OIE Collaborating Centre – Activities

The Collaborating Centre supports the OIE in assisting its Member Countries on various activities related to the application of good beekeeping management practices and biosecurity measures in the apiculture sector. It supports an increase of quality of hive productions, orienting toward a proper and prudent use of the medicines in beekeeping, in line with the OIE Sixth Strategic Plan.

The activities of the Collaborating Centre are mainly related to “Focus Area 3” (main focus area) – Animal Health Management:

Honey bee diseases control, risk assessment and preparedness.

Good Beekeeping Practices.

Biosecurity measures in beekeeping/value-chain biosecurity.

Innovation in prevention and control of honey bee diseases (e.g. bacteriophages, bacteriocins, integrated pest management – IPM, organic compounds, etc.).

Sustainable approach to control bee diseases.

Proper use of antimicrobials in bees.

Antimicrobial resistance.

Moreover, the activities of the Collaborating Centre are related to the following areas:

Laboratory expertise (F.A. 1)

• Diagnosis of bee diseases at the laboratory level, according to OIE Manual of Standards
• Innovation for the diagnostic activities (e.g. new matrixes, new procedures)
• Validation of new procedures for diagnostic tests at field and laboratory level
• Chemical analysis
• Antimicrobial resistance analysis
• Biomolecular diagnostic

Training and education (F.A. 2)

• Veterinary training (scientific and technical) and capacity building
• Veterinary education
• Capacities of Veterinary Services
• Veterinary paraprofessionals training
• Beekeepers training
• Training of other operators

Animal production (F.A. 4)

• Bee welfare
• Bee production food safety
• Safety of animal feed
• Implementation of traceability systems concerning the productions
• Evaluation on the outputs (bee products, quali-quantitative aspects)
• Food safety for consumers
• Extension service
• Impact of animal feed and medicinal drugs administered to the bees

Veterinary products (F.A. 5)

• Vaccines, diagnostics (kits), and drugs
• Antimicrobial resistance
• New technologies
• Guarantee traceability of the veterinary medicine (e.g. Veterinary prescriptions, treatments, diseases, beekeeping techniques integrated to the veterinary products for integrated control, etc.)
• Recommendations and guidelines on prudent use of veterinary drugs in bees
• Verify proper application of the cascade principle
• Verify efficacy of antimicrobials (e.g. for acaricides in bees, according to EMA guidelines)
• Verify toxicity of antimicrobials on bees
• Verify antimicrobial resistance
• Coordination of experimental activities and field trials in different Countries to assess efficacy ant toxicity for bees of veterinary medicines
• Define residues in bee products
• New technologies to find alternative to conventional medicines

Wildlife health and biodiversity (F.A. 6)

• Wildlife health protection through biodiversity promotion and recommendations on proper handling of drugs in relation to the environment
• Climate change and biodiversity
• Drivers for emerging risks related to bee diseases and beekeeping practices
• Guarantee bee health and biodiversity with a proper management of bees
• Identification of honey bee subspecies.