Week Seven – Legal obligations &Disease in Hives

Dara K. Dimitrovdkd4@waikato.ac.nz

Varroa Mite

Infestation causes Decreased brood Deformed bees Hive becomes weak very quickly

Varroa Mite

Spreads quickly Travels with swarms Migrating drones Movement with infested equipment

You HAVE to treat for Varroa Mite

On-going inspection of the hives for Varroa mite Treatment for Varroa mite – twice a year

In the spring In the autumn

Placing strips into the hives (2 strips per brood box) Alternate between different chemical strips so that the mite

does not become resistant to the chemicals

Varroa Mite – Chemical Strips

Apistan Apivar Bayvarol

You remove the honey supers – and place the strips into the hives

They stay there for a minimum of 4 weeks – usually 6 weeks

You need to check to see if the strips worked

American Foul Brood

Caused by a spore forming bacteria called Paenibacillus larvae

It is present in almost all hives where honey bees are found

AFB was found in NZ 1877 – 38 years after honey bees were introduced to NZ

American Foulbrood

The hive often dies off within the season It is strictly monitored in NZ –

It is illegal to treat with antibiotics or drugs in beehives in New Zealand

Shook swarming is illegal in NZ

Diagnosis of AFB

Smell – similar to dead fish smell (hence the name) but should not be relied upon to diagnosis AFB

Brood ropiness test – larvae and the pupae has a classic ropiness when you use a match stick – slightly stir the tissue – and then slowly remove the stick – classic ropiness

AFB - diagnosis

The brood pattern The brood itself The pupae The colour of the brood The cappings of the brood

Bee Keepers Must

Treat your hives for mite regularly before checking for AFB

Don’t feed frames of honey between hives Inspect your hive regularly

All the brood frames (shake off the bees so that you can see the brood properly)

Train yourself and your people who work with you to recognise AFB

Use Apiary quarantines

The Management Agency National AFB Pest Management Strategy If you find AFB in your hive – You MUST REPORT TO THE

MANAGEMENT AGENCY WITHIN 7 DAYS Destroy the hive and the wood ware Don’t let the hive get robbed out Don’t extract the honey from the infected colony Get suspect AFB samples tested

AFB Recognition and Destruction Course DECA holder – an approved beekeeper

AFB – Don’ts

Don’t feed drugs to the bees Don’t try to treat AFB by removing infected frames Don’t use the infected wood ware in other hives – you

will just spread the disease Be very careful about buying second hand wood ware off

auctions sites

Legal Aspect of AFB

Disease Elimination Conformity Agreements (DECA) which provides bee keepers with plans to deal with AFB

Certificates of inspections (done by a DECA person) Audits are carried out by the Agency to ensure

compliance Free testing of samples for AFB

http://afb.org.nz/