BEE SURE SERVICES
Honey Bee Hive Inspections Include Varroa Mite & AFB Testing
Honey Bee Hive Inspections for pollination services
Good produce yield starts with effective pollination. To ensure an efficient and effective pollination, strong healthy honey bee colonies are critical. Assessments include:
- Honey bee colony strength (Number of frames of bees)
- Honey bee colony quality (Presence of a laying queen, absence of disease)
Honey Bee Hive Health Inspections
Inspect/assess bee hive health, including disease status. This could be done with or without you on site.
Honey bee pest and disease status includes assessment for:
Disease confirmation can include sampling for self or veterinary pathological confirmation via:
Honey bee pest and disease status includes assessment for:
- Varroa mite (Varroa destructor)
- Tropilaelaps mite (Tropilaelaps clareae and T. mercedesae)
- American Foulbrood (AFB) (Paenibacillus larvae)
- European Foulbrood (EFB) (Melissococcus pluton and Bacillus alvei)
- Chalkbrood (Ascosphaera apis)
- Sac Brood (Iflavirus genus)
- Nosema (Nosema apis)
Disease confirmation can include sampling for self or veterinary pathological confirmation via:
- Drone uncapping, sugar shake, alcohol wash
- Larval smears
- Diseased samples
- Worker bee samples
- Honey culture test
Third Party Assessment Of Beekeeper’s Compliance
Assessment includes:
- Pest and disease training
- Record keeping of bio-security related actions and observations
- Exotic pet and disease testing
- Annual honey culture test results
Varroa Mite Update
The spread of varroa mite continues, with a recent detection in the Sunraysia district, Victoria, during Spring 2024. Now, more than ever, it is essential for beekeepers to:
- Regularly test for the presence of varroa mites.
- Monitor mite loads accurately.
- Treat colonies appropriately to maintain their health and productivity.
The National Varroa Mite Management Program is offering face-to-face training workshops to equip beekeepers with the skills needed to manage varroa and maintain healthy hives—crucial for effective pollination in your orchards and crops.
These workshops are open to growers as well, providing valuable insights into the practices beekeepers are adopting to sustain healthy colonies.
These workshops are open to growers as well, providing valuable insights into the practices beekeepers are adopting to sustain healthy colonies.
Support Through the Transition to Management Plan (T2M)
Support Through the Transition to Management Plan (T2M)
What Is Varroa Mite
How Is It Characterised?
How is it spread?
Varroa mites (Varroa jacobsoni and V. destructor) are the most serious pest of honey bees worldwide. The mites are tiny reddish brown external parasites of honey bees.
Where is it found?
What is the potential cost to Australia?
what is Varroa mite?
How is it characterised?
How is it spread?
On their own, individual mites are easily identifiable to the naked eye. Left untreated varroa mite will kill any bee hive it infects. All feral and untreated bee colonies will eventually die.
Where is it found?
What is the potential cost to Australia?
what is Varroa mite?
How is it characterised?
How is it spread?
Drone bees are able to move varroa mites from hive to hive and even between apiaries. Mites are agile, move into hives quickly and transfer through contact between bees. There are strict quarantine requirements in place to protect the Australian honey bee industry.
what is Varroa mite?
How is it characterised?
How is it spread?
Where is it found?
Varroa infects honey bees in every major beekeeping area of the world, except Australia.
what is Varroa mite?
How is it characterised?
How is it spread?
Where is it found?
It is estimated that varroa mite could result in losses of $70 million a year should it become established in Australia.
American Foulbrood Detection
American foulbrood (AFB) is a contagious bacterial brood disease of European honey bees which weakens and kills honey bee colonies. AFB is easily spread between honey bee colonies through the movement of diseased apiary equipment, (infected combs or hive components, tools and equipment) and via the robbing behaviour and drifting. Early detection of AFB can be achieved through regular brood inspections and honey culture testing. Both of these can be arranged through Bee Sure inspection services.
Honey Bee Experts Colony Audits
provide
Evidence of value for money pollination
Increased confidence of production through pollination quality reporting
Early detection of pollination service shortfalls at or prior to peak flowering
