What should I do about small hive beetles?
It is much easier to monitor for small hive beetles than for varroa mites, because you can see them scurry around the hive. Most often, you will see small hive beetles under the top cover of the hive. So, every time you feed your bees and every time you inspect your hive, you can also count and monitor the number of small hive beetles. If you count more than 9 living small hive beetles in your hive, you should treat for small hive beetles. Otherwise, you do not need a treatment.
Aside from ensuring that your hive is in full sunshine, which is very effective, another very effective and easy treatment for small hive beetles is to place very thick paper towels or even unscented dust mop pads above your top frames. Your bees will tend to herd these beetles upwards, and the beetles, once caught by the fibers from these towels, cannot escape. In time, your bees will chew up and discard these towels outside of their hive.
If you live in an area with a heavy bee pest burden, such as the southeastern US, you should avoid leaving empty bee boxes above your bees in your beehive. This empty space provides ample opportunity for these pests to thrive.