The study of morphological structures and genitalia confirmed the identity of the beetle as Aethina tumida.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

An alien or non-native beetle threatening the honeybee industry globally has been recorded for the first time in India.

The small hive beetle (Aethinatumida) was recorded from a moderately large colony of European honeybees, or Apis mellifera, in an apiary in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district.

The finding by Jhikmik Sengupta, a scientist at the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), was published in the Kolkata-based Journal of Environment and Sociobiology.

Since it was described from sub-Saharan Africa in 1867, the small hive beetle – oval-shaped, reddish-brown, and 5-7 mm long – has dispersed and created havoc across continents. In Asia, it was recorded in the Philippines, South Korea, and China less than a decade ago.

“The presence of this beetle in the Indian subcontinent poses a serious threat to the apiary industry, as the species can proliferate and spread very fast,” Ms. Dasgupta said.

The females of this beetle generally enter the beehives through cracks and crevices to lay eggs. After the eggs hatch, the larvae of the beetle feed voraciously on the stored pollen, honey, and honeybee eggs and defecate in the honeycombs.

The larvae make the honey unpalatable and unfit for human consumption, eventually dealing a blow to beekeepers and others associated with the apiary industry.

The researcher observed live beetle specimens and a part of a beehive brought to the laboratory. The study of morphological structures and genitalia confirmed the identity of the beetle as Aethina tumida.

Threat to healthy ecosystem

Apart from European honeybees, the small hive beetle invades the colonies of Asian honeybees (Apis cerana), stingless bees, and bumble bees. The adverse impact of this beetle on the apiary industry led the World Organisation of Animal Health to indicate small hive bee infestation as ‘disease notifiable’.

“Growing interconnections, rising populations, and ever-increasing human movement have contributed to increasing biological invasions worldwide. These invasive species have become a major factor in the biodiversity loss of an area and the increasing number of endangered native species,” Dhriti Banerjee, the ZSI’s director, said.

“Due to aggression and predation, dominance over food, resources and shelter, and spreading of diseases, the invasive species can cause serious suppression of native species and jeopardise important interactions responsible for a healthy ecosystem,” she said.

ZSI officials said the small hive beetle is one such species that requires immediate measures to be stopped from spreading before it becomes unmanageable.