USDA APHIS National Honey Bee Survey Rachel Fahey Faculty Research Specialist and Survey Coordinator University of Maryland Presented to Saginaw Valley Beekeepers Association October 2, 2018 Michael G. Hansen, Michigan State Apiarist

APHIS National Honey Bee Survey Monitoring for invasive pests and new pathogens Tropilaelaps, Apis cerana, and SBPV

APHIS National Honey Bee Survey Monitoring for invasive pests and new pathogens Tropilaelaps, Apis cerana, and SBPV After 8 years of the national survey, we have confirmed that SBPV is not present in the US so we have dropped it from our list of viruses.

Purpose Distribution and Incidence of Pests and Diseases Nosema, Varroa, Viruses, Exotic Pests, Pesticides Free disease diagnostics to the beekeeper Nation-wide database of disease levels comparable across years

History 2009: Pilot survey in 3 states Test sampling methodology 2010: Limited survey in 13 state Increased state participation Data sampled over much of calendar year 2011: National Survey in 34 states 2012: National Survey in 34 states 2013: National Survey in 30 states Puerto Rico, Guam and Grenada 2014: National Survey in 20 states Little/no funding for states to survey

Presidential Memorandum June 20, 2014 Presidential Memorandum directed USDA and EPA to co-chair a Pollinator Health Taskforce to take steps to develop new public-private partnerships and increase citizen engagement. USDA Pollinator Working Group Chaired by Deputy Secretary White House Strategy to Protect Pollinators Pollinator Research Action Plan (PRAP)

History 2015: 38 states and Puerto Rico. 2016: 39 states, Puerto Rico, and Guam Sampling >1100 apiaries Highest participation to date Highlights the importance that the survey receives funding 2017: 45 states and territories

Pests Sampled For Tropilaelaps Apis cerana Varroa Nosema (not species specific) Viruses Lake Sinai virus-2 (LSV-2) Acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV) Chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) Deformed wing virus (DWV) Kashmir bee virus (KBV) Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV) Varroa Destructor Virus (VDV-1)

Varroa Destructor Virus Discovered in the US by Dr. Eugene Ryabov working with Dr. Jay Evans at the USDA BRL in Beltsville, MD. Using RNA sequencing, VDV1 was detected in 66% of National Survey samples in 2016, but detected in only 2.7% of colonies tested in 2010 VDV1 is in the same family of viruses with Deformed Wing Virus (detected in 90% of all colonies) Evidence of DWV-VDV1 recombinants in the US More virulent

Varroa Destructor Virus Published December 12, 2017 in Nature Scientific Reports VDV1 has been added to the list of viruses for the National Honey Bee Survey. We also plan to go back and run our archived samples from 2011-2015 to track how the virus spread

Wax Sampling Total # of pesticide residues in wax shown* to be a better predictor of colony mortality and queen events (a predictor of imminent colony mortality) A small section of wax is cut out from a brood frame Sent to USDA AMS Lab in NC *Traynor, K. S. et al. In-hive Pesticide Exposome: Assessing risks to migratory honey bees from in-hive pesticide contamination in the Eastern United States. Sci. Rep. 6, 33207; doi: 10.1038/srep33207 (2016).

Average Varroa Load 90% of all samples taken had Varroa

Average Varroa Load

Average Varroa Load

Average Nosema Load About 45% of all samples had Nosema detected. Red line=Economic threshold for Nosema is 1 million spores per bee

Viral Analysis Added VDV in 2016

Viral Heat Map – now live! 2017 Prevalence of VDV1 Virus

Pesticide Analysis

Pesticide Analysis

Pesticide Results Most prevalent pesticides are varroacides: Amitraz metabolite Dimethylphenyl (detected in 46.4% of samples) Apistan active ingredient Fluvalinate (detected in 37.9% of samples) CheckMite active ingredient Coumaphos (detected in 31.8% of samples) Apiguard active ingredient Thymol (detected in 21.4% of samples) INSECTICIDE: Chlorpyrifos (detected in 16.3% of samples) 191 samples had no pesticides detected (17.8% of all samples) Chlorpyrifos is a pesticide used to kill a number of pests including insects and worms. The crops with the most use are cotton, corn, almonds, and fruit trees including oranges, bananas and apples. Chlorpyrifos is very toxic to bees. It can poison non-target insects for up to 24 hours after it is sprayed. 

Explore the data! All of this information is also available online! Go to: bip2.beeinformed.org State Reports

Acknowledgements Robyn Rose, APHIS USDA ARS Honey Bee Lab in Beltsville, MD University of Maryland Honey Bee Lab

Helpful Web sites Extension Org: http://www.extension.org/bee_health/ GAAMPS (Michigan) www.michigan.gov/righttofarm Project ApisM http://projectapism.org/ Bee Informed Partnership: www.beeinformed.org Mid Atlantic Apiculture Resource and Extension Consortium: http://agdev.anr.udel.edu/maarec/ American Beekeeping Federation: www.abfnet.org American Honey Producers: www.ahpanet.com Apiary Inspectors of America: www.apiaryinspectors.org American Association of Professional Apiculturists http://aapa.cyberbee.net/ Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists www.capabees.org USDA ARS programs: CCD: http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=15572 Penn State Center for Pollinator Research: http://ento.psu.edu/pollinators MSU, http://pollinators.msu.edu/

How to submit a sample to USDA Submission of Samples for Diagnosis: General Instructions ••Beekeepers, bee businesses, and regulatory officials may submit samples. ••Samples are accepted from the United States and its territories; samples are NOT accepted from other countries. ••Include a short description of the problem along with your name, address, phone number or e-mail address. ••There is no charge for this service. ••For additional information, contact Sam Abban by phone at (301) 504-8821 or e-mail: samuel.abban@ars.usda.gov How to Send Adult Honey Bees ••         Send at least 100 bees and if possible, select bees that are dying or that died recently. Decayed bees are not satisfactory for examination. ••         Bees should be placed in and soaked with 70% ethyl, methyl, or isopropyl alcohol as soon as possible after collection and packed in leak-proof containers. ••         USPS, UPS, and FedEx do no accept shipments containing alcohol. Just prior to mailing samples, pour off all excess alcohol to meet shipping requirements. ••         Do NOT send bees dry (without alcohol). How to send brood samples ••A comb sample should be at least 2 x 2 inches and contain as much of the dead or discolored brood as possible. NO HONEY SHOULD BE PRESENT IN THE SAMPLE. ••The comb can be sent in a paper bag or loosely wrapped in a paper towel, newspaper, etc. and sent in a heavy cardboard box. AVOID wrappings such as plastic, aluminum foil, waxed paper, tin, glass, etc. because they promote decomposition and the growth of mold. ••If a comb cannot be sent, the probe used to examine a diseased larva in the cell may contain enough material for tests. The probe can be wrapped in paper and sent to the laboratory in an envelope. Send samples to: Bee Disease Diagnosis Bee Research Laboratory 10300 Baltimore Ave. BARC-East Bldg. 306 Room 316 Beltsville Agricultural Research Center - East Beltsville, MD 20705

Contact for apiary questions Michael Hansen, State Apiarist hansenmg@Michigan.gov, 269-429-0669 717 St Joseph Drive # 186 Saint Joseph, MI 49085 Lansing office 1-800-292-3939 Food and Dairy Division: Honey labeling, Processing, Honey House, Cottage Food www.Michigan.gov/mdard