The effect of microbes on adult attraction and oviposition in the small hive beetle

The small hive beetle is a major pest of honeybees. Despite extensive research into control methods, sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions for managing this pest have yet to be fully developed. One promising approach involves developing trapping systems using microbes as lures to trap adult insects and/or induce oviposition to trap eggs. In this study, we assessed the potential of three symbionts to serve as lures of small hive beetles, both individually and in groups, using attraction and oviposition assays. Substrates inoculated with the fungus Kodamaea ohmeri attracted the highest numbers of beetles, while substrates containing the bacterium Gilliamella apicola stimulated egg deposition. The bacterium Snodgrassella alvi neither induced attraction nor stimulated oviposition. None of the three symbionts appeared to influence larval development, survival, or immunity after exposure to beetle eggs. As pest management strategies continue to progress, understanding the complex interactions between insect hosts and their microbial partners will be essential for refining symbiont-assisted methods to address agricultural and ecological challenges.