Beekeeping 101
Everything you need to know about your AFB obligations as a beekeeper in Aotearoa New Zealand.
American foulbrood (AFB) is a fatal bacterial disease caused by the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae infecting the brood of the honey bee (Apis mellifera). The disease is present in almost all countries where honey bees are found. Poorly managed AFB has proven to have a significant financial impact on affected beekeepers and the sector and poses a threat to the sector’s access to valuable export markets.
Today, AFB control is legislated by the AFB NPMP (Biosecurity Order 1998). Click here for more info on the legislation. With a dedicated team spread across Aotearoa New Zealand, NZ Bee Health & Biosecurity is a levy-funded organisation that supports NZ beekeepers in their fight against AFB. Our team works closely with beekeepers to provide education for the effective management of AFB, ensure that beekeepers are complying with the AFB NPMP, and securely collect data via HiveHub which is used to track and manage the disease nationwide.
The following is a list of everything beekeepers need to do to be compliant with the AFB NPMP and links to help you complete these tasks. If you need a hand, our friendly and experienced team are only a phone call or email away.
Free Phone: 0800 AFB PMP (0800 232 767)
Email: info@nzbb.org.nz
Register as a beekeeper and keep your HiveHub data up to date.
If you are new to beekeeping, you must become registered. If you have not been a registered beekeeper before and currently have a hive set up on an apiary, please click the link below to start the registration process. If you need help, please contact apiary@nzbb.org.nz or phone 0800 232 767.
Register via yourself as a new beekeeper here
No longer beekeeping?
If you have no bees and wish to place your registration on hold, it is necessary to remove all hive ware from the field because abandoned hives are often found to be sources of AFB infection for neighbouring beekeepers. The form in the link below includes a declaration that you have blocked and removed all hive ware from your apiary site. Note that deregistering as a beekeeper places your registration “on hold”. Your beekeeper registration number is unique to you.
Coming back to beekeeping after taking a break from it?
If you have previously suspended your beekeeper registration but have now got bees and wish to activate your registration number again, please contact us via email apiary@nzbb.org.nz or phone 0800 232 767 so we can update your apiary information.
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Regularly inspect your colonies for AFB.
Think you have AFB? Follow these next steps east
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Enrol in an AFB recognition course
Enrol in an AFB recognition training course run by NZBB to ensure you understand how to identify AFB and what to do if you find it.
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Fulfil your annual obligations under the AFB NPMP
Complete your Annual Disease Return (ADR) on HiveHub between 1 April and 1 June. Read more about your ADR here.
Pay your annual beekeeper and colony levies between 1 April and 1 June.
Complete your Certificate of Inspection (COI) on HiveHub between 1 August and 30 November. This includes arranging a certified DECA-accredited inspector to inspect your colonies for AFB. Read more about your COI here.
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Regularly inspect your colonies for AFB.
Think you have AFB? Follow these next steps east
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On the home page of this website in the top right corner click “HiveHub” to login. Or click here.
Your username is your email address and the password you created will have at least 8 characters, one capital letter and a number
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Please ring us on 0800 232 767 if you require further assistance.
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To change your email address please email apiary@afb.org.nz with your name and registration number, your old email address, and the new one you want to use. As this is linked to your log in, a new password reset will come to you once the request has been processed. Please ring us on 0800 232 767 if you require further assistance.
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Your Annual Disease Return (ADR) is a prepopulated form showing all your private contact and online beekeeping records and can only be found by logging into your HiveHub account.
This form can be completed online in your Hivehub account or downloaded as a PDF.
If downloaded as a PDF, you then print and complete the form before emailing or posting back.
If you don’t use HiveHub, you can request to have your communication preference set as “post” so this can be mailed out to you. You can also email apiary@afb.org.nz to request a PDF of your form to be emailed to you.
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Your Certificate of Inspection (COI) is a pre-populated form showing all your personal contact and apiary details and can only be found by logging into your personal HiveHub account.
Your COI can be completed online in Hivehub or the form can be downloaded as a PDF for printing and completing before returning to us by email or post.
If you don’t use HiveHub you can request to have your communication preference set as “post” so this can be mailed out to you. You can also email apiary@afb.org.nz to request a PDF of your form to be emailed to you.
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For further information on what the levy funds, please click here.
FAQs
Hivehub
HiveHub is our web-based database that allows beekeepers to edit their own contact information, report AFB, pay their levy and submit their compliance documentation (Annual Disease Return (ADR), Colony Return (CR) and Certificate of Inspection (COI)). Note that apiary registrations, apiary deletions and AFB reports which are submitted via HiveHub require signing off by an Apiary Coordinator before they are accepted into the system.
