Honey turns sour as beehives in Karnataka come under attack

Time of India

17-07-2025

Bengaluru: Beekeepers across the state are facing a serious new threat: the invasion of small hive beetles, which is wreaking havoc on bee colonies and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
With over 60,000 beekeepers and an annual honey production of around 1,200 metric tons, the state has long been a buzzing hub for apiculture. However, these industrious insects are now under siege as the fast-spreading pest feeds on pollen, honey, and even dead bees.
The larvae of small hive beetle are particularly damaging, destroying hives by consuming the protein-rich pollen and secreting a foul mucus that sours the honey and drives entire colonies to flee.
The result is empty hives, plummeting honey yields, and heavy financial losses for apiculturists. What used to be prevalent in parts of southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Burma has now entered the Indian subcontinent as well, impacting apiaries across India.
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Scientists from the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bengaluru, who have been closely tracking this pest for the past year, have started ringing the alarm bells loudly.
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The control measures suggested by them include regular inspection of the bee colonies and maintaining hive hygiene, stopping the collection and supply of infected colonies from neighbouring states or within the state, burning and destroying the pest-affected hives, and completely cleaning the hives.
Dr KS Jagadish, professor and head of the department of apiculture at UAS, revealed these beetles entered India through West Bengal and have now spread across the country.
"Interstate transportation of colonies has contributed to the spread. While it impacts both species of honey bees — Apis cerana and Apis mellifera — the former has suffered the worst as the entire colony flees if infected. These species cannot withstand even a slight disturbance to their colonies and immediately, vacate the colony if there is an external invasion," he explained.
Dr Vijay Kumar, another scientist at UAS, said, "We have been advising apiculturists to adopt the best hygiene practices, including cleaning the bottom board once every 8 to 10 days.
The beetle is just 2 to 3 millimetres in size and hard like rubber but can lay 300 to 400 eggs. Hence, one should not allow the accumulation of dust and broken twigs at the bottom boards. During the shifting of colonies, if one comes across dark brown coloured brood, they must carefully verify and assess for these beetles.
If beetles are found, farmers should immediately pick them manually and kill them. Even though we have been working on few bio control agents, currently, there is no other alternative to contain its spread."
Mahadeva Swamy, an apiculturist from MM Hills, said, "Scientists and horticulture officials visited our farm for a survey. Luckily, we are free of infection as we do not source any colony from outside. However, there have been reports that in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and other southern states, it is spreading fast."