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Detection of Aethina tumida in Italy in 2018

Note prepared by the EU RL for Honeybee Health (Laboratory of  Anses Sophia Antipolis)

Updated news (11th. December 2018)

To see the details of the outbreaks observed in 2017, please click here. 

Eighth EURL annual workshop held on October 2018

The EURL for Honeybee Health held its 8th. annual workshop on 02nd. October 2018. The main activities conducted by the EURL in 2018 were presented. The agenda focused on the transfer of multiresidue methods to the GC-MS/MS, the enhancement of diagnostic tools in parasitology, virology and bacteriology, the feedback on an interlaboratory proficiency test (ILPT) organised in 2017 on Nosema spores counting by microscopy and the ILPTs to come in 2019.

Besides the presentation of the main actions and activities conducted by the EURL, participants had the pleasure to listen to presentations from various NRL representatives. In addition, Dr. Richard Thiéry was invited to present an overview and lessons learnt from the EU-funded project “SmartBees” about interactions between deformed wing virus, honeybees and V. destructor.

Dr. Kalinka Gurgulova, head of the Bulgarian NRL, gave a talk on their activities and the honey bee health status in their country. Dr. Anna Granato, from the Italian NRL presented a state of play of the occurrence and surveillance of the small hive beetle in Southern Italy. The EURL presented the actions set up following the suspicion of introduction of the small hive beetle in France in April 2018 through queen imports from Argentina. Surveillance measures set up as well as and laboratory analyses conducted by the French NRL were presented.

We thank all the speakers for their interesting presentations and to all contributors of this fruitful workshop.

Presentations are available for members of the network on the website.

Participants to the 8th. EURL annual workshop held at Anses Sophia Antipolis

No identification of SHB in France following the queen import from Argentina in April 2018

A suspicion of introduction of the small hive beetle (SHB) (Aethina tumida) through honey bee queen imports from Argentina was notified in France in April 2018. Following laboratory analyses, (see the Commission Regulation EU 206/2010) eggs suspected to be of A. tumida were indeed detected in the cages. Cages, accompanying attendants and packages were sent to the French National Reference Laboratory (NRL) at Anses Sophia Antipolis for identification.

Identification of SHB species being not feasible on eggs, molecular analyses were conducted. Results for identification of A. tumida and A. mellifera were not conclusive due to the low quantity of genetic material available. Given the uncertainty of this suspicion and in order to prevent any risk, surveillance measures were put in place by the Directorate General for Food (DGAL), in the apiaries where queens were introduced and in the apiaries at the importer premises (23 apiaries in total); even though the expert opinion concluded to a nil to nearly nil probability of establishment of SHB in a French apiary (see in the references below the memorandum from the DGAL 07 May 2018 and ANSES scientific opinion of 3 May 2018). In all, 25 inspections were conducted on 916 colonies. Awareness campaigns were conducted intended for beekeeping organisations on the risk of introduction of SHB from risk areas and on the importance of queen cages and accompanying attendants’ control.

It has to be noted that the importer had respected the Commission Regulation for import of bee queens from Third Countries. Indeed queens were transferred to new cages with new accompanying attendants before being introduced in new colonies. These actions had enabled to greatly reduce the risk of introduction.

The French authorities took charge of this suspicion as soon as it was notified. The alert system set up in France showed its efficiency.

The conclusions of all the inspections conducted in the apiaries where queens were introduced were satisfactory, meaning no clinical signs of SHB infestation.

Subsequently, further analyses were conducted by the NRL to conclude on the nature of the eggs that were detected. A new molecular tool was used to amplify a mitochondrial gene (the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene). DNA was then sequenced. The results showed 99 % of identity of the sequences of the suspect sample with the sequence of the COI gene of Apis mellifera. The eggs found in queen cages were Apis mellifera’s eggs.

Following this new information as well as the satisfactory results of the inspections, the surveillance measures set up by the DGAl were lifted at the end of July 2018.

References:

 

Surveillance of Aethina tumida in Italy in 2018

A new sentinel apiary was confirmed positive (purple cross on the maps) on 12th. November 2018 in Villa San Giovanni situated in the protection zone of 30 km (Figure 1 and Table 1). Adults and a hundred of larvae of Aethina tumida were detected on this apiary. Another sentinel apiary was confirmed positive on June 2017 in this municipality.

As of 11th. December 2018, four sentinel apiaries and one natural colony were found infested (Table 2) in the province of Reggio di Calabria.

The sanitary situation in Sicily and in the province of Cosenza remains unchanged (Figure 3 and Figure 4).

