Number of SHB in the colonies and colony defensiveness

Small hive beetles (SHB), Aethina tumida, are free-flying parasites, which actively seek and invade honeybee host colonies. It seems as if SHB may prefer colonies in the shade. Further, it has been stated that SHB invade any colony with equal impunity. However, the impact of colony aggressiveness on SHB infestation levels has never been quantified. Here, we confirm significantly higher SHB infestation levels in shaded colonies and further suggest that host colony aggression is of minor importance only. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, local Africanized honeybee colonies at a sunny (N=10) and at a shaded apiary (N=11) were tested for aggression and visually screened for SHB infestations using standard methods. Both colony aggression and infestation levels were variable, but not significantly correlated. The results confirm that infestation levels are significantly higher in the shaded apiary compared to the sun-exposed one. Further, host colony aggression is unlikely to interfere ..., , , # Number of SHB in the colonies and colony defensiveness

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.w3r2280zc](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.w3r2280zc)

We have submitted our raw data (Number of SHB in the colonies and colony defensiveness.csv)

## Description of the data and file structure

Number of SHB in the colonies and colony defensiveness.csv
Apiary - The name of the apiary where measurements were taken
Hive number - Honey bee colony ID for which measurements were taken
Number of bee stings in the ball - Number of honey bee stings that were attached to a ball of felt that was swung in front of the colony entrance for 1 minute
N of beetles in the hive - number of SHB adults that were collected in a given colony
Sun-exposure - states whether colonies were located in the shade or were sun exposed.

## Sharing/Access information

All the data was manually collected and no other sources have been used.