Not every apiary has cellphone coverage, so we designed the HiveHub app to store your data when you’re out of coverage. The data is stored for 24 hours, giving you time to get back to cell reception and sync any new data.
HiveHub securely stores your notifications and compliance documentation. Beekeeper privacy is a priority and we actively ensure that HiveHub meets rigorous cybersecurity standards.
Notify cases of AFB while on the go.
Maintain compliance records while at the apiary.
Register or deregister apiaries using the easy map feature.
Accessible on most computers, tablets, and smartphones.
No internet connection is required for the HiveHub app.
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HiveHub login
Click here to log into HiveHub online EAST
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HiveHub help
View our HiveHub guides and how-to videos EAST
PLEASE NOTE THE APP IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND NOT WORKING
The HiveHub App is designed so that a beekeeper can update apiary records and notify AFB while at the apiary.
Note: you cannot pay levies, submit Annual Disease Returns, Colony Returns and Certificate of Inspections using the HiveHub App. However you can log into HiveHub via the website to do these things.
We’re here
to help
If you are having trouble accessing HiveHub, please contact us. If you cannot complete your legal obligations on HiveHub for any reason, please select one of the below forms to complete online or contact us for paper forms.
Contact
Free Phone:
0800 232 767
Email:
info@nzbb.org.nz
POSTAL ADDRESS:
PO Box 88, Rolleston 7643
SOUTH ISLAND OFFICE:
Unit 1B, 35 Illinois Drive, Rolleston 7614
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Check out the glossary
Get to know your ADR from your COI EAST
DECA-accredited inspectors
Certified
Each year, between 1 August and 30 November, all beekeeper-managed colonies must be inspected by a certified DECA-accredited inspector as part of a beekeeper’s Certificate of Inspection (COI) obligations. It is the responsibility of the beekeeper to arrange the inspection and ensure that all administrative aspects have been completed by the inspector. These can be completed entirely on HiveHub.
Express your interest in becoming a certified DECA-accredited inspector by contacting us on 0800 232 767 or info@nzbb.org.nz
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Find a DECA-accredited inspector
View a list of our certified colony inspectors EAST
Certificate of Inspection
(COI)
A COI is a legal document that must be completed by all beekeepers without a current Disease Elimination Conformity Agreement (DECA) with NZ Bee Health & Biosecurity. As per Clause 27 of the AFB NPMP, a COI is a legal document that must be completed by all beekeepers without a current Disease Elimination Conformity Agreement (DECA) with NZ Bee Health & Biosecurity.
If you are required to complete a COI, all your colonies must be inspected by a certified DECA-accredited inspector between 1 August and 30 November each year. Both the inspection and submission of your COI are submitted via HiveHub.
Every beekeeper is responsible for arranging their inspection directly with a DECA holder. You can find a list of certified DECA-accredited inspectors here.
Consult this flow chart if you are unsure whether you need to complete a COI.
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This is a statement by an authorised person (DECA holder) confirming that they have inspected all your hives on all apiaries for American foulbrood.
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All beehives in New Zealand are inspected by a person competent to detect American foulbrood at least once per year. This protects the sector, beekeeping operations, and neighbouring colonies from costly AFB spread and it helps to safeguard the sector’s access to important overseas markets.
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All beekeepers who do not have a DECA with The Management Agency are required to complete a COI between 1 August and 30 November each year. Completed COI paperwork must be received by The Management Agency no later than 15 December.
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Beekeepers who fail to complete a COI by 15 December are considered non-compliant. This includes those who submit a late COI after 15 December. Beekeepers who do not complete a COI at all risk being subjected to a default COI inspection by an Authorised Person (AP2). These inspections are cost recoverable as it is unfair for other beekeepers to be paying the cost of a beekeeper’s non-compliance.
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No. Passing your AFB Recognition Course assessment does not automatically result in you obtaining a Disease Elimination Conformity Agreement (DECA) and COI exemption. You need to have completed a year of practical beekeeping and been compliant with all rules of the AFB NPMP for 12 months before you are eligible to apply for a DECA. You can learn more about obtaining a DECA here.
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Contact a beekeeper from our list of certified DECA-accredited inspectors or a beekeeper who has held a DECA for more than one year to arrange for your colonies to be inspected. We strongly recommend that you contact a DECA holder early. You will need their first & last name, their AFB Recognition Course candidate number and their beekeeper registration number. Then log into HiveHub, click “complete COI” and requestion your inspection online.
For a brief video showing you this process, click the link below. Please note your declaration is at the start of the process, not the end, like the video shows.
