Bee Disease Status

New Zealand beekeeping has an enviable reputation for effective surveying and control of endemic and exotic bee pests and diseases.
The following material was written by Cliff Van Eaton, Apicultural Advisory Officer with MAF Qual (now AgriQuality New Zealand), to describe the systems that underpin our claims regarding freedom from most of the economically significant bee pests and diseases. Figures were updated in October 1996 to provide the figures for 1995- 96.

Honey Bee Health Status

Honey bee diseases present in New Zealand (NZ) producing identifiable symptoms are AFB, nosema, chalkbrood, sacbrood, chronic bee paralysis, and black queen cell. Most of the other known bee viruses have been found in NZ, including acute bee paralysis virus, cloudy wing virus, bee virus X, bee virus Y, filamentous virus and Kashmir bee virus. These viruses have only been detected by injecting dead bee extracts into healthy pupae, and exist in honey bees in NZ as inapparent infections. Amoeba disease is present in NZ, although serious effects of amoeba infestation are not known. Several species of harmless external mites have been found. These are Melittiphis alvearius, Acarapis externus, A. dorsalis and Neocypholaelaps zealandicus.

American Foulbrood Control Programme

Regulations regarding AFB control have been in place in NZ since the enactment of the first of a series of Apiaries Acts in 1906. As in many other western beekeeping countries, AFB inspection and education programmes were for many years funded by central government.

In 1991, however, the extensive government fiscal reforms transforming New Zealand society were also applied to beekeeping services. Because AFB was an endemic disease, central government identified beekeepers as the principal beneficiaries of AFB control programmes. They were therefore asked to pay directly for these programmes. The National Beekeepers' Association (NBA) decided that a continuing AFB control programme was important, and entered into the first of a continuing series of annual contracts with the Ministry of Agriculture Quality Management (MAF Qual) (now AgriQuality New Zealand) to provide AFB control services. Funding for the contract comes from a NBA levy on beehive holdings.

The contract includes the inspection of 3.9% of NZ apiaries (on a targeted basis) by government inspectors. The MAF Qual (now AgriQuality New Zealand) also organises a further random surveillance inspection programme which is carried out by volunteer inspectors. These volunteer inspectors are trained beekeepers belonging to the National Beekeepers' Association. The NBA inspections are known throughout NZ as "diseaseathons".

In the 1995-6 production year, government personnel inspected 4.1% of NZ apiaries, with NBA volunteers inspecting a further 3.9%.

As well, all beekeepers in NZ are required by law to inspect all of their beehives for AFB at least once during the spring period each year, and to report the findings of those inspections (and any changes to apiary and hive holdings) to the Ministry of Agriculture. Beekeepers must also report the presence of AFB whenever it is found. NZ therefore has a highly accurate record of both apiary locations and AFB occurrence.

In the 1995-96 production year, the reported incidence of AFB (from all sources, including the AFB control programme) was 0.6% of hives and 3.6% of apiaries. The NZ Apiaries Act forbids the feeding of drugs to beehives for the control of AFB. All beehives found to be infected with the disease are destroyed by burning, with woodenware sterilised by treatment with hot paraffin (160 degrees C for 10- 15 minutes).

Exotic Bee Disease Surveillance

NZ is fortunate to be free of a number of economically significant honey bee diseases found elsewhere in the world. The NZ government believes maintenance of such a disease status is important, and therefore funds an exotic bee disease surveillance programme. Government personnel inspected 491 production apiaries throughout the country as part of this programme in 1995-96. The apiaries are chosen for their proximity to risk areas, including ports, rubbish dumps, and tourist areas. All hives in each apiary are inspected for visual symptoms of European foulbrood, with any suspect larvae analyzed (anaerobic culture) at a government bee disease diagnostic laboratory. At least 100 drone pupae in each hive are also visually inspected for the presence of Varroa and Tropilaelaps mites. A sample of at least 400 adult bees is then taken from each hive and analyzed at the government lab for the presence of Varroa mite and Tropilaelaps mite (alcohol wash), and Acarine mite (dissection).

