Beekeeping David Westervelt Chief of Apiary inspection Bureau of Plant and Apiary inspection Division of Plant Industry Doyle Conner Building, 1911 SW 34th St. P O Box , Gainesville, FL Office phone= Cell= In 15 minutes or less

Apiary Inspection We are the Government and We are here for You…Consumer Services.

Research / Inspection

Regulated Honey Bee Pests Federal and State Laws and Codes 1.American Foulbrood Disease(AFB) 2.Tropilaelops clarea 3.Any other honeybee pest determined by the department to be a threat to the state.

Unwanted races of Honey Bees 1.Apis mellifera scutellata, African honeybee. 2.Apis mellifera capensis, Cape honeybee. 3.Any other unwanted races of honeybees determined by the department to be a threat to the state.

Regulated Articles 1.Honeybee. All forms of the insect, Apis mellifera. 2.Used Beekeeping Equipment 3.Any other article capable of transporting a regulated honey bee pest or unwanted race of honey bee

Africanized Honey Bees? UnwantedRacewith Africanized Honey Bees

Honey Bee Bait Hive

Florida Counties to confirm AHB presence as of November 2015

Significant Challenges Insects Varroa Mites Yeast & Fungi Bacteria Virus Tracheal mites

November, 2015 Registered Florida Beekeepers now are approximately 4000 and 500,000 colonies And growing 10 – 15 beekeepers a week Report from FDACS registration

Migration of Commercial Beekeepers January - February March - April May - June

Insect pollinators contribute $29 billion to U.S. farm income Honey bees pollinated $19.2 billion 2.74 million colonies of bees in the USA

Niche Pollinators

U.S. Honey Production million colonies 178 million pounds produced –65.1lbs average per colony

Honey Production in Florida 13,420,000 lbs of honey! 245,000 colonies –60 lbs average per colony $27.4 million in honey production!  5 to 7 major nectar flows  10 to 15 minor nectar flows Report is from producers with 5 or more colonies.

Nectar plants

THANK YOU!