Presentation during the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) Seminar Series on July 27, 2016 at RDMIC Bldg., cor. Visayas Ave., Elliptical Rd., Diliman, Quezon City

1. Cleofas R. Cervancia
Professor Emeritus, UP Los Banos

2. Importance of bees
• For pollination of crops and wild
plants
• Source of food & medicine
• To preserve nature
• For added income to the family
• As a hobby
27/27/2016 7:04 PM

3. 1
Pollinators = Food
At least 1/3
At least 1/3 of the world's agricultural crops depends
upon pollination provided by insects and other animals

4. KNOW YOUR BEES

5. SOLITARY BEES

6. carpenter bee (Xylocopa spp)
Pollinator of large flowers
)

7. anthophorids (Amegilla)

8. Leaf-cutter Bees (Megachile spp)

9. Mining Bees (Halictus spp)

10. SOCIAL BEES

11. Species of Honey Bees in
the World
courtesy of Dr. Niko Koeniger

12. Apis andreniformis

13. Apis dorsata

14. COMBS AND FRAMES

15. BEE HIVES

16. Apis cerana apiaries

17. Apiaries for pollination

18. Go for stingless bees!!!

19. Stingless bees used in large scale mango
plantation

20. Other Problems
• Severe Mite
infestation
• Failing queens
• Chalk Brood
infection

21. Treatment with miticide : formic acid, fluvalinate and
check mite

22. SMALL HIVE BEETLE

23. STATUS OF SMALL HIVE BEETLE
(SHB) IN APIARIES
Cleofas R. Cervancia
Aimee Lynn B. Dupo
Elmer Polintan
Anna Locsin

24. MAJOR, MAJOR PROBLEM
• Incursion of small hive beetle, Aethina
tumida Murray
• Reported – June, 2014
• Identification based on the specimens
collected by Epifanio Loyola
• Initial assessment Nov. 26-29, 2014
present in Lupon and Gen San
absent in one apiary in Bukidnon

25. Life Cycle of the shb
Eggs are white in color (c). They are deposited in masses inside sealed brood by making a
small hole on the cell capping or through the cell wall (d). Generally, a comb is not required for
egg-laying. Females can also lay eggs in crevices, e.g. underneath queen cell cups (e) used in
queen production. The egg incubation period takes about 2 to 3 days. (de Guzman et al2013)

26. Larval stage (de Guzman et al 2013)
• Creamy in color
• With 2 rows of spines at posterior end
• Most damaging stage
• 4 instars (first 3 most damaging)
• Last instar “wandering phase, leave hive, barrow soil (5-10 days)
• pupate just below the surface of the soil

27. Pupal Stage (Image by De Guzman et. al, 2013, ars.usda.gov)
The white beetle pupae (g) take 5 to 11 days to develop and
become young adults. These young adults are very fragile; thus,
they remain inside the cells for another 5 to 9 days to mature.
About 75% of the beetles’ developmental time is spent in the soil
as larvae (h), pupae (i) and then as young adults (j).

28. Adult Stage (Image by De Guzman et. al, 2013,
ars.usda.gov)
When mature adults emerge from the soil (23 or 39 days), they are maroon in color but will turn darker as they
age. They are about 1/3 the size of a worker bee (k). An easy way to identify SHB adults is their clubbed
antennae (l) and sinuated margin of the thorax (m) and shortened elytra (n), which are the hard wing coverings
of adult beetles

29. Damage to the combs (de Guzman et al 2013)

30. Hive beetle samples

32. Apiary inspection

33. Collection of samples, getting relative density,
abundance

34. Treatment with miticide

35. Use of shb trap (donated by Ken Olley)

36. Collecting samples

37. Explaining the behavior of beetle to beekeeper

38. A commercial bee farm- free of shb

39. Happy beekeeper- no shb, so far

40. RESULTS OF MONITORING
Mindanao
Lupon -detected
Panabo-detected
General Santos-detected
Cagayan de Oro (Bukidnon) - not observed

41. TAGUM

42. LUPON

43. PANABO

44. GENSAN

45. BUKIDNON

46. Maliwaliw, Guiuan,
Tacloban,Eastern Samar

47. Tarong, Iloilo

48. Guimaras

49. Bacolod

50. Iloilo

51. CEBU
• Balamban- not detected (N=20)
• Lapu Lapu City- all the apiaries negative

52. Metro Cebu
Only 4 apiaries allowed inspection
Metro Cebu (N=141) – not
detected In the apiaries of:
1. D. Panilagao
2. S. Co
3. Jose Allan Defensor
4. N. Romera

53. LUZON
Benguet Monitoring
March 26, 2015

54. Kerobee Farm, Baguio

55. St. Louis University

56. SLU- negative for shb

57. Other Apiaries in Luzon
(SHB not detected)
• Laguna
• Batangas
• Cavite
• Nueva Ecija
• Pampanga
• Quezon Province
• Bicol

58. Distribution Pattern of SHB

59. HOW TO MANAGE SHB INFESTATION
Maintain strong colony

60. Maintain strong colonies- Frames should be covered with
bees. Weak colonies are prone to SHB infestation . Empty or
unattended frames can serve as hiding places for SHB.

61. Colony management

62. Control mites

63. Scrape propolis and burr combs

64. Clean the bottom board

65. Dispose the debris (burn)

66. Use beetle trap

67. Develop bee pasture

70. BEE TEAM