In addition to these targeted surveillance inspections, every apiary in NZ which supplies either queen bees or package bees is also sampled for exotic bee diseases. The samples (400+ bees) are processed by the government bee disease diagnostic lab. In the 1995-96 production year, a total of 509 production apiaries were sampled for exotic bee diseases.

All suspicious bee disease symptoms reported by beekeepers are also investigated by government apiculture personnel, with samples analyzed by the bee disease diagnostic lab. In the 1995-96 production year, 48 such samples were analyzed, all but one for European foulbrood. All results were negative.

An on-going education programme is carried out with beekeepers to explain the threats to the NZ beekeeping industry posed by exotic bee diseases. In 1995, a four page colour pamphlet identifying exotic diseases was sent to every registered beekeeper in NZ.

Border Protection

Because New Zealand is an island country, border protection is an extremely important first line of defence against the introduction of exotic diseases and pests. Agricultural Quarantine officers are therefore specifically trained to have an awareness of the NZ beekeeping industry and the likely means of introduction of exotic bee diseases. Agricultural Quarantine officers are stationed at all New Zealand ports and airports, and also carry out surveillance of all incoming goods, including commercial consignments and mail.

Honey Bee Exotic Disease and Pest Response (EDPR) preparedness - In the event that a honey bee exotic disease or pest is found in NZ, a response system is in place which will identify the extent of the disease or pest and provide factual information necessary to undertake control or eradication measures. The system is based on similar EDPR programmes in place in NZ for such diseases as fruit fly and foot and mouth.

A unique feature of the system is that it uses both trained government personnel and beekeeper volunteer inspectors. The system is maintained by yearly EDPR exercises in various parts of NZ where AFB is substituted for the exotic bee disease. The exercises help maintain both emergency headquarters and field team capabilities. In the 1995-96 production year, EDPR exercises were carried out in three areas of NZ, involving 90 government personnel and 110 beekeepers.

Improved Diagnostic Capability

As part of its commitment to exotic bee disease surveillance and EDPR, the NZ government has over the years continued to improve its honey bee disease and pest diagnostic methods. This commitment began with the funding of consultancy visits in the early 1980's by Dr. Hachiro Shimanuki from the USDA, a recognised world expert in honey bee diseases. Dr. Shimanuki deserves much of the credit for initiating the development of NZ's current exotic bee disease surveillance and EDPR programmes.

One of Dr. Shimanuki's recommendations was that a full bee disease survey be conducted in NZ (even though a variety of surveys for individual diseases had been carried out in the past). Acting on this recommendation, the NZ government contracted Dr. Denis Anderson, a honey bee pathologist from Australia, to perform this survey, and also to develop a honey bee diagnostic laboratory.

More recent projects include adoption of FABIS technology for Africanised honey bee genotype diagnosis (in conjunction with the USDA), testing of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for tracheal mites (in conjunction with Agriculture Canada), and testing/adoption of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology for EFB diagnosis (in conjunction with the University of Wales).

Reporting and Further Information

The NZ Ministry of Agriculture makes quarterly reports on the occurrence of honey bee diseases to the Office International Des Epizooties (OIE), the recognised world body for animal disease reporting and control. The Ministry of Agriculture also makes government-to-government reports on honey bee diseases upon request. MAF Quality Management maintains integrity in all of its programmes relating to honey bee diseases through the use of quality systems. The quality systems, and the programmes themselves, are subject to independent audit by the government's Regulatory Authority.

Annual reports on the AFB control contract, and the exotic bee disease surveillance and EDPR programmes, are included in the August edition of the New Zealand Beekeeper. Articles in overseas journals explaining these programmes include:

Van Eaton, C. (1996) Protecting the health of New Zealand's honey bees. Bee Biz 3:16-17.

Matheson, A. (1991) Beekeeping: leading agricultural change in New Zealand. Bee World 72(2): 60-73; (3): 117-130.

Cliff Van Eaton
CVanEaton@hortresearch.co.nz
formerly Apicultural Advisory Officer
MAF Quality Management (now AgriQuality New Zealand)
Tauranga, New Zealand

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