Small hive beetle

The small hive beetle, Aethina tumida, is an insect native to sub-Saharan Africa. A minor nuisance for African honey bees, which know how to contain it, it has become a major pest in the United States and then in Australia. In Europe, it has been established in southern Italy since 2014 and is under close surveillance.

For beekeepers, the challenge is twofold: being able to recognise it without mistaking it for wax moth, and knowing how to react if in doubt, because it is a notifiable pest.

A pest from Africa

Aethina tumida belongs to the family Nitidulidae. In its native range, African honey bees tolerate it at low densities and abscond from the nest when infestation is heavy^{1, 2}.

Its spread has followed the trade in bees and equipment:

• United States: first detected in 1996 in South Carolina, then formally identified in Florida in 1998; it has since spread across much of the country^{1, 7}.
• Australia: discovered in 2002, and now permanently established².
• Europe: a first introduction was intercepted in Portugal in 2004, with illegally imported queens; the colonies concerned were destroyed². In 2014 it was detected in Calabria, in the province of Reggio Calabria, then in Sicily⁹.
• Réunion (French overseas department): detected in July 2022 in the south of the island^{12, 13}.

Life cycle: partly in the hive, partly in the soil

The adult. An oval, flattened beetle 5 to 7 mm long, roughly a third of the size of a worker bee. It is reddish when it emerges from the soil, then darkens to dark brown or black. Its antennae end in a club, and its short wing cases leave the tip of the abdomen exposed^{2, 7}. It runs fast, avoids light and flies from one colony to another. Adults can live for several months, up to about a year according to the WOAH manual⁶.

Egg laying. The female lays clusters of pearly-white eggs, about 1.4 mm long, in hive crevices, under queen cups, or directly in capped brood cells by piercing the capping or the cell wall. A female can lay in the order of a thousand eggs in her lifetime^{6, 7}.

Larvae. Eggs usually hatch in two to three days, sometimes up to six. The larvae feed for about two weeks on brood, pollen and honey, tunnelling through the combs. They grow to about 1 cm⁶.

Pupation in the soil. Once fully grown, the larvae become “wandering” larvae: they leave the hive, often at dusk, and burrow into the soil, usually a few centimetres deep, sometimes up to about twenty. Pupation lasts two to twelve weeks depending on temperature and soil moisture⁶.

Total duration. From egg to adult takes three to twelve weeks depending on temperature^{6, 7}. More than three quarters of that time is spent in the soil, out of reach of hive inspections. Infestations peak in late summer and autumn, when adults emerge in large numbers⁷. Adults can overwinter in the cluster, fed and protected by the bees¹.

A remarkable relationship with bees

Bees attack the beetle and remove eggs and young larvae, but its hard shell often stops them from killing it. Instead they confine it in propolis “prisons” in the crevices of the hive, and guard them².

Yet the imprisoned beetles survive much longer than their reserves should allow: they touch the guards’ mouthparts with their antennae, mimicking a bee begging for food, and are fed through trophallaxis³.

Another finding: the beetle is strongly attracted to the bees’ alarm pheromones. It carries a yeast, Kodamaea ohmeri, which produces the same compounds as it grows on pollen in the hive. The more the colony is disturbed, the more beetles it attracts⁴.

Why it is serious

The danger comes mainly from the larvae, when they multiply en masse.

• Brood and stores are eaten, and the wax destroyed.
• The honey ferments. Larval droppings and yeasts make the honey ferment. It turns slimy, runs out of the cells and smells of rotting oranges; this “slime” covers combs with a glistening film. The honey is unsaleable^{1, 7}.
• The colony collapses or absconds. During mass reproduction, even a strong colony can be killed or abandoned in less than two weeks².
• The honey house is at risk. Supers stored in the warm before extraction can be overrun within a few days⁷.

Weak, queenless colonies, or those with too much space, are the most vulnerable. Bumble bees can also be infested².

