Small hive beetles (SHBs; Aethina tumida) are an invasive pest from sub-Saharan Africa that threatens European honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies in the United States. The impact of SHBs has growth the past two decades and while control has been attempted, consistently effective management strategies are still lacking. To reduce the impact that SHBs have to apiaries and hives, we have explored the beetles well developed olfactory system. SHBs use a variety of odiferous compounds that includes isopentyl acetate, a component of the honey bee alarm pheromone, that allows beetles to find a hive resulting in infestation. Using electroantennography, SHB antennae are responsive to isopentyl acetate (positive control) with a half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) of 8 ppm. This antennal response aligns with their attractive behavior (measured by a preference index) using a walking-response olfactometer. Further studies were performed to investigate the repellent properties of heterocyclic amines with pyrrolidine being the most effective compound to repel through the modulation of the beetle’s antennae. Interestingly, the common insect repellent N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) did not result in a response at the level of the antennae, nor did DEET repel beetles from a pollen patty source or isopentyl acetate in the olfactometer. Ultimately, our goal is to gain a better understanding of the SHB olfactory system and how it can be manipulated to alter SHB behavior and repel SHBs from an apiary or attract these beetles towards traps. This approach has potential based on selective antennal and behavioral responses between the pest (SHB) and the honey bee and would ultimately reduce the use of in-hive chemicals.

Shut the front door: Protecting hives from small hive beetles through behavioral modification

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ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.