Diagnostic Test Kit

Our central processing lab offers a diagnostic test kit (DTK) that allows you to sample your colonies while you are trying a new management practice, a new feed or treatment, or any scenario where you want to compare to groups of colonies. Once these kits are returned to us, we perform Varroa, Nosema, and molecular diagnostics with an optional pesticide analysis, depending on your need, returning results to you usually within 2-3 weeks.

Report results will be returned to you via email or phone, at your request.

Please Note:  Kits can be sent in for analysis up to one (1) year from purchase date. Kits purchased more than one (1) year ago cannot be processed.

Emergency Response Kit

Each kit includes:

  • 2 Live bee shipping boxes
  • 3 Pre-addressed mailing labels for live bee shipping boxes, pollen (if sampling) & concentrated saltwater solution samples
  • 2 Data sheets
  • 16 small (125 mL) bottles with concentrated salt water solution
  • Queen candy in petri dish on bottom of the live bee shipping box (food supply)
  • 2 Capped 15 mL tube filled with water and a sponge in live bee box (water supply)
  • Zip lock bags (place sample bottles and data sheets in bags prior to shipping)
  • 1 Funnel
  • ¼ Cup measuring cup
  • (with pesticide testing) 2 small (125mL) bottles for wax samples

Documents:

Up to 16 hives can be sampled: Live bees are collected as a combined sample, each of possible 16 colonies are sampled at the individual level in a small saltwater solution bottle for processing Nosema, and Varroa loads. So you will have two sets of samples: Live bees and bees in saltwater.

Cost: $475 (w/out pesticide testing) or $1,255 (w/2 pesticide samples).

Please Note:  Kits can be sent in for analysis up to one (1) year from purchase date. Kits purchased more than one (1) year ago cannot be processed.

Molecular testing:

Live bees will be tested for molecular target loads from the following diseases:

  • Acute Bee Paralysis Virus (ABPV)
  • Black Queen Cell Virus (BQCV)
  • Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus (CBPV)
  • Deformed Wing Virus (DWV)
  • Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV)
  • Kashmir Bee Virus (KBV)
  • Lake Sinai Virus-2 (LSV-2)
  • Varroa Destructor Virus (VDV)
  • Sacbrood Virus (SBV)
  • Nosema ceranae

Need faster results?

If this is an emergency and you need information more quickly, please use an Emergency Response Kit.

change to
Emergency Response Kit »

 

Diagnostic testing with text kit

Pesticide Testing [Optional add on]

If you would like to have pesticide analysis conducted in addition to one of the kits, $780 is required. This would include one sample from the healthy and one from the weak/crashing colonies. Should you choose this option, wax from your sampled colonies will be sent to the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and analyzed for approximately 170 known pesticides. Results will be returned to you in approximately 2 months.

Documents:

Order Form

Need faster results?

If this is an emergency and you need information more quickly, please use an Emergency Response Kit.

Change to
Emergency Response Kit »

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