Recognising it: signs and look-alikes

Signs in the apiary

• Small brown to black beetles fleeing the light when the hive is opened, under the crown board or in corners.
• Clusters of pearly-white eggs in crevices or under queen cups.
• Creamy-white larvae massed together in the combs.
• Runny, frothy honey with a fermented smell; glistening, sticky combs.
• Weakened or abandoned colony, destroyed combs.

Do not confuse with wax moth

For larvae, the decisive criterion is the presence or absence of prolegs on the abdomen⁶. See also the Wax moth page.

As for adults, other small beetles sometimes enter hives. Remember: 5 to 7 mm, oval and flattened, clubbed antennae, short wing cases. Only a laboratory can confirm.

Diagnosis: detecting and confirming

Visual inspection

The WOAH manual recommends examining the crown board, the frames and the floor⁶. Open quickly, turn over the crown board to see beetles running away, then examine the frames one by one, the walls and the floor.

Monitoring traps

At low infestation levels, traps are more sensitive than inspection alone⁶. Two types are described:

• Corrugated plastic strip, slid onto the floor: beetles hide in it. It is left for at least 48 hours.
• Oil traps, on the floor or between frames: their openings let the beetle through but not the bee, and the bees chase beetles into them, where they drown.

Standard methods are described in the COLOSS BEEBOOK⁵.

Laboratory confirmation

Confirmation relies on morphological examination under a stereomicroscope, supplemented if necessary by PCR. For submission, specimens are killed in 70% non-denatured ethanol, or placed in the freezer overnight⁶. Denatured alcohol should be avoided, as it interferes with genetic testing.

Regulation

In France and the European Union

Infestation with Aethina tumida is a regulated disease. At EU level, the Animal Health Law (Regulation 2016/429) lists it in categories D and E: restrictions on movements between Member States and mandatory surveillance. France, free of the beetle on the mainland, has kept stricter national rules, with eradication as the objective in the event of introduction¹¹.

Any suspicion must be reported without delay to the departmental veterinary services (DDPP or DDETSPP), directly or through a veterinarian or the beekeeping health organisation.

In Réunion in 2022, outbreaks led to: destruction of infested colonies, soil treatment, protection and surveillance zones, a ban on moving hives, queens and equipment, and compensation for beekeepers. Given the difficulty of eradicating the beetle, also found in wild colonies, the strategy then shifted towards collective management by the beekeeping sector^{12, 13}.

In Italy

Despite the measures taken since 2014, the beetle could not be eradicated in Calabria: it is considered established in the provinces of Reggio Calabria and Vibo Valentia. In Sicily, the 2014 and 2019 outbreaks were eliminated, but a new outbreak, which appeared in late 2024 in the province of Messina, is now considered established⁹.

The Italian national reference centre recorded 18 confirmed outbreaks in 2025, 17 of them in the province of Messina. In 2026, two cases had been confirmed at the time of writing: one in June in Gaeta (province of Latina, Lazio), the other in September in Rogliano (province of Cosenza, Calabria)¹⁰.

The 2026 Italian plan provides for a protection zone covering the provinces of Reggio Calabria and Vibo Valentia, a protection zone with a 30 km radius around the Messina outbreaks, out of which all bee movements are blocked, sentinel nucs checked about every 20 days and, for any new outbreak, a protection zone of at least 20 km. Infested colonies are no longer systematically destroyed there⁹.

At EU level, an emergency decision prohibits sending honey bees, bumble bees, unprocessed apiculture by-products, beekeeping equipment and comb honey from Calabria, Sicily and Réunion to the rest of the EU, until 31 December 2026⁸. Outside the EU, rules differ: check with your national veterinary authority.

Prevention and what to do

Preventing introduction

• Never buy colonies, swarms, queens or second-hand equipment from infested areas.
• Require health certificates and be wary of offers without traceability.

Making colonies less vulnerable

• Keep strong colonies, without excess supers or frames they cannot patrol.
• Never leave honey or pollen combs lying around the apiary.
• Feed protein patties only in small amounts, eaten within a few days: any surplus attracts and feeds the beetle⁷.

