Features Fruit Production
Small hive beetle found in Southern Ontario

May
9, 2011, Milton, Ont – Small hive beetle (Aethina tumida) was been confirmed in
Southern Ontario. All confirmed apiaries are in Essex County and close to the
Michigan border.

May
9, 2011, Milton, Ont – Small hive beetle (Aethina tumida) was been confirmed in
Southern Ontario. All confirmed apiaries are in Essex County and close to the
Michigan border.

A
quarantine zone has been established by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs
(OMAFRA). The quarantine prohibits the movement of honey bees out of the area to
protect bees in other parts of the province from becoming infested.

Small hive beetle

OMAFRA
has consulted extensively with the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association regarding
small hive beetle in Ontario to determine a protocol for moving forward.

In
April 2011, OMAFRA, through a transfer agreement with the Ontario Beekeepers’
Association, provided funding for research into best management practices
around this new pest, as well as to assist beekeepers within the quarantine
zone to provide much needed pollination services for the horticultural crops
within that area. The program will be administered by the Ontario Beekeepers’
Association, based in Milton, Ont.  

For
more information on the small hive beetle, OMAFRA has published fact sheets
outlining the spread, life cycle, impact, detection and management as well as
additional resources, which are available at www.ontariobee.com or
www.omafra.gov.on.ca.