On-site at the apiary / national (managed honey bee colonies)
Small hive beetle and wax moth monitoring (extension-verified signs, no DIY chemical) — apiary / national.
Inspect the hive for small hive beetle and wax moth signs using extension-verified detection methods, then route findings appropriately. Read all of it
Not funded yet. Settles as earned credit, $100 proposed.
Proof it takes, the deadline, the level
- ProofBottom board, trap strips checked for SHB adults + Comb surface checked for slimy or webbed damage + Larvae identified by legs, prolegs, spines + Fermented or sour odor noted if present + Findings routed to the state apiarist or extension + No pesticide applied without a current label
- Open until2026-12-23
- Levelentry
All of it: the words, the place, the proof
Inspect the hive for small hive beetle and wax moth signs using extension-verified detection methods, then route findings appropriately. Both pests can devastate a weak colony's stored comb, yet the leading US extension guide on small hive beetle states plainly there is no fixed threshold count that predicts damage, so a keeper needs a real detection routine and an honest routing plan instead of a number to chase.
Offer to pay $100. The receipt lands onchain once the proof is approved.
Safety, read before you claim
This is monitoring and cultural management only; it never prescribes a pesticide. A suspected infestation, especially with brood damage, routes to the state apiarist or Cooperative Extension for identification and current label-law guidance.
The full safety list for this job:
- Freezing infested honey supers at -12C (10F) for 24 hours kills all small hive beetle life stages with no chemical involved (Zawislak, FSA7075); this is the one DIY step this standard actively coaches.
- Wax moth eggs are far more cold-resistant than larvae, pupae, or adults and need a full 10 hours at -15/-20C to guarantee a kill (Zhu et al. 2016) -- a quick freeze sized for the other life stages can leave viable eggs behind.
- In-hive chemical strips and soil drenches for small hive beetle exist but are never DIY-prescribed here: any chemical control follows the product's current label and the state apiarist's or Cooperative Extension's guidance, and a soil permethrin drench is highly toxic to bees if misapplied.
- This standard makes no colony-health verdict beyond the observed signs; a suspected infestation still routes to the state apiarist or Cooperative Extension for confirmation.
How this work is done
How this work is done
A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it.
Bring
- Corrugated cardboard (paper removed from one side) or corrugated plastic strips for the bottom board
- Hive tool and smoker for a normal inspection
- Bright sunlight and the hive's own outer cover, for the sunlit-lid detection method
- A jar or vial to hold a specimen for the state apiarist or Cooperative Extension
- A notebook or phone to log findings by date
Steps
- 1. Place a corrugated cardboard or plastic strip (paper removed from one side) on the bottom board at the rear of the hive before a normal inspection, and check it on a later visit for beetles sheltering in the corrugations.
- 2. During a normal inspection, watch for adult beetles running across the top bars, the underside of the outer cover, or the inner cover, and pursued by worker bees.
- 3. To check the top super specifically, set the outer cover upside down in a sunny spot, place the top hive body onto it, continue inspecting the rest of the hive for about 10 minutes, then lift the body and check the cover for beetles that retreated from the light.
- 4. Inspect comb surfaces for a slimy or glistening appearance and a fermented, sour ('decaying oranges') odor -- both are positive small hive beetle signs.
- 5. Inspect comb surfaces and edges for silk webbing, tunneling, and frass -- signs of wax moth activity, distinct from the slimy appearance small hive beetle larvae cause.
- 6. If larvae are found, identify them by leg count and body form: small hive beetle larvae have three pairs of well-developed front legs and numerous dorsal spines and cluster together; wax moth larvae have the same three front leg pairs plus four smaller posterior prolegs, no spines, and scatter throughout the hive.
- 7. Log the date and findings, and route any suspected infestation -- especially with brood damage or an uncertain larval identification -- to the state apiarist or a local Cooperative Extension office, bringing a specimen in alcohol if requested.
- 8. Never apply a pesticide, miticide, or soil drench based on this inspection alone; any chemical control decision follows the product's current label and the state apiarist's or Cooperative Extension's guidance.
What counts as done
- Bottom-board trap strips or the sunlit-lid method checked for adult small hive beetles
- Comb surface checked for a slimy/glistening appearance (SHB) or webbing and tunneling (wax moth)
- Any larvae found identified by leg count, presence of prolegs, and presence or absence of dorsal spines, per extension guidance
- A fermented or sour ('decaying oranges') odor noted if present, as a positive SHB sign
- Any suspected infestation, especially with brood damage, routed to the state apiarist or a local Cooperative Extension office by name
- No pesticide, miticide, or soil drench applied by the keeper based on this packet alone
Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.
What is promised, and what is not
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Packet WORK_1790264042787_d3b7zde