Continuous colony monitoring and the implementation of best management practices has been shown to improve bee health, pollination, honey production, and to reduce annual bee losses, use of antibiotics, and overall operating costs for beekeepers. The purpose of this program is to provide temporal monitoring and evaluation of pests and pathogens in the honey bee hive. Colonies will be sampled in the spring and fall for major pests and pathogens. An effective Integrated Hive Management
program includes continuous evaluation and planning steps so that adjustments can be made as necessary to ensure the success of the beekeeping operation. As part of this program, we will also collect colony management data from you, as a way to provide to you an evaluation of your pest management practices and pest/pathogen levels. The goal of the colony management data collection is to investigate possible association between your management practice and your pathogen levels.
Apiary sampling will occur twice a year: Samples will be collected in the spring and fall. Two types of samples will be collected from 10 colonies at each apiary: live bee sample (viruses, Nosema, AFB, EFB) and alcohol wash (Varroa). Live bee samples from all 10 colonies in each apiary will be combined/pooled into one sample per apiary. Alcohol wash samples will not be pooled. These individual colony samples will be analyzed for mite levels locally for fast data result. Test results for Varroa, Nosema, AFB
and EFB should be expected within 1 ½ week from time of sampling. Results for viruses may take an additional week.
Beekeepers interested in carrying out their own field sampling can now participate in this program choosing the ‘self-sampling’ option. Beekeepers will receive sampling supplies, instructions and mailing labels in advance. Two shipping boxes per apiary for spring and fall sampling, and a separate set of vials for mite sampling will be sent to each beekeepers. A maximum of 10 colonies per apiary should be sampled and tagged in the spring, and the same colonies sampled again in the fall (when possible). A training video will also be shared with participating beekeepers to assist with sampling.
Cost
Beekeepers will be invoiced directly by Alberta Beekeepers Commission after receipt of completed and signed registration form.
Your privacy matters to us!
The Alberta Tech Transfer Program (TTP) will not release any information that could identify individual’s personal information who participate in our programs. Among information we consider personal identifiers, in addition to name, address, email or phone number, includes the location of apiaries.
All information you share with us is confidential. The TTP may create aggregate views of the data to broaden our understanding of trends in bee health. During the development of these aggregate views, much attention will be given to protect your privacy. For example, we will not share your location and name, instead we will assign each beekeeper an Identification Number (IN), to be unrecognizable as an individual, and pool data by region, protecting your apiary location. Additionally, we will use strategies such as reporting results averaged by month or regions instead of the actual sample date or county.
Have questions?
Contact ttp@albertabeekeepers.ca