A beekeeper in the Southeast U.S. has shared observations of small hive beetles in frame hives during spring 2026.
Dead adult beetles were found accumulated on catch pans under screen floors. The scattered pattern across the pans was noted as striking, with many located away from areas of bee activity. Bees were observed uncapping comb along the left edge of one hive, showing chewed white wax. The colony in the described tall hive had been united from smaller ones the previous season. The mechanics behind the distribution of dead beetles remain unexplained.