Protecting the honey house

• Extract promptly after harvest: US services advise doing so within two to three days, before eggs hatch en masse⁷.
• Keep the air dry: fewer eggs hatch below 50% relative humidity⁶.
• Freeze lightly infested combs before storage or reuse; destroy heavily infested ones⁷.

Control where it is established

No method eliminates it completely. Where it is established, control combines strong colonies, traps, honey house hygiene and sometimes soil treatment, with insecticides that are highly toxic to bees^{2, 7}. In Europe, these decisions rest with the veterinary authorities.

The most common mistakes

• Mistaking the larvae for wax moth larvae, and missing a case.
• Thinking the beetle cannot survive European winters: adults overwinter in the cluster.
• Buying colonies, queens or equipment without knowing where they come from.
• Moving colonies or supers when in doubt, which can spread the infestation.
• Treating yourself instead of reporting: an unreported outbreak can become impossible to eradicate.
• Leaving harvested supers waiting in the warm before extraction.

Frequently asked questions

Is the small hive beetle present in France? At the time of writing, mainland France has no known outbreak. The beetle was detected in Réunion in 2022. In Europe, it is established in southern Italy, and a case was confirmed in Lazio in 2026.

Can it survive in a temperate climate? Yes. Cold slows its development, especially pupation in the soil, but adults overwinter in the cluster. In the United States, it has spread well beyond warm regions.

Why is eradication so difficult? A large part of the life cycle takes place in the soil, adults fly to other colonies, and they also settle in wild colonies, which nobody inspects.

References

1. Neumann P., Elzen P.J. (2004). The biology of the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida, Coleoptera: Nitidulidae): gaps in our knowledge of an invasive species. Apidologie 35(3): 229-247. doi.org
2. Neumann P., Pettis J.S., Schäfer M.O. (2016). Quo vadis Aethina tumida? Biology and control of small hive beetles. Apidologie 47(3): 427-466. doi.org
3. Ellis J.D., Pirk C.W.W., Hepburn H.R., Kastberger G., Elzen P.J. (2002). Small hive beetles survive in honeybee prisons by behavioural mimicry. Naturwissenschaften 89(7): 326-328. doi.org
4. Torto B., Boucias D.G., Arbogast R.T., Tumlinson J.H., Teal P.E.A. (2007). Multitrophic interaction facilitates parasite-host relationship between an invasive beetle and the honey bee. PNAS 104(20): 8374-8378. doi.org
5. Neumann P. et al. (2013). Standard methods for small hive beetle research. The COLOSS BEEBOOK, Vol. II. Journal of Apicultural Research 52(4).
6. WOAH. Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals, chapter 3.2.5: Infestation with Aethina tumida (small hive beetle), updated 2018. woah.org
7. de Guzman L.I., Frake A.M., Rinderer T.E. (USDA-ARS), Pollet D.K. (LSU AgCenter). Small hive beetles. Publication 3135. ars.usda.gov
8. European Commission. Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/110 of 12 January 2023 laying down emergency measures for small hive beetle in Italy and France, as amended by Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/3119 (applicable until 31 December 2026). eur-lex.europa.eu
9. Ministero della Salute (Italy). Note no. 8542 of 18 March 2026: 2026 surveillance plan for Aethina tumida and Tropilaelaps spp. (in Italian). izsvenezie.it
10. IZS delle Venezie, National Reference Centre for Beekeeping. Tables of confirmed Aethina tumida cases in Italy (2025 and 2026). izsvenezie.com
11. Giraud F. (2021). Loi européenne de santé animale : ce qui change pour l'apiculture. La Santé de l'Abeille 303: 241-245 (in French). apiservices.biz
12. Anses (2023). Opinion on the control strategy for Aethina tumida in Réunion (request 2023-SA-0122), in French. anses.fr
13. Réussir Apiculture (2024). Les enseignements du petit coléoptère des ruches sur l'île de La Réunion (in French). reussir.fr
14. USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab. Photographs of Aethina tumida, adult and larvae (USDA specimens, Beltsville), public domain. usgs.gov

Updated : October 8, 2026
Written by : Apisanitas editorial team
Reviewed by : Review in progress