Scientific note: First report of small hive beetle in South Asia and their potential invasive pathway

Abstract

Aethina tumida Murray, also known as the Small Hive Beetle (SHB), is a well-known invasive kleptoparasite of honeybees (Hood 2004; Papach et al. 2023). Native to the sub-Saharan region of Africa, SHB has spread globally, including the other African regions (Mauritius, Reunion), the Americas (Canada, USA, Mexico, Jamaica, Cuba, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia), Europe (Italy), Asia (China, South Korea, Philippines), and Australia (see Papach et al. 2023). While considered a minor pest in its native range, SHB more frequently causes signiicant damage to apiaries in invaded regions (Hood 2004; Roth et al 2022). Predominantly parasitic on European honeybees, Apis mellifera (Hood 2004; Roth et al 2022), its impact on the Eastern honeybee, Apis cerana, was unclear until recent veriications in the Philippines (Cervancia et al. 2016) and China ...