The small hive beetle, Aethina tumida, which is an exotic parasite in Europe, has been present in Calabria since September 2014 and recently (re)emerged in northeastern Sicily, necessitating updates to Italy’s national surveillance plan. The surveillance plan, led by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with IZSVe and regional authorities, aims to protect apiculture and prevent the beetle’s spread. Key components of the annually updated plan include the following:
i) Randomized surveillance: Structured clinical inspections of stationary apiaries in low-risk areas are carried out, stratified by region and considering the beekeeping heritage. This approach targets a 2% expected infestation prevalence (EP) with a 95% confidence level (CL), encompassing a significant sample of apiaries per macroarea (North, Central, and South Italy).
ii) Targeted surveillance: Focused inspections of high-risk apiaries, identified based on criteria such as inter-regional nomadism, biological material introduction, or processing facilities receiving extra-regional supers (5% EP, 95% CL), are conducted.
iii) Adapted surveillance and implementation of sentinel hives to monitor the evolution of the epidemiological situation in Calabria and Sicily and beetle circulation near known infestation zones and high-risk borders are carried out.
Standardized clinical protocols ensure consistent diagnostic accuracy, with regional and national data being centralized for epidemiological analysis. Sentinel hives, inspected biweekly, provide independent, reliable data. The outcomes of this surveillance inform containment measures, including protection zones, movement restrictions, and enhanced epidemiological investigations.
In case A. tumida is detected, protocols mandate sample collection and notification to authorities, with diagnostic confirmation by the National Reference Center for Beekeeping. These measures align with EU regulations, emphasizing control rather than apiary destruction.
This comprehensive surveillance plan integrates clinical inspections, risk-based targeting, and sentinel monitoring to safeguard Italian apiculture, highlighting inter-agency collaboration and strategic adaptability in response to evolving epidemiological challenges.