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Increased attractiveness of honeybee hive product volatiles to adult small hive beetle, A ethina tumida , resulting from small hive beetle larval infestation
Author(s) -
Hayes R. Andrew,
Rice Steven J.,
Amos Brogan A.,
Leemon Diana M.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
entomologia experimentalis et applicata
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.765
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1570-7458
pISSN - 0013-8703
DOI - 10.1111/eea.12304
Subject(s) - biology , apiary , fermentation , botany , larva , brood , beekeeping , food science
The small hive beetle, A ethina tumida M urray ( C oleoptera: N itidulidae), is a recent but significant pest of honeybee [ A pis mellifera L . ( H ymenoptera: A pidae)] hives in various regions throughout the world, including Eastern Australia. The larval stage of this beetle damages hives when they feed on brood, pollen, and honeycomb, leaving behind fermented wastes. In cases of extreme damage, hives collapse and are turned to an odorous mass of larvae in fermenting hive products. The yeast K odamaea ohmeri ( E tchells & B ell) Yamada et al. ( A scomycota) has been consistently isolated from the fermenting material as well as each life stage of this beetle. Various studies have noted that the small hive beetle is attracted to volatiles from hive products and those of the yeast K . ohmeri , although earlier studies have not used naturally occurring hive products as their source of fermentation. This study investigated changes through time in the attractiveness of natural honeybee hive products to the small hive beetle as the hive products were altered by the action of beetle larvae and fermentation by K . ohmeri . We used gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry and choice‐test behavioural assays to investigate these changes using products sampled from three apiaries. Attractiveness of the fermenting hive products (‘slime’) increased as fermentation progressed, and volatile profiles became more complex. Fermenting hive products remained extremely attractive for more than 30 days, significantly longer than previous reports. These results have strong implications for the development of an external attractant trap to assist in the management of this invasive pest.