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NEW ZEALAND BEEKEEPER, NOVEMBER 2016
detection due to the fact that it can survive independently of beehives. The chance of an early detection is greatly increased via ‘passive’ surveillance, where all beekeepers are checking their hives for anything unusual. There are already a number of cases where beekeepers have acted when identifying an unusual beetle in their hives. Some of these cases are described below. Differential diagnosis New Zealand is home to a vast number of beetles, some of which have been found in beehives. These were found during beekeeper inspections and are good examples of our passive surveillance system. Two of the species submitted to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) laboratory are from the genus Epuraea (E. zealandica & E. antarctica) , which are part of the Nitidulidae family. The small hive beetle (Aethina tumida) also belongs to this family. Case 1: Staphylinidae Staphylinidae is the largest beetle family. They are long with relatively short wing cases. While it is unlikely that this would be confused with a small hive beetle, in this case, it was submitted along with a Saprinus detritus . The beetle pictured below was Creophilus oculatus but is commonly known as ‘The Devils Coachhorse’. They are found in decaying animal material. Case 2: Histeridae Histeridae occupy a wide range of niches including beehives. They have elbowed antennae with clubbed ends. This, along with
Given that small hive beetle is established along their eastern seaboard where much of the cargo originates, the relatively short distance between our two countries, as well as the volume of traffic, Australia is a major risk pathway for the introduction of this pest. Biosecurity system The biosecurity system is in place to protect New Zealand from exotic pests and diseases including small hive beetle. The system can be divided into three broad categories: pre- border activities, border activities, and post- border activities. Pre-border activities cover any requirements prior to freight arriving at the border. These requirements are often published as import health standards. A number of activities occur at the border. Those most applicable to halting the introduction of small hive beetle include inspection and fumigation activities. Post-border activities are those that occur after goods pass through the border and include activities such as the Apiculture Surveillance Programme. The remainder of this article will focus on post-border activities. Many will be aware of the components of the Apiculture Surveillance Programme, which surveys 350 high-risk apiaries each autumn for a variety of exotic honey bee pests and diseases including the small hive beetle. Additionally, 300 apiaries supplying bees for export are also sampled. This amounts to an inspection rate of around 1.5% of apiaries. While this provides a certain level of sensitivity, a successful eradication of small hive beetle is heavily dependent on early
As can be seen from the list on the previous page, small hive beetle is a very effective coloniser. There are several reasons for this success: Australia is a major risk pathway for the introduction of this pest. • they can survive for extended periods in a dead colony • they can survive eight to nine days without food • they could potentially be transported in soil (during pupation) • they can also complete their life cycle on some fruits. Because of this, passenger arrivals and freight are a risk. New Zealand is an island nation, which is a huge advantage from a biosecurity perspective. However, we are not cut off from the rest of the world: • over 21 million tonnes of cargo was imported into New Zealand to June 2016 (Statistics New Zealand) • there were almost six million passenger arrivals to June 2016 (Statistics New Zealand) • more than 35% of containers arrived from countries in which SHB is endemic. Of the cargo and passengers described above, a significant percentage comes from Australia. • they can travel with swarms
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