Emergency Response Kit

We offer an emergency test kit (ERK) that will help you rule out reasons for weak or crashing colonies. These expedited samples take top priority in our lab and we will get results to you as quickly as possible (usually within a week of receipt of samples).

Please Note: The Emergency Response Kits (ERKs) are for emergency use only. If you wish to use the ERK sampling kits for a different type of sample or different project we offer the Diagnostic Test Kit as an alternative to provide diagnostic evaluation of your colonies. 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.

This ERK is designed to rule out causes of large scale, suspicious colony loss through small scale sampling. It does not provide a definitive answer as the cause of colony losses, but rather rules out certain causes. Up to 16 hives can be sampled, 8 (or fewer) crashing colonies and 8 (or fewer) healthy colonies are placed in separate live bee boxes. Sampling protocols and shipping information (see sample protocols below for instructions) are the same for these kits as the DTK kits.

Additionally, if desired, the beekeeper can gather pollen/wax/bees from affected colonies and include this sample for pesticide analysis.

Cost: $675 (w/out pesticide testing) or or $1,455 (w/2 pesticide samples).

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 salt water 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:

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

Not an emergency?

If this is not an emergency, please use our Diagnostic Test Kit.

Change to Diagnostic Test Kit »

Bee larva on hive tool highly infested with varroa mites

 

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

Not an emergency?

If this is not an emergency, please use our Diagnostic Test Kit.

Change to Diagnostic Test Kit »

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