The 2011 USDA Animal Plant and Health Inspection (APHIS) sponsored National Survey of Honey Bee Pests and Diseases was conducted in collaboration with the University of Maryland (UMD) and the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and with the cooperation of 34 states covering the timeframe from the spring of 2011 through the summer of 2012. This survey is in its third year and is the largest to date. The National Survey has expanded from a 3 state Pilot Survey in 2009 to a Limited National survey of 13 states in 2010. This expansion has allowed us to augment and extend the baseline pest and pathogen data collected from the previous 2 surveys. The primary focus of this survey was to verify the absence of exotic threats such as the parasitic mite, Tropilaelaps spp., Apis cerana, and Slow Paralysis Virus. Under current international trade agreements, the U.S. cannot deny import permits from other nations unless the exporting nation has a disease, parasite, or pest of honey bees that is not found in the U.S. Establishing the absence of threats to honey bee populations not thought to be present in the U.S. was the primary objective of this effort.
This survey was designed to be representative of the managed honey bees across the broad geography of the United States. The survey was open to any state wishing to participate and beekeeper participation was completely voluntary and the beekeeper did not have to be present or assist with the sampling. The results can be considered as representative of the pests and pathogens present in the U.S.
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