Ross Wood
Queen Bee Supplier and Honey Producer
Phone 02 66425957 Mobile 0421817710 e-mail rosswood@westnet.com.au
Small Hive Beetle
This recent pest will take a mile if given an inch.
Don't leave brood combs, especially those containing dead brood or pollen, unattended.
Check requeened colonies no later than one month after requeening for a laying queen.
Attend to all queenless colonies immediately, either giving them a new queen and additional brood, or uniting them to other queenright colonies.
If standard frames have been attacked, they may need melting down and rewaxing.
Plasticore combs can be scraped clean and recoated with beeswax.
Good beekeeping can confine this beetle to a minor pest.
Chalkbrood
Chalkbrood has been described as a poverty disease.
It is at it's worst when the brood to population ratio is high, ie too much brood for the number of workers.
Confining the broodnest with honey combs either side may help as will giving the hive an increased workforce from other stronger colonies.
Moving hives to better sites is always good advice as well.