Infestation of honey bees with Acarapis woodi

Article 9.1.1.

General provisions

For the purposes of the Terrestrial Code, acarapisosis, also known as acarine disease or tracheal mite infestation, is an infestation of adult honey bees (species of the genus Apis), primarily Apismellifera L. with the mite Acarapiswoodi, an internal obligate parasite of the respiratory system which spreads by direct contact from adult honey bee to adult honey bee.

When authorising import or transit of the commodities covered in the chapter, with the exception of those listed in Article 9.1.2., Veterinary Authorities should require the conditions prescribed in this chapter relevant to the acarapisosis status of the honey bee population of the exporting country or zone.

Standards for diagnostic tests are described in the Terrestrial Manual.

Article 9.1.2.

Safe commodities

When authorising import or transit of the following commodities, Veterinary Authorities should not require any acarapisosis related conditions, regardless of the acarapisosis status of the honey bee population of the exporting country or zone:

1. pre-imago (eggs, larvae and pupae) of honey bees;

2. honey bee semen;

3. honey bee venom;

4. used apicultural equipment;

5. honey;

6. bee-collected pollen;

7. propolis;

8. beeswax;

9. royal jelly.

Article 9.1.3.

Determination of the acarapisosis status of a country or zone

The acarapisosis status of a country or zone can only be determined after considering the following criteria:

1. a risk assessment has been conducted, identifying all potential factors for acarapisosis occurrence and their historic perspective;
   

2. acarapisosis is notifiable in the whole country or zone, and all clinical signs suggestive of acarapisosis are subjected to field and laboratory investigations;
   

3. an ongoing awareness programme is in place to encourage reporting of all cases suggestive of acarapisosis;

4. the Veterinary Authority or other Competent Authority with responsibility for reporting and control of diseases of honey bees has current knowledge of, and authority over, all domesticated apiaries in the whole country.

Article 9.1.4.

Country or zone free from acarapisosis

1. Historically free status
   

   A country or zone may be considered free from acarapisosis after conducting a risk assessment as referred to in Article 9.1.3. but without formally applying a specific surveillance programme if the country or zone complies with Chapter 1.4.

2. Free status as a result of an eradication programme
   

   A country or zone which does not meet the conditions of point 1 above may be considered free from acarapisosis after conducting a risk assessment as referred to in Article 9.1.3. and when:
   

   1. the Veterinary Authority or other Competent Authority with responsibility for reporting and control of diseases of honey bees has current knowledge of, and authority over, all domesticated apiaries existing in the country or zone;
      

   2. acarapisosis is notifiable in the whole country or zone, and any clinical cases suggestive of acarapisosis are subjected to field and laboratory investigations;
      

   3. for the three years following the past reported case of acarapisosis, annual surveys supervised by the Veterinary Authority or other Competent Authority, with no positive results, have been carried out on a representative sample of apiaries in the country or zone to provide a confidence level of at least 95% of detecting acarapisosis if at least 1% of the apiaries were infected at a within-apiary prevalence rate of at least 5% of the hives; such surveys may be targeted towards apiaries, areas and seasons with a higher likelihood of disease;

   4. to maintain free status, an annual survey supervised by the Veterinary Authority, with no positive results, is carried out on a representative sample of apiaries in the country or zone to indicate that there has been no new cases; such surveys may be targeted towards areas with a higher likelihood of disease;

   5. either there is no wild or self-sustaining feral population of species of the genus Apis in the country or zone, or there is an ongoing surveillance programme of the wild or self-sustaining feral population of species of the genus Apis which demonstrates no evidence of the presence of the disease in the country or zone;

   6. the importation of the commodities listed in this chapter into the country or zone is carried out in accordance with the recommendations of this chapter.

Article 9.1.5.

Recommendations for the importation of live queen, worker and drone honey bees with or without associated brood combs

Veterinary Authorities of importing countries should require the presentation of an international veterinary certificate attesting that the honey bees come from apiaries situated in a country or zone free from acarapisosis or the apiaries meet the conditions prescribed in Chapter 4.14. (Article 4.14.5.). With regards to the provisions detailed in point 2 of Article 4.14.5., this will be achieved by a statistically valid number of honey bees per colony being examined by any method complying with the relevant chapter of the Terrestrial Manual and found free of all life stages of A. woodi.