Bees are vigilant in South Africa but bee pests take their toll. Bees don’t operate in cold weather.
Anything below 9 degrees celsius and the bees cannot fly. Their muscles seize on their wings.
Bees can handle small beetles when the hive is strong. When a weak swarm or new colony is infested by small hive beetle bee pests it is unlikely that the colony will contain them. They will likely abscond.
More weather can impede honey production especially around blossoming time within 1.5km of the hive at peak nectar and pollen production times. This is due to multiple reasons:
- Rain washes the nectar and pollen away
- Bad storms can damage crops, flowers and trees
- Bees cannot fly in the rain
Bee Pests lead to lower efficiency due to 3 factors:
- They directly consume or rob the colony of resources
- The colony needs to allocate resources to attempt to defend itself and or remove pests
- Weaken the colony over time making them susceptible to other pests, diseases and eventually absconding
The Top 5 Pests Bees Struggle with in South Africa:
- Ants
- Small hive beetles
- Wax moth
- Bee Pirates
- Varroa Destructor or Varroa Mite
People often think that the bee scorpion is a pest but ACTUALLY it is a pseudo-scorpion which is highly beneficial in the colony, providing a symbiotic relationship between the two species. When colonies swarm or split, the scorpions usually travel with them and they do no harm to the colony.
Get your beetle traps here.
Get bee farming pdf and bee videos here.
Check out the online bee academy for South Africa.