Table 1: "Table of positive sentinel nuclei of SHB" (dated from 11th. December 2018)
Talbe 2: "Table of positive cases of SHB" (dated from 11th. December 2018)
 

Please click on the map to access the figure with a higher resolution

Figure 1: The 30 km protection zone for monitoring A. tumida in Calabria (dated from 11th. December 2018)

Please click on the map to access the figure with a higher resolution
 
Figure 2: The 100 km surveillance of A. tumida in the rest of Calabria and Sicily (dated from 11th. December 2018)
 
Please click on the map to access the figure with a higher resolution
 
Figure 3: The surveillance of A. tumida in Sicily (dated from 11th. December 2018)
 
Please click on the map to access the figure with a higher resolution
 
Figure 4: The 10 km protection zone for monitoring A. tumida in Cosenza (dated from 11th. December 2018)
 

As of 26th. November 2018, there is no new evidence of A. tumida infestation reported on the website of the Italian National Reference Laboratory. The last update was made on 18th. September. At that time, four cases of infestation by A. tumida were identified in the province of Reggio Calabria in the South of Italy:

  • Three sentinel apiaries were confirmed positive (purple crosses on maps) whose two were situated in the protection zone of 30 km (Figure 1 and Table 1). The first one was confirmed on August 1st. in the municipality of Palmi where adults and a larva were detected. An outbreak was discovered in the same municipality in March 2017. The second sentinel apiary was confirmed positive on August 7th. in the municipality of Brancaleone situated approximately 15 km away from the protection zone on the south-east coast of the province of Reggio Calabria. Adults of SHB were detected. The last sentinel apiary was confirmed positive in Rosarno on September 4th. This sentinel apiary was infested with adults and larvae. It was situated approximately 12 km away from the outbreak confirmed in Laureana Di Borello.
  • One outbreak was confirmed on August 2nd. in the municipality of Laureana Di Borello (red cross on maps) in the protection zone of 30 km (Figure 1 and Table 2). It corresponds to a natural swarm which was infested by adults and larvae of SHB. Another natural swarm was discovered infested with larvae in the same municipality in April 2017.
It has to be noted that not all the inspections scheduled in the rest of the Calabria region and in Sicily have not yet been reported when this news is published (Figure 2).
 
The sanitary situation in Sicily remains unchanged (no new case discovered since the year 2014) (Figure 3).
No new outbreaks have been discovered in the province of Cosenza (situated in the North of Calabria) since September 2016 (Figure 4).
 
The regular reappearance of cases in the infested zones since 2014 show that the small hive beetle remains present in the zones.
 
The surveillance plan implemented in 2018 follows the monitoring scheme put in place in the previous years. Surveillance is still strengthened in Aethina-free areas such as Sicily and the rest of Italy (excluding the protection zones) to guarantee the free status of these territories (Figure 4). Changes were brought to the monitoring scheme notably a reduced number of apiaries to be inspected in the protection zone was planned (corresponding to an expected prevalence of 10% with a confidence interval of 95% instead of an expected prevalence of 5% applied the previous years). This reduction along with the implementation of sentinel apiaries situated in strategic locations (i.e. on the coast in front of Sicily, along the Ionian Coast, along the frontiers with Vibo Valentia and Catanzaro, in Vibo Valentia) suggest an evolution of the objectives towards a control of SHB circulation and a containment of the infestation in the protection zone.
 
Note: the Commission Implementing decision (EU) 2017/370 of March 1st. 2017 removed Sicily from the list of areas subject to protective measures in relation to SHB in Italy and extended the period of application of certain protective measures until 31st. March 2019.
 

References:

Table 1: "Table of positive sentinel nuclei of SHB" (dated from 18th. September 2018)
Talbe 2: "Table of positive cases of SHB" (dated from 18th. September 2018)
 
Please click on the map to access the figure with a higher resolution

Figure 1: The 30 km protection zone for monitoring A. tumida in Calabria (dated from 18th. September 2018)

 

Please click on the map to access the figure with a higher resolution
 
Figure 2: The 100 km surveillance of A. tumida in the rest of Calabria and Sicily (dated from 18th. September 2018)
 
Please click on the map to access the figure with a higher resolution
 
Figure 3: The surveillance of A. tumida in Sicily (dated from 18th. September 2018)
 
Please click on the map to access the figure with a higher resolution
 
Figure 4: The 10 km protection zone for monitoring A. tumida in Cosenza (dated from 18th. September 2018)
 
 

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