American Foul Brood Reported in Additional Locations in Vermont.
Brooke Decker
Pollinator Health Specialist
Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets
802-272-6688
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American Foul Brood has been reported in 2 additional locations in Vermont.
On July 6th 2020, additional cases of American Foul Brood (AFB) Paenibacillus larvae, were self-reported to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. The cases were located at 2 different apiaries, one in Jericho and one in Orwell, Vermont.
The colonies showing clinical symptoms of AFB were destroyed by fire and remaining colonies sampled for laboratory analysis.
Beekeepers should familiarize themselves with AFB symptoms and observe carefully when inspecting colonies and equipment. Any suspect findings should be reported immediately to Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets Pollinator Health Specialist, at 802-272-6688.
Pests & Diseases of the Honey Bee
Brooke Decker, Pollinator Specialist with the Vermont Department of Agriculture, Food & Markets presented Pests and Diseases of the Honey Bee to VBA 
members participating in an online conference.
The presentation covered a variety of topics and detailed what Vermont beekeepers need to watch in order to keep their colonies healthy. The complete presentation is available to everyone in a format that allows you to annotate or make notes on each page and is formatted to easily read on your mobile device. You can also zoom-in, download and print the pages.
The online conference is also available to VBA members by logging in to the site and going to our Webinars page.
You Mite Have a Problem...
Beekeepers in Vermont should be monitoring their hives for ALL diseases and pests. The Honey Bee Health Coalition has excellent information about how to check mite levels in your hives.
As VBA Secretary & Certified Beekeeper Fred Putnam said at this evening's online seminar on honey bee health, "Bees in dying colonies also "migrate" to hives at least 1/2 mile away carrying their mite and disease loads with them to healthy colonies and the native bee population." Which is a good reason for all of us to test our hives.
Registration & Health Certificates
Apiary Registration
As required by Vermont Statute, Title 6, Chapter 172, § 3022 & 3023. A person who is the owner of any bees, apiary, colony, or hive in the State shall register with the Secretary in writing on a form provided by the Secretary...and shall pay a $10.00 annual registration fee for each apiary location.
Registration for Apiaries starts on July 1st of each year. Renewal period is open from June 1st through June 30th each year.
Apiary Health Certificate
As required by Vermont Statute § 3028. Traffic in bees; inspection; certification. A person engaged in the rearing of bees for sale shall have his or her apiary inspected by the Secretary
VBA's Fred Putnam included this picture in an email sent to prospective buyers of his nucs. What a great idea! New beekeepers especially may not be aware of the importance of disease containment and how the Vermont Apiary Inspection program can help prevent the spread of disease. Please ask to see your provider's certificate before handing over your payment.
USDA to Measure Quarterly Colony Loss
In July, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will be collecting information about colony loss in the honey industry throughout the United States. The Quarterly Colony Loss survey will be conducted over the period of June 2020 through July 2020. This survey collects information about colony inventory and loss from more than 400 producers with honey bee colonies in the Northeastern Region of the United States.
AFB Update from the Bee Inspector
Hello Everyone -
I appreciate that you all are taking this very seriously. Being the only inspector in VT currently (hiring freeze due to Covid) and with the announcement of AFB - the calls and requests for inspections have increased greatly. While I have been able to prioritize inspections thus far, I know there are many anxious beekeepers in the state at the moment. This is where I see help from the local clubs coming in - If you are able to familiarize yourselves with AFB symptoms and utilize field tests when any suspect or questionable signs appear, this will greatly help us ALL prioritize the mitigation process. I recommend the clubs to purchase AFB and EFB Field test kits- The company will sell these in bulk- boxes of 40- for wholesale- I think $6 vs $15 retail- https://www.vita-europe.com/beehealth/products/afb-diagnostic-test-kit/.