Cebu

Only 4 apiaries allowed inspection

Metro Cebu (N=141) – not

detected In the apiaries of:

1. D. Panilagao

2. S. Co

3. Jose Allan Defensor

4. N. Romera

LUZON

Benguet Monitoring

March 26, 2015

Kerobee Farm, Baguio

St. Louis University

SLU- negative for shb

Other Apiaries in Luzon

(SHB not detected)

• Laguna

• Batangas

• Cavite

• Nueva Ecija

• Pampanga

• Quezon Province

• Bicol

Distribution Pattern of SHB

HOW TO MANAGE SHB INFESTATION

Maintain strong colony

Maintain strong colonies- Frames should be covered with bees. Weak colonies are prone to SHB infestation . Empty or unattended frames can serve as hiding places for SHB.

Colony management

Control mites

Scrape propolis and burr combs

Clean the bottom board

Dispose the debris (burn)

Use beetle trap

Develop bee pasture

BEE TEAM