NZ Beekeeping: Beekeepers Winning Battle Against Bee Disease

New Zealand beekeepers are succeeding in their efforts to eliminate American foulbrood, according to a spokesperson from the Ministry of Agriculture.

In figures just released by MAF Quality Management's (now AgriQuality New Zealand) national contract manager for the American Foulbrood Control Programme, Cliff Van Eaton, the reported incidence of the disease in New Zealand beehives this season has dropped to 0.46%, the lowest level since 1975.

This year's fall in reported American foulbrood incidence comes hard on the heels of a similarly sized reduction last season, when reported levels fell from 0.81% to 0.61%.

American foulbrood is the most serious honey bee disease present in New Zealand. In 1994, control costs for the disease were estimated at 6% of gross returns to the beekeeping industry.

The disease affects the larval young of the honey bee, eventually resulting in the death of the colony. The disease is generally spread between beehives during routine management by beekeepers, or when colonies weakened by the disease are preyed upon by stronger colonies.

American foulbrood does not affect any other animals apart from honey bees, and does not harm honey destined for human consumption.

The National Beekeepers' Association levies beekeepers throughout New Zealand to pay for an American Foulbrood Control Programme contract with MAF Quality Management (now AgriQuality New Zealand) .

As well, the organisation is in the process of developing a National Pest Management Strategy for American Foulbrood. The strategy was officially notified by the Associate Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. John Luxton, on 3 July 1997, and submissions closed on 14 August 1998.

The National Beekeepers' Association is developing this strategy because the American foulbrood control provisions of the Apiaries Act will be repealed by the Biosecurity Act in October, 1998. Unless a strategy is approved by that time, there will be no legal obligation for beekeepers to control the disease in their hives.

The American Foulbrood Pest Management Strategy has set a target of an annual 10% reduction in American foulbrood incidence in New Zealand, leading eventually to the elimination of the disease in managed beehives. Since the current American foulbrood control programme began 6 years ago, the beekeeping industry has met or exceeded this 10% per annum reduction target in 5 of those 6 years.

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