Pollination
Interprovincial movement of honey bees into NB
The following outlines the New Brunswick sanitary requirements for honey bees being transported from outside New Brunswick into New Brunswick. Please find below information on A) requirements for honey bees to enter New Brunswick from outside New Brunswick, and B) Beekeepers who do not meet these requirements.
Subject A: Requirements for honey bees to enter New Brunswick from outside New Brunswick.
A beekeeper intending to transport honey bees from outside NB to NB must do the following: The beekeeper must ensure that the bees are accompanied with a “Permit to Import and Transport Honey Bees / Autorisation d’importer et de transporter des abeilles” (issued by the Provincial Apiarist in NB) which is dated not more than six months before the date the bees are imported into NB. A copy of the inspection reports from the exporting province should also be included with the bees when they are in transit.
Procedure to obtain the certificate:
The bees have to have been inspected in the Province or Territory of origin, within six months of the expected date of being imported into New Brunswick.
Inspection details: A random selection of ten percent of the colonies must be inspected for the following diseases: American foulbrood (AFB), European foulbrood (EFB), obvious signs of Varroa mite, Tracheal mite or any obvious signs of any diseases which may be considered detrimental to the colony. If it is not possible to sample for tracheal mite, an earlier record stating tracheal mite levels may be considered satisfactory, or a statement indicating treatments applied against these mites may be considered acceptable. The inspection form should also state what treatments have recently been used for other diseases.
NOTE: If there is any AFB found in any of the inspected colonies, then one hundred percent of the colonies have to be inspected for AFB. Each colony with AFB has to be clearly marked, stating that AFB is present and with the inspection date. These colonies will NOT be allowed into NB.
The results of the inspection must be sent to:
Chris Maund
Integrated Pest Management Specialist (Entomologist) and Provincial Apiarist
Crop Development Branch
Department of Agriculture and Aquaculture
P.O. Box 6000, Fredericton, NB, E3B 5H1If the results of the inspection are acceptable, the provincial Apiarist in NB will then issue the following certificate to the beekeeper in the Province or Territory of origin: “Permit to Import and Transport Honey Bees / Autorisation d’importer et de transporter des abeilles”. (This certificate will only be valid if it is dated within six months of the date the bees are imported into NB.)
Subject B: Beekeepers who do not follow these requirements:
Beekeepers who do not follow these requirements may be subject to penalties.
Complete texts for the Apiary Inspection Act and Apiary Inspection Act - General Regulation are found at the following respective sites: http://www.gnb.ca/acts/acts/a-09.htm and http://www.gnb.ca/0062/regs/97-98.htm.
These regulations are designed to help maintain the beekeeping industry in a healthy state by helping prevent the spread of bee diseases.
Please note that these are provincial requirements. A person importing honey bees from outside Canada would ALSO have to follow Federal requirements.
Please contact Chris Maund, Integrated Pest Management Specialist (Entomologist) and Provincial Apiarist, if further information is required (506) 453-3477.