because we have had some much blossom on thees it was time to check the bee hives to see if they are not over crowded and to check for beetle bugs.  As we come into the last of the warm days it was important to get this done as the bees don’t like being opened up when it is too cold.

Checking for Small Hive beetle.

this pesky little beetle was only introduced into Australia in the eatrly 2000’s from Africa. Some say they came in during the time of the Sydney Olympics. The Adult Small Hive Beetle is aprox 6mm long and 3mm wide and vary from dark brown to almost black. Their larvae are white and grow to about 10 mm in length.One female can lay 300-500 eggs a day for 30-60 days.

The effective but labour intensive method that Paula & Gary from Adopt a Beehive uses is to work through the hive  frame by frame and as the beetles drop they crush them with the knife