Bumble bee colonies as potential alternative hosts for the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida Murray)

Three bumble bee (Bombus impatiens Cresson) colonies, each containing 100-2 00 adult bees and enclosed in separate containment chambers, were artificia lly infested with 20 small hive beetle (Aethina tumida Murray) adults. A fo urth colony was not infested and served as a control. Beetle-infested and c ontrol colonies were sacrificed on three separate days to evaluate colony s tatus and beetle population over time. At the termination of the study, bet ween 1,900 and 4,200 small hive beetle larvae, pupae, and new adults were r ecovered from each of the colonies to which adult beetles were introduced, No adult, pupal, or larval beetles were found in the control colony when sa crificed, In addition, beetle-infested colonies had fewer live adult bees, more dead bees (and a greater proportion of which were no longer intact), a nd more comb damage than did the control colony. Adult beetles were success fully reared from adult to adult, thus demonstrating their ability to compl ete an entire lifecycle in association with Bombus colonies. The effects of beetle infestation on a nest scavenger, the Indian meal moth [Plodia inter punctella (Hubner)], are also described.