Beekeepers Sought for Small Hive Beetle Study

Jimmy Trujillo of the Kaua`i Beekeeper’s Assn. (l) and Dr. Francis Takahashi investigate bees at the Kaua`i Community College apiary. Photo by Keri Cooper

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Researchers are asksing Kaua`i beekeepers to participate in a study to determine the density and distribution of the Small Hive Beetle (SHB) on the island.

The study is being conducted by the Kaua`i Community College Apiary Program, in collaboration with the Hawai`i Department of Agriculture (HDOA) and the Kaua`i Beekeepers Association (KBEE), which is recruiting both commercial and hobbyist beekeepers to participate.

Under the study, beekeepers will be given beetle traps, which they will install in two hives and change out every month. The used traps will be collected by KCC Apiary Technician and Small Hive Beetle Research Assistant Jin-Wah Lau, who will map the location and count the contents to assess the population distribution and density of SHB on Kaua`i.

In another component of the study, the KCC Apiary Program team will compare the efficiency and cost of a number of different traps, including homemade bottom board and oil pan traps, and commercially purchased traps.

The research projects are funded by a $5,000 state allocation under House Bill 2100. The study is being conducted by KCC Professor Dr. Sharad P. Marahatta, in consultation with HDOA state apiarist Danielle Downey, and with the support of the KCC Apiary Program team and KBEE volunteers.

The Small Hive Beetle, a potentially devastating introduced pest, was first detected on Kaua`i in May 2012 in hives at the KCC apiary. Since then it has been identified in hives from Kalaheo to Kilauea. The studies will help the research team recommend control methods that Kaua`i beekeepers can use to potentially mitigate the harmful effects of the pest.

The project is currently under way and is expected to run through July 2013. Beekeepers who would like to participate should contact Jin-Wah Lau at terilau@hawaii.edu or 652-3737.

For more information contact Jimmy Trujillo at 346-7725 or Jin-Wah Lau at terilau@hawaii.edu or 652-3737