With sincere respect to the CHC it is MHO that the CHC import requirements
for queens as currently written are rather unrealistic; and, as a
consequence only a very few of the very largest queen breeders in the USA
will be able to conform to the CHC requirements due to both Varroa and SHB
restrictions. I doubt that many operations have a quantified Varroa load
of less than 1% and/or are able to afford and obtain Mitochondrial
Polymerase Chain Reaction-DNA (PCR-DNA) testing of progeny within 180 days
prior to spring shipments in areas not known to have the SHB.

I am afraid that that costs associated with CHC's requirements will allow
some imports into Canada from the USA; however, some of the most desirable
stock in the USA may not be able to be imported into Canada due either to
the economics of PCR-DNA testing or the 1% or less Varroa Rule.

Chuck Norton
Reidsville, NC


CHC PROPOSED IMPORT CONDITIONS:

The honey bee, Apis mellifera, queens imported under CFIA permit will be
eligible for entry into Canada provided that queens are accompanied by a
health certificate issued by an official from the Department of
Agriculture from the exporting state of the USA within 45 days prior to
the importation conforming to sections 1.0 through 2.2 below.

 1.0 The queens originate from an apiary that does not have any visible
clinical evidence of American Foulbrood (AFB), European Foulbrood (EFB),
Varroa mites or small hive beetles.

Five percent of the colonies or a minimum of 25 bee colonies (which ever
is greater) should be randomly selected and examined from each of the
queen production and mating apiaries from which queens will be exported.
Inspection for AFB, EFB, Varroa mites and small hive beetles should occur
within 45 days prior to exporting queens. Queens would be allowed for
shipments if no clinical evidence of AFB, EFB, varroa, and small hive
beetles was found in the samples from the queen production and mating
apiaries. Bee colonies will be examined as follows:

Visual examination of brood for symptoms of AFB or EFB is required. Bee
colonies used in queen production and mating apiaries should be free from
visible clinical evidence of AFB or EFB. If AFB or EFB is found, queens
would not be allowed for shipment from this apiary. At least three brood
frames per hive should be inspected.
Colonies should be assessed by alcohol washing of bee samples (200-300
bees/colony). The sample of bees should be placed in a basket, immersed in
a solution of alcohol and the basket should be shaken for a period of at
least two minutes. If varroa is not detected or is under 1% queen
shipments will be allowed.
If varroa is found at levels above 1%, bee colonies in the queen rearing
apiaries should be treated with a product that is registered in Canada.
Treated colonies must be retested prior to collecting the queens and
attendants to confirm that the level of varroa is below 1%.


Visual examination for small hive beetle is required. Colonies lids,
bottom boards and frames should be inspected for the small hive beetle.

Colonies from which queens are collected should show no clinical evidence
of the small hive beetle.

 2.0 The queens originate from an apiary free of genes of the sub-Saharan
type of the Africanized honey bee, Apis mellifera scutellata.

2.1 Africanized honey bees have not, in the past one year, been detected
within 100 miles of the apiaries of queens’ origin.

Based on current maps and surveillance programs for Africanized bees, a
certificate from an authority of the State Department of Agriculture must
be included in the export documentation.


 2.2 Mitochondrial Polymerase Chain Reaction-DNA (PCR-DNA) testing results
do not show signs of A. m. scutellata in the progeny of the breeder queens.

 Mitochondrial (PCR-DNA) testing is done on random samples of workers
representing the progeny of the selected breeder queens used by the queen
producers. The PCR-DNA testing should be conducted within 180 days prior
to exporting queens in the spring. Workers collected, one each from each
of the breeder queens, may be pooled and run as a single sample if
appropriate for the technique. If the test indicates the presence of A. m.
scutellata, whether from a single bee or from all pooled workers, that
queen producer would not be given certification to export queens. The PCR-
DNA testing should be carried out by an accredited or State Laboratory.

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