Aethina tumida (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) and Oplostomus haroldi (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): Occurrence in Kenya, Distribution Within Honey Bee Colonies, and Responses to Host Odors

ABSTRACT Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) is considered a minor parasitic pest of African honey bee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), colonies, but little information is available on other coleopteran pests. We surveyed for A. tumida and other beetles in honey bee colonies at four major beekeeping locations: Watamu, Chawia-Taita, Matuu, and Nairobi in Kenya and compared their distribution within the colonies. The presence of A. tumida was confirmed in all the colonies surveyed, whereas Oplostomus haroldi Witte (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) was found for the first time to be associated with honey bee colonies in varying numbers at all the sites, except that none were found in colonies in Nairobi. More than 90% of A. tumida and O. haroldi were found in Watamu and Chawia, located within the coastal province of Kenya. Although A. tumida was found mostly on the bottom board of the hives, consistent with previous reports, O. haroldi was found on the frames. Laboratory bioassays using a two-c...