Kangaroo Island beekeeper update January 2021 - PIRSA
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Fact sheet
Kangaroo Island beekeeper update
January 2021
American Foulbrood and Small Hive Beetle detections
This document provides information for beekeepers regarding the detection of American Foulbrood (AFB)
and Small Hive Beetle (SHB) on Kangaroo Island (KI); and addresses:
• Kangaroo Island honeybee biosecurity
• The detection of AFB and SHB on Kangaroo Island
• Follow-up Beekeeper self-inspection and sampling program
• Assistance/ further information
Kangaroo Island honeybee biosecurity
KI is a declared reservation for the European honeybee subspecies Apis mellifera ligustica (commonly
known as the Ligurian honeybee), and a specified part of the state where the entry of honeybees, honeybee
products and property is prohibited, subject to conditions.
These requirements form one element of KI’s honeybee biosecurity program, which includes:
• pre-entry controls, including the above-mentioned prohibitions on the introduction of:
o honeybees (including adults, brood, eggs, and reproductive material),
o honeybee products (including honey, pollen, pollen patties, beeswax, and propolis) and property
(including hive material, equipment and appliances), and
• post-entry controls, including the below-mentioned biosecurity practices applicable to all persons
keeping honeybees on KI (regardless of experience, intent, or number of hives), comprising of both
legislative requirements (which must be followed), and best practice requirements (which should
be followed); and which in summary include:
i. being aware of biosecurity threats, including:
o having a knowledge of notifiable honeybee pests and diseases; including requirements
regarding prevention, identification, inspection/ sampling, notification, isolation, and eradication/
control,
ii. only using pest and disease free honeybees, hive components, equipment, and
supplementary feed, including:
o acquiring new, or from approved suppliers,
o not introducing honeybees or honeybee products and property from outside KI (as above),
o testing prior to purchase, and/ or sterilising/ isolating prior to integration into operation,
Contact: Michael Stedman, Program Coordinator - Apiaries
Email: michael.stedman@sa.gov.au
Phone: 08 842 90872 or 0408 812 698
pir.sa.gov.au
iii. keeping it clean, including:
o maintaining preventative barrier systems, regular frame culling, and hive, apiary and extraction
plant hygiene,
o preventing inter-hive spread via honeybees and/ or the beekeeper (including via robbing,
exposure, hive death, drifting, and the swapping of hive components/ honeybees between
hives),
iv. checking hives, including:
o regularly inspecting, testing and managing hives for pests and diseases,
o regularly inspecting and managing hives for viability, strength, and resources; and to prevent
swarming, robbing, and exposure (including via hive death),
o ensuring hive components are specifically designed, constructed, operated and maintained so
as to bee-proof (except for specifically manufactured entrances), and hives comprise of easily
removeable frames,
v. abiding by the law, including:
o being registered,
o implementing legislated biosecurity practices, including elements of (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) and (vi),
o keeping records of all specified biosecurity related management practices,
vi. reporting anything unusual:
immediately reporting detected/ suspected detected notifiable pests and diseases (including AFB
and European Foulbrood).
The detection of AFB and SHB on KI
American Foulbrood was first detected in honey from hives on KI in May 2020. Despite on-going
surveillance of approximately half of KI’s managed hives, no further detections have occurred.
It is a notifiable disease - all detected/ suspected detected AFB must be immediately reported to PIRSA.
What is American Foul Brood:
AFB is a bacterial disease that kills affected hives, and ultimately whole apiaries. It is highly infectious,
easily spread via honeybees, honeybee products, honeybee property, and the beekeeper. All beekeepers
must implement legislated biosecurity practices (summarized below).
Additionally, the reporting of detections/ suspected detections, unregistered beekeepers, feral colonies
and known illegal introductions will assist in both tracing the source(s), and (particularly for AFB),
enhancing the likelihood of eradication.
Small Hive Beetle was first detected in hives on KI in January 2021. As of mid-January, distribution
appears confined to a very small area near Hanson Bay. It is not notifiable disease, but reporting of
detected/ suspected detected SHB to PIRSA is encouraged.
What is Small Hive Beetle:
SHB is a free flying, fast moving beetle that in both larval and adults stages consume brood and adult
bees, honey and pollen, can cause hive death, and contaminate honey.
All beekeepers should monitor their hives and honey for SHB and undertake control where appropriate.
AFB SHB
Top Bottom
view view
AFB - Brown coloured affected larval remains SHB adult 1/3 size of a honeybee, SHB larva (up
adhering to inserted match and ‘roping out’. to 11 mm long, SHB adults (up to 7 mm long).
Credit - The Management Agency, National American Foulbrood Pictures not to scale. Credit - Drs. T. Wagner & O. Boecking, N. Wright.
Pest Management Plan, New Zealand.
AFB -Two affected cells with cappings sunken, SHB larvae of various ages, with partial ‘sliming’ of
discoloured and ‘pinholed’; one cell (bottom right) frame.
with brown larval remains on bottom of cell. Credit - Dr. N. Annand.
Credit - Rob Snyder.
Follow-up Beekeeper self-inspection and sampling program
PIRSA involvement
Following on from PIRSA AFB and SHB surveys, PIRSA will be:
• conducting training workshops to enable all persons keeping honeybees to participate in the
Beekeeper self-inspection and sampling program,
• providing beekeeper support and paying for the submission and testing of all samples collected as
per the Beekeeper self-inspection and sampling program guidelines.
