Honey Bee Producer Guide to the National Bee Farm-level Biosecurity Standard
Appendix G: Sample record keeping
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This appendix provides sample record keeping forms that could be used by honey beekeepers to assist with biosecurity management within their operations and to ensure appropriate records are in place for traceability if a biosecurity risk is suspected or confirmed.
Beekeepers are encouraged to customize their record-keeping system to their own operations, using the forms in this document as guidance.
Principles of record-keeping practices:
- Complete records in real time whenever possible. Recording after-the-fact (from memory) can often lead to errors
- Have records that are as accurate as possible. Unconfirmed diagnosis or suspicion of a pest should be identified as such
- Be aware that errors in entering information should be struck-through, dated, and initialed, rather than erased or otherwise obscured
- Know that dated and properly identified digital camera images are a useful supplement to written records
- File all documents such as receipts, invoices, diagnostic reports, and permits in a secure location
AFB = American foulbrood; SHB = small hive beetle
Description for table - Bee origin
This section of sample record keeping tables is titled Bee Origin. It contains four tables labelled: Queen Stock, Colony Source, Treatments given when acquired and Colony Disposition.
These record keeping forms could be used by honey beekeepers to assist with biosecurity management within their operations and to ensure appropriate records are in place for traceability if a biosecurity risk is suspected or confirmed.
The first table is labelled Queen Stock. It is a table with 10 columns and 12 blank rows for entering information.
The first column is Hive #
The next columns are under a header called Queen Stock
Under Queen Stock there are 9 columns as follows:
Queen Identifier (# or colour mark)
Supplier Name
Queen Installation year/month
Source/Strain (e.g. parent colony or name of supplier)
Queen accepted? Replacing rejected queen(s)?
Mother ID (if applicable)
Sire ID (if applicable)
Pros (e.g. hygienic behaviour)
Cons (e.g. swarming, aggressive behaviour)
The next table is labelled Colony Source. It is a table with six columns and 13 blank rows for entering information.
The first column is labelled Hive #
The next columns are under a header labelled Colony Source:
Under Colony Source there are five columns labelled:
Type – under the title Type there are five classifications labelled:
- P = package bees
- N = nucleus colony
- SW = swarm capture
- SP = split
- U = united
Acquisition year/month
Source/Strain (e.g. parent colony or name of supplier)
Behaviour/health observations on receipt
Isolated? y/n
The next table has seven columns and fifteen blank rows for entering information.
The first column is labelled Hive #.
The next columns are under a header labelled Treatments given when acquired.
Under the header Treatments given when acquired are six columns labelled:
Type
Start date
End date
Who administered
Reason
Efficacy
The next table has five columns and fourteen blank rows for entering information.
The first column is labelled Hive #
The next columns are under a header labelled Colony Disposition
Under the header Colony Disposition are four columns labelled:
Type – under the title type are five classifications labelled:
- SP = split
- U = united
- N = new hive
- O = sold or given away to another beekeeper
- D = destroyed
Hive # to
Disposition year/month
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