REYNOLDSBURG -- Ohio Agriculture Director Fred L. Dailey wants to alert the apiary industry of a new pest identified in the southern United States -- the small hive beetle. "The small hive beetle has not yet been discovered in Ohio," said Dailey. "But it poses a serious threat to the state's bee colonies if introduced here."

Currently, there are no controls for the small hive beetle approved for use in Ohio. An organophosphate insecticide called coumaphos is being used in some states where the beetle has invaded bee hives. These states obtained a special use permit, called a Section 18 Emergency Exemption, for the product's use. Ohio will be closely monitoring bee colonies entering the state and, if needed, will apply for the exemption.

The small hive beetle, originally found in South Africa, has been found in bee hives in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. It could possibly enter Ohio through the movement of colonies, "nuc" hives (small or starter hives), and package bees.

The adult beetle is black and about one third the size of a worker bee. Larvae have three pairs of legs and can be mistaken for wax moth larvae. However, small hive beetle larvae do not spin cocoons and must complete their development outside the beehive in the soil. Larvae can be seen crawling out of hive entrances or from stored honey supers (boxes or sections of the hive where honey is stored) in colonies with heavy infestations. All of Ohio's 3,000 beekeepers received fact sheets about the beetle from ODA in February.

In 1998, it was estimated that there were 30,000 colonies of bees in Ohio. In addition to the production of honey, bees are important to the agriculture industry because they pollinate Ohio's fruit and vegetable crops, such as apples, cucumbers, and pumpkins, estimated by experts to be a $225 million contribution.

Ohio beekeepers are advised to check their colonies regularly for beetle infestation. For more information, contact the Ohio Department of Agriculture's Division of Plant Industry Apiary Section at 1-800-282-1955.