Resources for Veterinarians

Honey Bee Inspection Resources for Veterinarians

Produced by University of Massachusetts, funded by USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program 2019 AM190100XXXXG044 through the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, and the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. To learn learn more about the Bee-Vet project, click HERE.

Learn how to inspect honey bee hives:

View instructional videos explaining how to inspect a hive and collect disease samples:

1. Introduction
2. Equipment
3. Conducting a Basic Inspection
4. Identifying Abnormal Brood
5. Collecting a Brood Sample
6. Collecting an Adult Bee Sample

Find resources, protocols, and forms for conducting a hive inspection:

• Inspection Protocol
• Biosecurity Protocol
• Common Diseases and How to Diagnose Them
• Basic Guidelines for Inspecting Hives and Prescribing Antibiotics
• Key Statewide Contacts
• Apiary Inspection Form 
• Honey Bee Sample Diagnostic Lab Request Form [Standard] (this form is appropriate for all free services offered by the USDA Bee Research  Laboratory in Beltsville Maryland)
  • For instructions on how to gather and mail samples, see videos 5 and 6 above
• Honey Bee Sample Diagnostic Lab Request Form [Full] (this form includes all possible diagnostic tests. NOTE that for all tests not covered by the Beltsville Bee Lab, you will need to locate an appropriate testing service, use a recommended sampling procedure, and confirm that the beekeeper is willing to pay any testing costs)

Recommended resources and classes about honey bee disease and management:

• Recommended Beekeeping Resources
• Recommended Honey Bee Courses
• Textbook: Honey Bee Medicine for the Veterinary Practitioner 
• Fact Sheets/Guides:
  • American Foulbrood 
  • European Foulbrood
  • Nosema
  • Varroa:
    • Honey Bee Health Coalition Varroa Management Guide
    • UMass Fact Sheet
    • UMass/MDAR Tri-Fold
  • Managing Honey Bee Colony Dead-outs

BONUS: Check out this 2021 article about honey bee health and the need for collaboration between apiarists and veterinarians, written by several Northeast bee inspectors including our very own Massachusetts Chief Apiary inspector Kim Skyrm! 

For national resources, check out the Honey Bee Veterinary Consortium

Are you a beekeeper looking for a vet? Or a vet trying to connect with beekeepers? Check out the HBVC's national directory of bee vets.

Video Series: How to Inspect a Honey Bee Colony

Part 1: Introduction

 

Part 2: Equipment

 

Part 3: Conducting a Basic Inspection

 

Part 4: Identifying Abnormal Brood

 

Part 5: Collecting a Brood Sample

 

Part 6: Collecting an Adult Bee Sample