In this week’s blog, we will return to our discussion of
biosecurity and honey bee management. Remember from Blog #118 that biosecurity
is important for beekeeping operations of all sizes to reduce and contain the
spread of pests. Read on for insight into management practices that can be
incorporated into your own beekeeping operation to best protect your colonies
from pests and associated diseases.
Honey Bee Biosecurity: Part 2
The Honey Bee
Producer Guide to the National Bee Farm-level Biosecurity Standard is
a valuable document for Canadian beekeepers which offers extensive information
on biosecurity practices. The suggestions in this blog come from this national
standard. Incorporating recommended practices from this guide can help reduce
the spread of pests.
In the previous blog, we highlighted that good biosecurity
dictates that bees must be obtained from reliable and safe sources. This is
also true of all hive equipment and any other inputs into your apiary, such as
hive boxes, feed, and treatments. For example, it can be tempting to buy
inexpensive hive equipment that has been stored unused for years, but unfortunately
the reuse of hive equipment can be high risk. Spores of harmful disease-causing
bacteria, such as Paenibacillus larvae which causes American Foulbrood
Disease, can persist on untreated woodenware indefinitely. For this reason, it
is important to know the history of the woodenware and recommended to scorch all
reused equipment with a torch before introducing it into your apiary.
Biosecurity practices are relevant even when you are not
explicitly introducing new bees or inputs into your operation. Pests, such as
Varroa mites, can enter without your knowing via honey bees from nearby hives. Furthermore, there are honey bee pests which go unnoticed when their
populations are low but can be devastating if populations increase or the
afflicted colonies become stressed. A
good example may be the fungus Ascophaera apis which causes chalkbrood
disease. Part of reducing this risk is regularly cleaning and disinfecting all
tools, including protective clothing such as gloves and jackets. For example,
hive tools should be disinfected with a torch between use to kill any harmful pathogens.
See ATTTA’s demonstration video on how to disinfect
your hive tool for more information.
Keeping your hives, personal protective wear, and beekeeping
tools clean is just one aspect of maintaining the cleanliness of your entire
apiary and associated facilities. There are pests associated with beekeeping
that thrive in stored equipment, such as wax moths. So how you store your own
equipment must be considered in your biosecurity practice. To this end, all
dead outs should be assessed as to why they died, equipment promptly
disinfected, and stored in bee-proof conditions away from the apiary. All facilities,
such as honey houses, should be regularly cleaned.
Record keeping is another valuable tool. The Canadian Honey
Council (CHC) has created documents to support beekeepers in this effort. The
Canadian Bee Industry Safety Quality Traceability Producer Manual – Good
Production Practices is one such document. This manual is focused on honey
production and has extensive information which goes beyond biosecurity as well
as useful templates for record keeping. Recently, these templates have been
updated by the CHC in the Canadian
Beekeepers’ Practical Handbook to Bee Biosecurity and Food Safety. This is
a more concise document with updated record keeping templates. Both resources
have useful information for Canadian beekeepers and should be considered in creating
your biosecurity management plan.
In developing a plan, make sure that all personnel engaged
in the apiary are fully informed. Regularly training all people who will be
working in your beekeeping operation is important to upholding the integrity of
your biosecurity management. Keeping up to date on new and relevant biosecurity
risks is critical, as well. To help with this, joining your provincial
beekeepers association can be a valuable resource for staying in tune with your
regional beekeeping community. Also be aware of the regulations in your own
province around biosecurity, buying and selling used equipment, and the storage
of hive components.
Remember that biosecurity in your apiary has repercussions
on your neighbor’s honey bees! The strength of the Atlantic beekeeping
community as a whole depends on each beekeeper’s participation in proper management
of pests and diseases.
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