16 May 2000

Beekeepers' "exceptional contribution"

50 new Infected Places have been identified, mostly as a result of the voluntary contribution by hobbyist beekeepers who attended a seminar and met the necessary requirements to self-test their hives. MAF is grateful for the efforts made by the small-scale beekeepers over the weekend, and also wants to acknowledge the outstanding voluntary involvement of beekeepers in the wider varroa response.

MAF programme co-ordinator Matthew Stone says that the contribution made by beekeepers during the campaign has been exceptional. "These people have made, and continue to make, an enormous contribution during a stressful time for their industry, and no doubt their own enterprises and families.

"At a national level, the National Beekeepers' Association has been working right alongside MAF every step of the way. We value that relationship, and sincerely thank the association for its continuing help, advice and practical contribution. Five members of the executive have put in a total of over a thousand hours.

"Out in the field, beekeepers have been acting as members of the testing teams, donating many long hours and disrupting their lives in an operation that has gone on for over a month. Every day between nine and 27 beekeepers have been out in the field, and have donated over 5,000 hours so far, " said Dr Stone.

Apart from the results from hobbyist beekeepers, there were three new varroa detections. All were within 10 km of the Te Puke site first identified last week, and all at very low infection levels.

Final results have been received from 26 sites tested as part of the Exotic Bee Disease Survey to determine if other exotic diseases were introduced along with the varroa mite. No exotic diseases have been detected in a raft of tests by MAF's New Zealand Animal and Plant Health Reference Laboratories. Diseases tested for included European foulbrood, the small hive beetle, the Honeybee Tracheal mite Acarapis woodii, and the Asian mite Tropilaelaps clareae.

The total number of Infected Places is now 242. The number of beekeepers owning apiaries with Infected Places has risen significantly to 110, mostly due to the hobbyist beekeeper campaign. 1,881 apiaries have now been visited, and the total number of hives on visited apiaries is 34,558. So far 1,832 traces have been followed. The movement permit free-phone operation (0800 109 383) received 26 new requests for permits, 10 of which were issued, one declined and the rest are still pending.