Great outcome 
And good to hear Dwayne still gets his hands dirty 😄
And good to hear Dwayne still gets his hands dirty 😄
AFB
- Thread starter nikki watts
- Start date
So ..... about the meeting.....
A bunch of Keepers of Bees met at Barry Hantz's honey shed to discuss American FoulBrood.
Fis'n'chips had been ordered, but I was'nt sure whether we were going to eat before or after the meeting.
We ate before.
Nick from NZ Beeswax had a chiller bag full of refreshments . Nice one.
About fifty percent of the twenty or so people were wearing masks. I managed to recognise a few of the people .... Marco was compliant and recognsable because he always smiles with his eyes, Roger because he was'nt wearing a mask, but his wife was , Tanya from NZ Beeswax because she always has a bubbly laugh , and Paul because he was weaing a Nuway shirt , but had never told us he had bees when he comes to fix our diesel burner.
And of course , there was Clifton ..... hghly recognisable because he was running the show , and how can you run a show and wear a mask.
We sat on brand new bee boxes, which gave me the impression that Barry might have burnt a lot of hives lately, but thats personal info and sometimes it pays not to get too personal.
AfB is still a persistant problem around the the country.
I was interested to note that the agency goal is stated to be to "Eliminate AFB". A few years ago we were always told their role was to monitor. So that is a step in the right direction.
The new plan aims to tighten the loopholes and strengthen the system. Better reporting, more action ..... and holy moly ..... AP2's might be allowed to call in The Dog team ..... if they can scentifically prove themselves.
Submissions for tweaks are still open . One submission I had a thought of submitting was to increase the levy slightly to subsidise the DECA training of anti AFB'rs , as history tells us that there are still Rogue Operators running bees with no DECA's or clue about what AFB looks like.
One such rogue operator has a yard of dead hives 1 k from my cell builders , but the agency is powerless to clean up his operation because the AP2 found no AFB during his inspection, possibly beacause the wax moth had been at work. The cocky has forgotten his name and the agency won't breach its privacy code.
So yes. it was a good meeting. Most people scanned in and a week later I don't have a snotty nose or a cough.
I wonder if that was @MOREPORK 's take on the evening ?
At the last review the goal was changed from eliminate to reduce AFB by a percentage every year
Someone might need to look at the order again
Objectives of plan
(1)The primary objective of the plan is to manage American foulbrood so as to reduce the reported incidence of American foulbrood by an average of 5% each year.
(2)
The secondary objectives of the plan are—
(a)
to locate all places where beehives are situated and ensure that each honey bee colony is inspected at least once each year for American foulbrood; and(b)
to identify American foulbrood cases in beehives; and(c)
to eliminate American foulbrood in beehives by destroying any American foulbrood cases and associated bee products, and destroying or sterilising associated appliances.(3)
For the purposes of this clause, reported incidence means, for each period of the 12 months beginning on 1 July in any year, the number of American foulbrood cases expressed as a percentage of the total number of honey bee colonies notified to the management agency.
Clause 5 heading: amended, on 18 September 2012, by section 93 of the Biosecurity Law Reform Act 2012 (2012 No 73).
Clause 5(1): replaced, on 5 September 2013, by clause 5 of the Biosecurity (National American Foulbrood Pest Management Plan) Amendment Order 2013 (SR 2013/311).
Clause 5(2): amended, on 18 September 2012, by section 93 of the Biosecurity Law Reform Act 2012 (2012 No 73).
And for those who dont belive me about ApiNZ running the show
The management agency responsible for implementing the plan is the Apiculture New Zealand Incorporated.
(2)
The management agency must, in implementing the plan, work towards achieving the objectives of the plan.
Clause 6(1): amended, on 18 September 2012, by section 93 of the Biosecurity Law Reform Act 2012 (2012 No 73).
Clause 6(2): inserted, on 5 September 2013, by clause 6 of the Biosecurity (National American Foulbrood Pest Management Plan) Amendment Order 2013 (SR 2013/311).
Management agency
(1)The management agency responsible for implementing the plan is the Apiculture New Zealand Incorporated.
(2)
The management agency must, in implementing the plan, work towards achieving the objectives of the plan.
Clause 6(1): amended, on 18 September 2012, by section 93 of the Biosecurity Law Reform Act 2012 (2012 No 73).
Clause 6(2): inserted, on 5 September 2013, by clause 6 of the Biosecurity (National American Foulbrood Pest Management Plan) Amendment Order 2013 (SR 2013/311).
I have been informed that AFB was found 2kms from my one apiary. I am a hobby beekeeper with 5 hives in my second (registered )year and retired so I have always been vigilant about keeping everything sanitised. Have been checking hives weekly, and now I have paid (a lot)to have my hives tested but have been waiting for the swabs since December 9th and been told they are in transit. Even though I definitely have not come across any AFB in my hives (yet) there could be something I missed. All the quick testing kits online are sold out, so I feel nervous because this is the second time it has been discovered near by. Just holding my breath and keeping up the hygiene. All my life I have wanted beehives but had to wait till I retired for the love of honey and for pollinating our fruit trees and because they are fascinating creatures.
hi
just remember there is basically nothing you can do to stop your hives getting afb.
the main thing is to not spread it once you do get it. if your following best practices then rest easy. if you have done your afb course then you should know what to look for and should not need testing. once you find "something is wrong" then take a closer look and possible testing to confirm or get someone else to look as well.
where people get themselves into trouble is when they are not doing those best practices.
It sure can make you nervous especially if you never have seen afb in a hive yet, but like Tristan says, there's nothing you can do to stop them getting it, but you can stop spreading it. Maybe you can ask someone from a beekeepers club to come and have a look with you together? And if you find it you'll remember forever what it looks like. Then destroy the hive and get another one as it is a lovely and interesting hobby, you'll never be bored if you have a couple of hives!
Who are you testing with Ingrid? A Gisborne lab developed the test - you can always just pick up swabs from them
The rapid testing kits are only good for confirming suspicious material (eg roping remains) - not for things like hive entrances or other hiveware