Lesson Four

Intermediate Beekeeping -- Lesson Four Enemies of Bees.

There are a number of pest that make life difficult for the bees and the beekeeper. 400 years ago, Charles Butler listed the Enemies of bees as: 1) the mouse, 2) the woodpecker, 3) the Titmouse, 4) the Swallow, 5) the Hornet, 6) the Wasp, 7) the Moth, 8) the snail, 9) the Emet, 10) the Spider, 11) the Toad, 12) the Frog, 13, the Bee, and 14) the weather. To this list we can add, skunks, hive beetles, raccoons, cattle or livestock, human, fire, floods, etc.

The major enemies:

Ants

Ants are a nuisance in the bee hive. They often build nest under the top cover and above the inner cover where the bees don't bother them. They seem to cause very little damage to the bees except be a curse to the beekeeper who wants to control them.

Treatment: Any chemical used to destroy ants will also kill bees. One could set the bee hive on a stand supported by four legs. Each leg would fit into a can filled with oil preventing ants from climbing up the side of the hive. Don't spend too much time worrying about them.

Bears

Bear damage is rather easy to see. Hives are smashed to bits by the bears to get to the brood comb and honey. They scatter the equipment around the yard. One will find many frames dragged away from the boxes with the comb eaten and pulled from the frames.

Treatment: The killing of these large animals is being called into question more and more in today's world. The best thing a beekeeper can do is install an electric bear fence as a preventative measure. Place the apiary in a location out of their path.

Birds

Birds can take a heavy toll on adult honey bees. There is very little that can be done about this. You should be aware that some of the following birds are considered bee feeders.

martins
swallows
woodpeckers
sparrows

Livestock

Beekeepers that place hives of bees on farms may concern themselves with the problems caused by cattle. Cattle like to rub up against bee hives and thus knock them over or off their bottom boards. Cows have heavy hair over most of their body and bees do not seem to be able to drive a real itchy cow off.

Treatment: If you are going to place hives of bees on a farm where cattle or livestock have access to the hives of bees, you need to think about and getting permission to erect a portable fence around the hives.

Fire Ants

Solenopsis sp. are nasty very small ants. They are reddish brown in color. The bite leaves a pustule on the body of the person bitten. They are very common in the Southern U.S. California is trying to keep the fire ant out of the state by checking pollinating vehicles that enter the state and stop any of those who may have a stray ant aboard. The bite itches and burns for a considerable time after the insect has done its work. The mounds of the fire ants nest are visible in fields, pasture, and next to bee hives that sit directly on the ground as shown.

Treatment : Get bee hives off the ground. Use pallets or blocks. Because there are so many nest in an area, it is almost impossible to kill them. Avoid kneeling on the ground when working in a fire ant area. Be sure to wear clothing that can be fitted inside boots or fastened tightly around the ankle to prevent them from climbing up ones leg.

Frogs & Toads

Frogs and toads are found near water and gardens. They are considered very valuable insect catchers. Most gardeners would delight to have toads/frogs in their garden. They may eat some bees but will not deplete the populations of bees which might cause the beekeeper some concern.

Treatment: None

Hive Beetle

The SHB is found primarily in the Southern states of the United States but can be found in many other states especially states that import bees for pollination. It is called: Aethina tumida . This small beetle is black and can be found moving rapidly inside the hive when exposed to sun light. The Larvae may be mistaken for wax moth larva but they do not spin cocoons as the wax moth larva and leave a slime trail within the hive. They can make a complete mess of a hive which can result in the loss of comb in the frames and loss of honey crop. This beetle seems to prefer weak hives especially queenless hives to do its damage.

Treatment: Several treatments are available to the beekeeper for SHB. First, a ground drench - SHB larva crawl from the entrance of a hive and pupate in the ground around the hive stand. The product is called: GardStar®. Always read label directions for the use of the product. Second, CheckMite+ - TM a strip which controls both SHB and Varroa mites. This is a restricted use chemical and you need to check your state dept. of Agriculture to see if it is approved in your state.

Rodents

Rodents such as mice and rats are common pest to the beekeeper. They build nest in hive boxes, destroy comb in the frames, and eat holes in equipment. In addition they leave dropping all over the place.

Treatment: In the fall of the year, the beekeeper can do a great deal to keep mice out of hives by placing a mouse guard on the entrance to the hive. These are sold by bee suppliers but you can make effective mouse guards. If you can restrict the entrance to the hive to 1/4 of an inch, bees will be able to come and go, but mice will not be able to enter. Any holes in the hive of 1/2 inch or more will allow free access to the inside of the hive by mice. Rats can be a problem in storage areas where bee equipment is kept. Bait can be set out for both rats and mice, special traps are also available, and a cat works wonders.

Raccoon

Have you even encountered an animal just about as smart as you are? If you are storing bee honey supers in an open shed, "coon" will most likely find them. They love to pull frames from the hive bodies and build a nest to raise their young. They will even remove covers such as plywood or inner covers from stacked supers. And those boardman feeder jars outside the hive used for feeding. Once the "coon" discover them you will be lucky to find them. The jars are rolled away from the hives and the "coon" drink your syrup. For those who raise queens, "coon" are a special problem. They learn how to pull a nuc over on its side, pull out the frames, and eat the brood.

Treatment: Raccoon can be trapped. Often you may have coon hunters in your area that would be more than delighted to take up the hunt for them. Because coon carry or can carry rabies, many states require that they be killed rather than caught and released.

Skunks

Skunks will scratch the bottom board landing area or the front of the hive body to get the bees to come out of the hive. They then eat the bees they catch. If you see matted down grass or in this case, bare earth in front or around the front of your hive, you most likely have a skunk dining on your bees.

Treatment: Skunks visit in the evening and dark hours. Watching for them can take some time but shooting them is usually not an option. There are several things that can be done. First, raising the hive off the ground 16 to 18 inches will help. Or you can spread lye around the entrance. When the skunk get lye on its paws it will lick them and the result is bitterness. One can also use chicken netting around the hive to prevent the skunk from getting close enough to the hive to feed. I like the wire trap with a door that shuts when the animal steps on a trap lever. I throw a blanket (old one) over the trap to move it. I have caught as many as four skunks in a bee yard in one year.

Wax Moth

There are two general types found in the United States: Galleria mellonella L. the Greater Wax Moth and Achroia grisella F. the Lesser Wax Moth. Both do considerable damage to bee hives that are in weak condition and stored comb in supers. Wax moths are a serious problem in warm weather and dark conditions. They can do a lot of damage in a very short period of time.

Treatment: Wax moths attack weak hives. Strong hives will kept them under control. Wax moths do not like light. Exposing equipment to light, closing up equipment tightly and fumigating with "Para-moth" (Para-Dichlorobenzene crystals) a product available from most bee suppliers, and using biological control such as Bacillus thuringiensis.

Wasp & Yellow Jackets

Often a beekeeper will see yellow jackets trying to get into the entrance of a hive. If the hive is weak, a number of yellow jackets will invade and steal honey reserves. Yellow jackets are insect opportunist. If a beekeeper feels that yellow jackets killed his/her hive, what in fact happened with the hive occurred before the yellow jacket began to rob it out.

Treatment: Keep hives strong. Yellow Jackets do not bother strong hives. They find weak hives and take advantage of the few bees who try to defend the hive. The observation of yellow jackets working at the entrance of a bee hive should indicate to the beekeeper that this hive needs inspecting. Placing an entrance reducer on the hive reduced to the smallest opening is one way to help the bees defend themselves.