The aim of the Beekeeper self-inspection and sampling program is for all persons keeping honeybees on
KI to undertake self-inspection, sampling and management of all their hives, for the purposes of:
• undertaking Island-wide surveillance for AFB and SHB,
• improving beekeeper biosecurity practices,
• improving beekeeper preparedness for any future detections.
Beekeeper involvement
Requirements and timeframes
The Beekeeper self-inspection and sampling program guidelines contains both legislative requirements
which must be followed, and industry best practice requirements which should be followed. However no
differentiation has been made between the two sets of requirements as the guidelines should be followed
in their entirety to be of any value in determining spread and improving beekeeper practices and
preparedness.
Note that to ensure the integrity of the surveillance program and protect the Islands and individual
beekeepers biosecurity, PIRSA will be continuing to undertake both targeted and random inspections and
audits, and enforcing legislative requirements.
In summary, all persons keeping honeybees on KI are encouraged to:
• attend a training workshop (where the Beekeeper self- • refer to Training workshops,
inspection and sampling program guidelines will be provided),
• inspect all their hives, • by 18th March 2021,
• collect samples of:
o detected/ suspected detected AFB and SHB,
o honey from their hives (pooled to individual apiaries),
• notify PIRSA of detected/ suspected detected notifiable • report by the quickest
diseases, practicable means,
• keep required records, • when undertaking activity,
• process and submit samples with submission form and • by 18th March 2021,
records to the KI PIRSA office,
• manage their hives, including to: • as required to prevent
o prevent swarming and/ or disease spread (including by occurrence,
robbing/ exposure/ hive death),
o control pests and diseases,
• submit via Form 1, locations of known feral colonies, etc. • as soon as possible.
Additionally, all persons keeping honeybees (regardless of the type and number of hives and reason for
keeping them), must be registered with PIRSA (if you are not currently registered, please register - see
Form 1 and contact PIRSA - refer to Assistance/ further information).
Training workshops
Training workshops will be held at the Kangaroo Island Community Centre at 16 Telegraph Road,
Kingscote.
Friday 12 February 2021 Time: 18:00 - 21:00
Saturday 13 February 2021 Time: 13:30 - 16:30
All persons keeping honeybees on KI (including those undertaking the inspection, sampling and
submission if not the same person - such as where undertaken by an employee/ consultant/ lessee), are
encouraged to attend one of the workshops to:
• ensure consistency of inspections and sampling,
• receive a copy of the Beekeeper self-inspection and sampling program guidelines, sample
containers, and record and submission forms.
Please indicate your attendance (including that of any employees/ consultant/ lessee) at one of the
workshops by emailing a copy of Form 2 or a list of attendee names, phone numbers and date(s) to
pirsa.ruralchemicals@sa.gov.au by COB on Wednesday 10th February 2021.
Costs
PIRSA training workshops are free.
Samples collected and prepared as per the Beekeeper self-inspection and sampling program guidelines,
and deposited at the PIRSA KI Office during office hours will be tested free of charge, with the results
provided to the beekeeper owner.
Kingscote PIRSA Office Hours: 08:45-12-30 and 1:30-5:00
Shop 7, The Mall, 56 Dauncey Street Phone: 8553 4949
How to access assistance and more information
PIRSA Apiary Unit will be providing training on the Beekeeper self-inspection and sampling program
guidelines at the above-mentioned workshops, and will provide individual assistance where deemed
necessary.
For further information (including if unsure of the legislative requirements), contact the Program
Coordinator - Apiaries, Michael Stedman on 08 842 90872 or 0408 812 698, or at
michael.stedman@sa.gov.au
Form 1. Reporting form.
Name and address (+ HIC if registered): Phone No.: Best time to ring
Email:
Complete below
I wish to: Details - incl. date noted, description, location(s) (incl. GPS/ map), and No. pages if incl.
- tick box(s): name of property owner (if known) extra info/ maps
report the introduction
of honeybees, bee
products, bee hive
material, etc.
report exposed
honeybee products/ hive
components
report neglected/
abandoned hives/ hive
material
report feral colonies
(eg. in tree/ compost bin)
get assistance with
neglected/ dead out
hives
report hives
affected/ suspected
affected with:
- tick box(s) AFB EFB Nosema Non-Ligurian(1) SHB Mites
Plus complete below if Details - incl. location(s) (incl. GPS/ map), and name of property No. pages if incl.
wishing to register owner extra info/ maps
I have _ _ _ _ (No. Registration form available online from the PIRSA website
https://www.pir.sa.gov.au/biosecurity/animal_health/bees/beekeeper_registration or by
hives) and wish to contacting PIRSA.
register
Submit Registration Form & payment via postal/ email address on the Registration Form.
(1)
Non-Ligurian bees - honeybees that don’t appear to have typical Ligurian characteristics (eg. ‘leather brown’ coloured banding + docile behaviour).
Please submit this form by emailing, texting or dropping off using the details below:
Street Address: Biosecurity SA
Telephone hotline: 0408 812 698
Shop 7, The Mall, 56 Dauncey Street
Email: pirsa.ruralchemicals@sa.gov.au
KINGSCOTE SA 5223
Form 2. Training workshop attendance (email to pirsa.ruralchemicals@sa.gov.au by COB 10th Feb 2021).
Names (+ HIC if registered): Phone No.: Delete date not attending
Fri 12th Feb 21 18:00 - 21:00
Sat 13th Feb 21 13:30 - 16:30You can also read
