Chapter 4.15.

Hygiene and disease security procedures
in apiaries

Article 4.15.1.

In each country, official health control of bee diseases should include:

1. an organisation for permanent health surveillance;

2. approval of breeding apiaries for export trade;

3. measures for cleaning, disinfection and disinfestation of apicultural equipment;

4. rules precisely stating the requirements for issuing an international veterinary certificate.

Article 4.15.2.

Permanent official sanitary surveillance of apiaries should be under the authority of the Veterinary Authority and should be performed either by representatives of this Authority or by representatives of an approved organisation, with the possible assistance of bee-keepers specially trained to qualify as ‘health inspectors and advisers’.

The official surveillance service thus established should be entrusted with the following tasks:

1. visit apiaries:

   1. annual visits during the most appropriate periods for the detection of diseases;

   2. unexpected visits to apiaries where breeding or transport operations are carried out for trade or transfer to other regions, or any other purpose whereby diseases could be spread, as well as to apiaries located in the vicinity;

   3. special visits for sanitary surveillance to sectors where breeding apiaries have been approved for export purposes;

2. collect the samples required for the diagnosis of contagious diseases and despatch them to an official laboratory; the results of laboratory examinations must be communicated within the shortest delay to the Veterinary Authority;

3. apply hygiene measures, comprising, in particular, treatment of colonies of bees, as well as disinfection of the equipment and possibly the destruction of affected or suspect colonies and of the contaminated equipment so as to ensure rapid eradication of any outbreak of a contagious disease.

Article 4.15.3.

1. be situated in the centre of an area defined as follows and in which:

   1. no case of varroosis has been reported for at least the past 2 years within a radius of 50 kilometres;

   2. no case of any other contagious disease of bees included in this Terrestrial Code has been reported for at least the past 8 months within a radius of 5 kilometres;

2. have received, for at least the past 2 years, visits by a health inspector and adviser, carried out at least 3 times a year (in spring, during the breeding period and in autumn), for the systematic examination of the hives containing bees and of all the apicultural equipment, and for the collection of samples to be sent to an official laboratory.

Bee-keepers must:

3. immediately notify the Veterinary Authority of any suspicion of a contagious disease of bees in the breeding apiary and in other apiaries in the vicinity;

4. not introduce into the apiary any bee (including larval stages) or apicultural material or product originating from another apiary unless health control has been previously performed by the Veterinary Authority;

5. apply special breeding and despatch techniques to ensure protection against any outside contamination, especially for the breeding and sending of queen-bees and accompanying bees and to enable retesting in the importing country;

6. collect at least every 10 days, during the breeding and despatch period, samples from breeding material, brood-combs, queen-bees and bees (including possibly separately raised accompanying bees), to be sent to an official laboratory.

Article 4.15.4.

Veterinary Authorities of exporting countries are requested to regulate the use of products and means for sanitation and disinfection of apicultural equipment in their own country, taking into account the following recommendations.

1. Any apicultural equipment kept in an establishment which has been recognised as being affected with a contagious disease of bees shall be subjected to sanitary measures ensuring the elimination of pathogens.

2. In all cases, these measures comprise the initial cleaning and scraping of the equipment, followed by sanitation or disinfection depending on the disease concerned.

3. The kind of equipment (hives, small hives, combs, extractor, small equipment, appliances for handling or storage) shall also be taken into account in the choice of procedures to be applied.

4. Infected or contaminated equipment which cannot be subjected to the above-mentioned measures must be destroyed, preferably by burning. Any equipment in bad condition, especially hives, as well as larvae in combs affected with varroosis, American foulbrood or European foulbrood, must be destroyed by burning.

5. The products and means used for sanitation and disinfection shall be recognised as being effective by the Veterinary Authority. They shall be used in such a manner as to exclude any risk of contaminating the equipment which could eventually affect the health of bees or adulterate the products of the hive.

6. When these procedures are not performed, the products shall be kept away from the bees and any contact with apicultural equipment and products must be prevented.

7. Waste water from the cleaning, sanitation and disinfection of apicultural equipment shall be kept away from the bees at all times and disposed of in a sewer or in an unused well.

Article 4.15.5.

This document shall be prepared in accordance with the model contained in Chapter 5.10.