Native Plants
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Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Saturday - August 22, 2015
From: Liberty Hill, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Pests
Title: Question about a beetle eating bees
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I have a beetle that is about index finger or pinkie fingernail size. I have a bee hive and it's eating the bees by injecting it with an inch long probe and sucking out the liquid of my bees.ANSWER:
Sorry, but you are asking your question (I guess your question is what is the beetle and what can you do about it?) to the wrong source. Our focus and expertise here at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center are with plants native to North America. You really need to ask an entomologist or a beekeeper about this. However, I did find this article, The Small Hive Beetle: a Pest of Honey Bee Colonies from North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension Service and another article, Managing the Small Hive Beetle from the University of Arkansas using an internet search with the terms "beetle pest of bees".
If this is not the beetle that is infesting your hive, however, you should try contacting one of the organizations below to see if they can help you:
Austin Area Beekeepers Association
More Pests Questions
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July 22, 2010 - Mr. Smarty Plants,
We have lantanas in our front yard. This summer the leaves have turned white and they die to a brown color all the while the leaves are "crispy". At the beginning of the season...
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Unknown pest of Texas Mountain Laurel from Round Rock TX
May 24, 2012 - I have a Texas Mountain Laurel that is being denuded from the top down by something unseen. It's not the Genista moth larvae, as there are no worms and no webbing visible. The only clue that it might...
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Need help with a Coreopsis eating beetle in Shiro, TX
April 20, 2011 - Mr.Smarty Plants,(Sorry, I kept messing up with my emails) Anyway, here goes: I usually have a beautiful meadow full of lanceleaf coreopsis blooming by now. Not this year. I found to my horror every s...
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