Apicultural practice and disease prevalence in <i>Apis mellifera</i>, New Zealand: a longitudinal study

In New Zealand, the introduced honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a valuable production animal, providing pollination services for horticultural crops and significant export volumes of honey, especially mānuka honey. Honey bees in Zealand are free from number diseases pests such as European foulbrood, acarine disease, small hive beetle, Israeli acute paralysis virus tropilaelaps mites. We sought to determine health status using longitudinal study that followed 60 beekeepers over 2.5 years, ascertaining disease pest their elected apiary interviewing them every spring autumn. Participant accounted management approximately 12% beehives registered Zealand. Differences beekeeping practices were observed between North Island South Island. Nosema ceranae was found almost exclusively on did not displace apis course study. Lotmaria passim showed reverse-phase seasonality nosema, peaking autumn at near 100% prevalence. The prevalence Varroa apiaries varied seasonally 45.0% 46.7% 65.0% 69.5% autumn, with most infestation rates below 3 mites per 100 bees. detection rate symptomatic American foulbrood during our inspections very low, 0.00% 0.85% hive-level dependent season. This sets foundation understanding