Summary

Small hive beetle (SHB) continues to be a major threat to the Australian honeybee industry and its estimated $14.2 billion annual pollination services, with predictions that the situation could worsen with our changing climate. In a recent project (PRJ-009334), significant progress was made towards developing a mass trapping technology to control SHB. Several attractants to be used in the lure were identified in laboratory assays and different commercial trap designs were assessed. In this next-stage project, we aim to complete the development of the “attract and kill” trap and conduct the necessary field evaluation of the trap that will pave the way for uptake and adoption by the Australian beekeeping industry. The project will optimise the composition of the current synthetic lure, enhance its longevity using slow-release dispensers and develop a strategy for implementation, evaluating the effectiveness of the new trap in commercial and hobbyist beehives. The project team brings together expertise from Queensland in the development of the initial lure, with scientists in Victoria who have proven capability in developing field-effective lures and dispensers for other insect pests, including major pests of stone fruit and almonds from the same family as SHB (nitidulid beetles). The outcome of the project will be an affordable and low-maintenance technology for mass trapping and monitoring SHB, and new knowledge to see its implementation as part of an integrated pest management strategy to control this pest.

Program

Honey Bee

Research Organisation

The State of Victoria as represented by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) through Agriculture Vic