A common sight – but for how long?

ecology, farming, gardening, insects, nature, photography, wildlife 1 Minute

There is a growing problem in Queensland with an exotic pest beetle causing loss of bee hives.  The Small Hive Beetle The small hive beetle (SHB) is a major threat to honey producers as it consumes brood, pollen and honey. Combs full of honey can be ruined as the beetle larvae tunnel, defecate and produce slime over them.  The Primary Industry Department has an online survey as they try to map its activity throughout Queensland.

All insects, but particularly bees, are essential to the pollination of our food crops – without them we can starve.  I sincerely hope this pest is dealt with effectively and quickly and doesn’t turn into a Cane Toad story!

Published by eremophila

I live in the Australian countryside with my animals. Together we explore the land around us and their connection with the world helps me to see what I would otherwise be blind to. They are my teachers. My aim is to convey this other way of seeing through my photography.

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5 thoughts on “A common sight – but for how long?”

  1. That’s an awesome picture, love the bokeh here.

    Thanks for sharing this interesting background info. If something new happens, it would be great if you could keep us updated on this matter.
    Hope everything turns out well…

    Reply

    1. This was a lucky shot – I’d just finished shooting the spider when the bee happened along nearby and I swung round and pointed and shot!

      I live in a southern state, and long distance from Queensland, and in no immediate threat here but the situation certainly is serious. That state is also trying to control Fire Ants – another imported pest. I’ll post any developments – and hopefully it will be good news.

      Reply

  2. I come from Timo’s (fotografzahl) site.. ! May I say, breathtaking and lovely picture, and great cause! I hope I won’t have to teach my kids about bees and beetles in just text books alone.. 😦

    Reply

    1. Thank you Heart for your very nice comment. Perhaps you’ll be interested about the consequences of Geoengineering – a Pandora’s box if ever there was one. As if we didn’t have enough to be concerned about with invasive pests.

      Reply

  3. I lost four hives last week and it TOOK a week to clean up the mess with a power washer and bleach. My one remaining hive has a queen, a new hive and frames, and is starting over in JULY for goodness sake. This is only one of the honey bee epidemics going on. Recently they discovered the small hive beetle on yet another Hawaiian island. BUT people are working on solutions and inventions to contain the problem. One of them is predatory nematodes in the soil, traps, etc. Some of my solutions:
    http://jewelant.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/small-hive-beetle-help/

    Reply

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