Three main pests of the Chinese honeybee (local bee) and their control methods
Raising Chinese honeybees is one of the ways for farmers in mountainous and semi-mountainous areas to increase their income. In the process of raising them, pest control is the key link determining whether bee product yields increase or not. Below is an introduction to the “local bee” Chinese honeybee's 3 main pests and their control methods!
1. Waxworms
Waxworms are the larvae of the greater wax moth and are the main enemy of the Chinese honeybee. They feed on wax scraps and bore into the combs, causing bee larvae to fail to be capped at the pupal stage or producing “white-headed pupae” after capping, and causing large numbers of colonies to abscond or large numbers of capped pupae to die.
Control methods
1. Strengthen colony management: keep strong colonies, that is, always maintain sufficient honey and pollen on the combs, select high-quality queen bees to enhance the genetic advantage within the apiary and improve the colony's ability to resist diseases and pests, and replace old combs with new ones in time and cull old combs, which can effectively eliminate the living space of waxworms;
2. Method of killing eggs: from late November to early December each year and from early March to early April of the following year, thoroughly clean the apiary, completely clean the hive bodies, and pour boiling water over the hive bottoms to kill the eggs; during the coldest period of winter, place the hive combs outdoors to freeze, which can also kill waxworm eggs and larvae; in summer and autumn, for colonies harmed by waxworms, shake off the bees and pull out the affected capped brood combs, and after exposure to sunlight for 5-15 minutes, the waxworms will crawl onto the surface of the combs, where they can be removed with tweezers and killed;
3. Chemical control: soak the beehives and empty combs in 5% limewater or 1% caustic soda solution for 30 hours, then wash them clean and dry them, which can eliminate overwintering waxworms hidden within; placing about 10 star anise fruits in each hive can also help prevent waxworms from breeding; for colonies severely harmed by waxworms, a pesticide specifically for killing waxworms - “Chaochongjing” - can be used to eliminate them: take 5 grams of Chaochongjing, dilute with water to 1.5 liters, spray the combs, and store them after drying.
2. Hornets
Hornets, commonly known as yellow wasps, are omnivorous beneficial insects, but they are natural enemies of bees. From July to October each year, Chinese honeybees that leave the hive to forage are preyed on in large numbers by hornets, and in severe cases this can cause the Chinese honeybees to abscond or the entire colony to be killed by hornets.
Control methods
1. Keep the hive opening small: the beehive should not have any open parts, and the entrance should be as small as possible, preferably a round hole, so as not to let hornets attack into the Chinese honeybee hive;
2. Keep honey and pollen sufficient: artificially reduce bees leaving the hive to forage, lowering the chance of hornet predation;
3. Manual removal: manually swat hornets from 8:00-10:00 in the morning and 6:00-7:00 in the evening, look for hornet nests, apply “Hui Chao Ling” to the backs of hornets, and release them back to their nests to contaminate the entire nest and kill the hornets.
3. Ants
Ants crawl into the beehive and besiege and kill bees, suck up the honey in the combs, and lay eggs and breed on the beehive and cover cloth, making the colony restless.
Control methods
1. Cut off the ants' path into the hive: clean the weeds around the beehive, raise the beehive by 10cm, place the four legs of the beehive into containers that can hold water, and then pour water into the containers, which can also cut off the ants' crawling path;
2. Manually eliminate ants: termite-repellent can be used to kill them. Find the ant nest entrance, put the termite-repellent into the ant nest, and kill the entire colony; soak tobacco leaves and water at a 1:1 ratio for 15-30 days, pour the prepared tobacco-leaf water around the beehive, and if bitter ling fruits are also added to the soak, the control effect is even better.
The above is Tuliu.com's introduction to pest control techniques for Chinese honeybees. During the raising process, control measures must be well implemented, and problems must be dealt with promptly.