Israeli acute paralysis virus not detected in Apis mellifera in New Zealand in a national survey

• Published in: Journal of apicultural research Vol. 53; no. 5; pp. 520 - 527
• Main Authors: McFadden, Andrew M J, Tham, Kok-Mun, Stevenson, Mark, Goodwin, Mark, Pharo, Howard, Taylor, Byron, Munro, Grant, Owen, Katie, Peacock, Lora, Stanslawek, Wlodek L, Stone, Matthew
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 01.01.2014
• Subjects: Israeli acute paralysis virus; national survey; risk based; spatially balanced
• ISSN: 0021-8839; 2078-6913
• DOI: 10.3896/IBRA.1.53.5.03

A survey was carried out aimed at determining whether Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV) was present in honey bees (Apis mellifera) in New Zealand. There were two parts to the survey. The first, carried out during autumn 2010, comprised sampling of bees from a risk-based purposive selection of apiaries in areas from the North Island where an incursion of IAPV was considered most likely. From each selected apiary, pooled samples of approximately ten bees were tested. The bee sample was a composite sample made up of bees from all or a proportion of colonies present at the site. The second part of the survey was carried out approximately one year later during autumn 2011. It involved selecting apiaries to be sampled using generalised random tessellation, a selection technique designed to maximise spatial coverage over areas of New Zealand where beekeeping occurs. For each selected apiary a pooled sample of approximately twenty bees from each of three colonies were tested. In total, 1050 tests were carried out on honey bee samples from 499 apiaries. Israeli acture paralysis virus was not detected in any of the bee samples. The probability of absence of IAPV in the North Island of New Zealand was determined to be 96% from those colonies in the North Island associated with risk pathways and 92% for New Zealand as a whole from the subsequent spatially balanced survey. The survey assumed that IAPV if present occurred in 1% of apiaries and 65% of colonies within an affected apiary. This is the first published study estimating the probability of country absence from a bee virus.