Michael Becker writes:
 
> South Africa has recently begun to import cheap grades of honey.  The quality
> of the honey makes me wonder about the quality of the bee-keepers who supply
> it.
>
> Is there data available on diseases which may be spread in honey?  How are
> these detected?
 
This is indeed a very relevant question.  Let me begin by saying that
none of the researchers in what used to be the government bee lab (now
part of the ARC) is currently a fundi on honeybee diseases, since we
live in a honeybee paradise as far as diseases go.  The only disease
which ever reaches serious proportions is European Foulbrood, and
that only rarely.  It is a recurrent `minor' problem in the cooler,
damper parts of the country.  Since we are presently frantically
swotting up on diseases for precisely the reason you give, we would
also appreciate reading responses from other countries to your note.
 
As far as I am aware, virtually all of the bacterial and fungal
honeybee diseases can be transmitted in honey.  The fungal spores
remain viable.  While honey disables bacteria and will eventually
kill them, under favourable conditions and dilution of the honey they
can be reactivated.
 
For this reason, all imported honey must be irradiated upon arrival
in the country.  This condition was set by the Department of
Agriculture (Directorate Plant and Quality Control) and is enforced
by them.  The evidence suggests that irradiated honey is safe, from
the disease-transmission point of view.  What irradiation might or
might not do to honey's qualities is another Pandora's box entirely.
 
The presence of spores or bacteria in honey is detectable by standard
microbiological assaying methods.  There is quite a bit of literature
on bee diseases, some of which you may find in our Stellenbosch
office's library.  Please contact me directly in this regard.
 
We are especially concerned about the possiblity of importing
American Foulbrood in imported honeys.  Despite the compulsory
irradiation, there is always the risk from illegal imports (large or
small -- this includes bottles of honey brought into the country as
presents etc, although the risk here is small) or of legal imports
leaking or bursting before irradiation.
 
The beekeeping industry has appealed to the state to try to limit
imports by imposing import duties etc., but because of GATT this not
likely to be possible to any effective extent.  The solution for our
industry probably lies with educating our consumers about the
advantages of buying local honey, and trying to build market
resistance to foreign honey through extensive marketing of our own
honey.
 
Paul Magnuson                             [log in to unmask]
Honeybee Research Unit                    Plant Protection Res. Inst.
Agricultural Research Council.            Private Bag X134
Tel. (012) 319 7113, Fax (012) 323 5275   Pretoria 0001 South Africa