Since the discovery of the honeybee tracheal mite and the Varroa mite, the maintenance of the state's viable honeybee population has been of great concern to the NYS Department or Agriculture and Markets. Left undetected or untreated, apiaries infested with these parasites will exhibit a high rate of colony mortality.

Therefore, in accordance with legislation passed in 2007, beekeepers are required to provide the Department contact information and apiary yard location data for the purpose of assessing the size and condition of the state honeybee population. In 1999, apiary inspectors inspected 5,426 honeybee colonies from 110 apiaries for American foulbrood disease and parasitic mites. (You can read more about the program here: http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/PI/PIHome.html)

Data will consist of the identification of the beekeeper (owner/manager) contact information as well as the location and size of all yard locations. A yard location with no colonies present at the time of the survey can be identified. Please note that if you maintain bees on property other than your own we ask that you identify the landowner and a contact number. All information will remain confidential.

The NYS Department or Agriculture and Markets has a form, Form PI-134 "Survey of Beekeeper and Apiary Yard Location Data," that you can complete to provide the location of your apiary(s). We have a copy that you can download in our Digital Library.