Q: Peppermint for small hive beetles
I just started using peppermint candy in my hives to combat small hive beetles (SHBs). It is too early to give my honest opinion. I see lots of beekeepers doing this. Some say it is also effective on mites. Can you give any thought on this?
Wesley Bryant
Alabama, July
A:
I am not aware of any studies in which the impacts of peppermint oil/peppermint candies on small hive beetles have been determined. I realize it is a semi-popular treatment, just based on the online discussions of this topic. However, until it has been tested scientifically, it is hard to know if it works. Of course, one could argue that it is being tested in the field of public opinion and experience. Yet, I would argue that this is not good enough. Most of the time I see this discussed online, the test colonies all received peppermint; so, there are no peppermint-free colonies to which one can compare the impact.
As a scientist, I need to see data. Furthermore, there are many different uses of peppermint for SHB control that I see being touted online: peppermint oil, peppermint candy, on top of the hive, at the bottom of the hive, etc. There is no standardization, which is why it is necessary to test its impact experimentally. I would not rely on peppermint as a control for small hive beetles until it has been tested experimentally.
One last thing: We also need to know the impact of peppermint on honey bees. Honey bees communicate using pheromones and, as we all know, peppermint produces a strong smell. Why would it drive SHBs from the hive, yet have no impact at all on honey bees? My point is that even if it does work against SHBs and/or Varroa, we need to confirm that it has no impact on the bees. Please do let me know what you find as I am curious to hear about your experiences.
Q: Red light and small hive beetles
Is there any research backing up the “red light prevents SHBs” trend? It seems like I see a different beetle “miracle cure” every day: red lights, peppermint, Swiffer sheets, entrance guards, etc.
William Ferry
Florida, August
A:
Similar to my previous answer: I am not aware of any research project in which the effects of red light on SHBs have been tested. I know that this, too, is a popular trend these days. The logic, so I hear, goes something like this: (1) Bees cannot see the color red. (2) SHBs run from light. (3) So, putting red light into a hive will cause the SHBs to leave the hive, but be innocuous to the bees since bees cannot see red.
The problem with the logic is that bees cannot see red because they are insects, not because they are bees. Most insects, most beetles included, cannot see the color red. Thus, the idea that it is okay to have red light in the hive because the bees cannot see it, but that the red light runs the SHBs out of the hive, does not actually flow logically.
It is important for me to give a hefty disclaimer here. Of course, it is entirely possible that peppermint (previous question) and red light control SHBs. I am not making the argument that these are ineffective controls. I am just stating that there is no peer-reviewed research to say either way currently. Without data, I am unwilling to use something that may/may not work and, more importantly, that may/may not affect honey bees negatively.
For those of you involved with master beekeeper programs through which you need to acquire research credit, testing the impacts of peppermint oil and red light on SHBs would be nifty little projects. Be
sure to work with scientists on this topic, as that will ensure you get sample size, controls, etc. appropriately established.
Q: Absconding behavior
When bees decide to abandon ship and abscond from their nest site, is it like a swarm going mostly all at once or is it a small trickle out where the bees slowly decide their current nest just is not right for them. Is it something in between the two?
William Ferry
Florida, August
A:
It is like a swarm in the sense that the colony comes flowing out from the hive, but unlike a swarm in the sense that all the bees do it, not just 30-70% of the bees like what you see in a swarm. I want to expand on this a bit for the benefit of the readers.
Swarming is honey bee reproduction at the colony level. Swarms are planned events. In the leadup to the swarm, the worker bees place the queen on a diet and exercise regimen. This causes the queen to get down to flying weight. The workers also construct queen cells, with the idea that they are taking the old queen with them; so, the colony needs a new queen to be reared in the process. When the swarm happens, somewhere around half of the workers leave the nest with the queen. This group of bees forms a bivouac (a science term for “cluster” in this context), scouts for a new nest site, and then moves to the new nest site. Back at the parent colony, a new queen emerges, kills her developing queen sisters, goes on a mating flight, and becomes the reigning matriarch in the nest. The parent colony still had its brood, honey, and pollen resources throughout the swarm event.
Absconding is nest abandonment. In this behavior, all the bees leave the nest, form the bivouac, and scout for/move to a new nest site. Colonies abscond for two primary reasons. First, they abscond in response to stress, such as that caused by SHBs, Varroa, beekeeper disturbance, etc. Second, colonies may abscond to follow food resources. Of course, this is nest abandonment due to a type of stress (nutrition stress), but it is different in that absconding bees in this case are almost migratory, following the resources rather than trying to get away from a problem, as in the first example.
Most beekeepers in the temperate world will never see a colony abscond. That is because European-derived subspecies of Apis mellifera (the western honey bee — the bee most readers of this journal keep) typically do not abscond. They tend to stay in their nest, fight the stress, or store enough honey in the nest so that they do not have to migrate to follow resource availability. I have seen European-derived honey bee colonies abscond. I have even caused it to happen in some of my research projects. However, this behavior is somewhat uncommon in colonies of European-derived honey bees.
In contrast, colonies of African-derived honey bees (depending on the subspecies) may abscond frequently. I saw this all the time when I lived in South Africa. I saw colonies abscond in response to SHB pressures. I saw colonies abscond when I worked them too much. I saw colonies abscond when someone else stole their brood. Beekeepers in South Africa (and elsewhere in Africa) also report that many subspecies of African-derived honey bees migrate to follow regional bloom cycles. These bees abscond a lot.
When observing the behavior, an absconding event otherwise looks like a swarm event. Bees are flooding out of the hive. The bees start circling in the air, form the bivouac, etc. The difference is that all the bees leave during an absconding event. Bees will also “tell” you that they are about to abscond. They tend to cannibalize their brood, likely to reclaim the nutrition stored in brood. They typically consume most or all their stored honey and pollen. When they are ready, they just leave the nest for good, every one of them.
I am fascinated by this behavior. I want to know what triggers a colony to abscond. It comes with huge risk. After all, they had already invested in nest location, comb construction, brood rearing, etc. We know a lot about the stimuli that lead to, and behaviors associated with, swarming. We know very little about stimuli and decision making when it comes to absconding …
