And while the Marine conservationists prepare to do battle with that coral disease, the Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) is on high alert for the small hive beetle.
This beetle is a scavenger and a highly destructive parasite to honey bee colonies. It is native to Africa, but it’s been making inroads in this hemisphere since 2006. BAHA suspects that the incursion of the small hive beetle into northern Belize was due to the illegal trade of honey bee products, equipment, and materials.Â
The small hive beetle has devastated areas where it has been detected.
Only good management by beekeepers can contain this pest, but BAHA isn’t sitting on its hands. They’re setting up a monitoring and trapping system for these beetles, and one BAHA official explained the process to our colleagues from Plus TV News. Here’s what he told them today:
The Ministry of Agriculture in coordination with BAHA and OIRSA will continue providing support to beekeepers in the control of this devastating pest.
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