Your apiary information then goes to the DECA holder under their own Hivehub log in. After your hives have been inspected, the DECA holder will log in to their HiveHub account and complete their record of inspection of your hives and their statement. As the beekeeper, you are responsible for ensuring that the Inspecting DECA holder has completed their statement and inspection details online and that the COI is successfully submitted to us by 15 December
If you have any trouble completing your COI on HiveHub you can download a form via HiveHub and submit that form to us instead. If you are using a form, the inspecting beekeeper must complete the Inspecting Beekeeper Statement on the front page and complete and sign the inspection details for each apiary. You then complete and sign the Beekeeper’s Statement. Beekeepers that are not on HiveHub will receive paper forms via post. Forms must be submitted within 15 days of the inspection date or before 15 December, whichever is earlier.
If you need help, contact an Apiary Coordinator at apiary@nzbb.org.nz or call 0800 AFB PMP (0800 232 767).
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After you have completed all hive inspections for the beekeeper, log in to your own HiveHub account and under “My Inspections” complete your record of inspection, including your statement and submit the COI.
Click here for a brief video showing you this process.
If you need help, contact an Apiary Coordinator at apiary@nzbb.org.nz or call 0800 AFB PMP (0800 232 767).
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No, you cannot inspect your own colonies to complete a COI.
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If you have any trouble completing your COI on HiveHub you can download a form via HiveHub and submit that form to us instead. If you are using a paper form, the inspecting beekeeper must complete the Inspecting Beekeeper Statement on the front page and complete and sign the inspection details for each apiary. You then complete and sign the Beekeeper’s Statement. Beekeepers who cannot log into HiveHub can on request receive paper forms via post. As the beekeeper, you are responsible for ensuring that the Inspecting DECA holder has completed their statement and inspection details, and you are also responsible for submitting the COI. Completed COIs must be submitted within 15 days of the inspection date or before 15 December, whichever is earlier.
Click here for a brief video showing you this process.
If you need help, contact an Apiary Coordinator at apiary@nzbb.org.nz or call 0800 AFB PMP (0800 232 767).
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All beekeepers that do not hold a DECA with The Management Agency are legally required to complete a COI between 1 August and 30 November each year.
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Please contact an Apiary Coordinator at apiary@nzbb.org.nz or call 0800 AFB PMP (0800 232 767).
Annual Disease Return
(ADR)
An ADR is a statutory declaration as per Clause 27 of the AFB NPMP that ensures we have current and accurate information about all registered apiaries in New Zealand. All registered beekeepers must complete an ADR each year, even if they have no bees. Hives do not need to be inspected for an ADR to be submitted.
A colony return is a statutory return required for levy collection. All beekeepers are legally required to declare the number of honey bee colonies they own as of 31 March each year. (Please note that a nuc is a colony of bees.) Colony Returns are enabled in HiveHub along with ADRs and your levy invoice. If the number of colonies you have been levied for requires adjustment, we recommend providing your Colony Return as soon as possible.
This flow chart explains the process and which steps apply to you.
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The Management Agency administers the collection of ADRs annually. The ADR is a census of managed honey bee colonies; the official count of the number of honey bee colonies, the number of apiaries and their location, the transfer of ownership of beehives between beekeepers, and the location and date where cases of AFB were discovered.
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The ADR provides key information about the apiaries in New Zealand and the occurrence of AFB. This information is required for us to effectively implement the AFB NPMP and make informed decisions about where resources should be applied to effectively combat the disease.
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Beekeepers who have not logged into HiveHub will be sent a paper copy of the ADR. If you require a paper copy and have not received one or have mislaid your copy, please contact an Apiary Coordinator at apiary@afb.org.nz or by calling 0800 AFB PMP (0800 232 767).
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View step-by-step demo videos and user guides here or request assistance via the HiveHub Help and Support tab. Alternatively, contact an Apiary Coordinator at apiary@afb.org.nz or by calling 0800 AFB PMP (0800 232 767).
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The Management Agency is committed to keeping your ADR information secure and confidential. Your privacy is important to us and data security is a priority. You can view our HiveHub Terms of Use here.
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All beekeepers are legally required to send an ADR on or before 1 June each year.
Failure to submit an ADR is an offence under section 154N(18) of the Biosecurity Act 1993. Every person who commits an offence against section 154N (18) is liable on conviction. In the case of an individual person, imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, a fine not exceeding $5,000. In the case of a corporation, a fine not exceeding $10,000.
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You can pay your levy via credit card in HiveHub or online banking or your bank.
Direct to our bank account
AFB PMP Management Board
ANZ Bank
06 0317 0615820 02 (or 002)You must use your beekeeper number as the reference.
Via HiveHub
Your invoice can be paid via credit card using the “pay now” button on the invoice page in HiveHub.
Any queries relating to your levies, please direct to levies@afb.org.nz or phone 0800 232 767 ext 301, DDI 04 909 0029.
Levy invoices generated as of 31 March are due for payment by 1 June each year.