Exploring larva-synthesized attractants for managing small hive beetles, Aethina tumida: Implications for honeybee health

The small hive beetle (SHB) (Aethina tumida), native to sub-Saharan Africa, has recently become a highly invasive pest of honey bees (Apis mellifera), spreading beyond its native range to nearly all continents, including North and South America, Australia, Europe, and Asia. The feeding activities of SHBs, particularly the larvae, lead to the fermentation of hive products, contributing to honey bee colony collapse disorders. Chemical control, the primary strategy employed for managing SHB, has not proven sustainable due to health concerns for both honey bees and humans. Benign strategies, such as using semiochemicals, are needed. By utilizing solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and solvent body wash techniques, pheromones were collected from SHB larvae and analyzed using coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Our GC-MS results indicate that the chemical profiles of the SHB larvae are dominated by hydrocarbons, ketones, fatty acids, and esters. Our electroantennogram (EAG) analyses indicate that both sexes of SHB adults detect the most dominant ester in the chemical profile of conspecific larval volatiles. Additionally, the ester attracts both adult males and females of the beetle in a dose-dependent manner. The identified SHB larval volatiles can be developed into effective semiochemicals for use in an IPM strategy against the beetle. This has the potential to enhance honey bee health and hive longevity while minimizing reliance on synthetic chemicals.