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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Chemistry Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #203449
Title: Trapping of Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) from Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies with an in-hive baited trap

Author
item TORTO, BALDWYN - IFAS, UNIV. OF FLORIDA
item Arbogast, Richard
item VAN ENGELSDORP, DENNIS - PA DEPT OF AGRIC.
item Willms, Steve
item PURCELL, DUSTIN - USDA/ARS/CMAVE
item BOUCIAS, DRION - IFAS, UNIV. OF FLORIDA
item TUMLINSON, JAMES - PENN STATE UNIVERSITY
item Teal, Peter

Submitted to: Environmental Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/18/2007
Publication Date: 10/1/2007
Citation: Torto, B., Arbogast, R.T., Van Engelsdorp, D., Willms, S.D., Purcell, D., Boucias, D., Tumlinson, J.H., Teal, P.E. 2007. Trapping of Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) from Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies with an in-hive baited trap. Environmental Entomology. 36(5):1018-1024

Interpretive Summary: The small hive beetle has become a significant pest of beehives in the United States over the past 10 years. Although the beetle is distributed broadly, little information is available on spread, host habitat outside of beehives, or population densities. The best way to gain insight into these factors is through the use of effective monitoring traps. Scientists at the Center for Medical Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology, USDA, ARS Gainesville Florida, the University of Florida and the Pennsylvania State University have developed a new highly effective attractant and trap combination that allows for effective population monitoring of this iinvasive pest. Using the trap-lure combination at sites in Florida and Pennsylvania the team has discovered that most beetles were captures in July and August in beeyards but that beetles could be trapped in shady areas as much as 500m form hives. The development of the trap and lure combination will greatly aid research on the population dynamics of the small hive beetle.

Technical Abstract: The effectiveness of two lures for trapping the small hive beetle, Aethina tumida, by means of in-hive traps was tested by field trials in apiaries located in Florida, Delaware, and Pennsylvania during 2003-2005. Both lures included a mixture (pollen dough) consisting of bee pollen and commercial pollen substitute formulated with or without glycerol and honey. Before it was used in the traps, the dough was conditioned either by the feeding of adult small hive beetles or by inoculation with the yeast Kodamaea ohmeri (NRRL Y-30722). Traps baited with conditioned dough captured significantly more beetles than unbaited traps, and traps positioned under the bottom board of a hive captured significantly more beetles than traps located at the top of a hive. In fact, baited in-hive bottom board traps nearly eliminated the beetles from colonies at a pollination site in Florida. However, when these honeybee colonies were moved to an apiary, trap catch increased markedly over time, indicating a resurgence of the beetle population produced by immigration of beetles from nearby hives or emerging from the soil. In tests at three Florida apiaries during 2006, yeast-inoculated dough baited bottom board traps captured significantly more beetles than unbaited traps, demonstrating the effectiveness of yeast-inoculated dough as a lure and its potential as a tool in managing the small hive beetle.