Biosecurity measures in European beekeeping.

Abstract

Emerging pathogens of honey bees represent an important threat to the development of the beekeeping sector. The implementation of biosecurity measures in beekeeping (BMBs) plays an essential role in supporting honey bee health within the beekeeping sector. A group of experts, in collaboration with the BPRACTICES (Grant Agreement No. 696231, European Research Area on Sustainable Animal Production Systems [ERA-Net SusAn]) project partners, has provided the definition of BMBs. Thus, BMBs are all those operational activities implemented to control the risk of introduction and spread of specific honey bee disease agents. In this paper, the BMBs in the European beekeeping context are identified for the most relevant honey bee diseases in Europe: varroosis, American foulbrood (AFB), European foulbrood (EFB), nosemosis and aethinosis. Moreover, BMBs were classified in ‘categories' adapted to consider productivity and the ‘One Health' approach: human health, honey bee health and protection of the environment. The 84 BMBs described by the panel of experts were ranked according to the priority score attributed. The implementation of BMBs represents an essential step forwards to increase the resilience and sustainability of European beekeeping.