The small hive beetle (Aethina tumida) is a common destructive pest of honey bee colonies, causing damage to the comb, stored honey and pollen. If a small hive beetle infestation is sufficiently heavy, it may cause honey bees to abandon their hive. The small hive beetles can also be a pest of stored combs, and honey (in the comb) awaiting extraction. Small hive beetles typically enter a bee hive by walking into the hive. Once the small hive beetle is inside the hive, its hard exoskeleton serves as an effective protective barrier against the honey bees. At best, the honey bees are typically only able to harass the small hive beetles into hiding in corners at the top of the hive. However, the small hive beetles are often eventually able to find a way to lay their eggs within the hive. Once the eggs hatch, the beetle larvae damage the hive by burrowing into the honey comb and feeding on the honey and pollen. The primary damage to colonies and stored honey caused by the small hive beetle is through this feeding activity of the larvae. Small hive beetle larvae will typically tunnel through a comb containing stored honey or pollen, damaging or destroying the cappings and the comb. The small hive beetle larvae defecate in honey and the honey becomes discolored from the feces. Activity of the larvae also causes fermentation and a frothiness in the honey, which develops a characteristic odor of decaying oranges. Damage and fermentation cause honey to run out of the combs, creating a mess in hives or extracting rooms. Heavy infestations may cause honey bees to leave the hive, which can result in the rapid collapse of even strong colonies.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a selective insect trapping system for bee hives which hinders small hive beetles from entering a hive and/or captures small hive beetles which have already entered the hive.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds