Beekeepers should guard against toads harming bee colonies

The toad, also called the warty toad, is widely distributed. On summer and autumn evenings, toads often gather at hive entrances and devour large numbers of bees fanning their wings there. A single toad can swallow 7~8 bees at a time, and dozens to 100 in one night. Especially on nights that clear up after rain, toads are even more active.

① The toad is a harmful animal to bees, but it is beneficial to agriculture, because it also devours large numbers of pests such as stem borers, mosquitoes, slugs and snails. Therefore it should not be exterminated; instead, appropriate measures should be taken to stop it from harming bees.

② Keep the apiary tidy. Take care to clear weeds and debris from the apiary and keep it clean and hygienic, so that toads have nowhere to hide.

③ Raise the hives. This keeps toads from getting near the entrance, thereby preventing them from eating bees.

④ Stop toads from entering. For apiaries frequently harmed by toads, dig a deep ditch around the apiary so that toads trying to enter fall into the ditch and cannot get out; then collect them and move them to paddy fields or grassy areas far from the apiary.