Chapter 50
REGULATIONS PERTAINING TO LEAF-CUTTER BEES
Section 1. Authority. Pursuant to the authority vested in the Department of Agriculture by WYO. STAT. § 11-7-402, the following regulations pertaining to the leaf-cutter bees are hereby promulgated and adopted.
Section 2. Definitions.
(a) “Area” means the farm or property owned by or leased to the owner of the alfalfa leaf-cutter bees or a seed grower who contracts for bees to pollinate alfalfa.
(b) “Department” means the Wyoming Department of Agriculture.
Section 3. Standards for Certification. (% to be determined by lab analysis.)
(a) Unconditional Alfalfa Leaf-cutter Bee Certification - Bees that have been officially examined and analyzed and found to contain no more than 10% composite infestation by the parasites listed in Section 3 ( c )( i)(A) below; and which contain no infestation by the pathogens listed in Section 3 ( c ) (i)(B), below.
(b) Restricted Alfalfa Leaf-cutter Bee Certification - Bees that are officially reported as containing composite parasite infestation levels of 10% through 25%, or composite pathogen infestation levels of not more than 10%, shall be designated as being restricted certification.
(c) Quarantined Alfalfa Leaf-cutter Bee Certification - Bees that are officially reported as containing composite parasite infestation levels of more than 25%, or composite pathogen infestation levels of more than 10% shall be designated as being under Quarantined Certification. Alfalfa Leaf-cutter Bees and all associated nesting material and other equipment shall be quarantined and restricted to the landowner’s or bee owner’s area. Quarantined bees and equipment may be used only at the locations they were used when put under Quarantined Certification. Treatment, sterilization, or other methods of recognized control shall be performed by the bee owner before said bees and equipment can be used for pollinating. Quarantined Certification for two successive years shall result in an order for destruction of larvae or removal from the State.
(i) Parasites and Pathogens that the bees are to be specifically examined for are:
(A) Parasites
(I) Minute Chalcid (Tetrastichus megachi)
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(II) Sapyga wasp (Sapyga pumila)
(III) Canadian Chalcid (Pteromalus venustus)
(IV) Imported Chalcid (Monodontomerus obscurus)
(V) Checkered Flower Beetle (Trichodes ornatus)
(VI) Giant Flower Beetle (Tribolium brevicornis)
(VII) Sunflower Beetle/Longtongues blister beetle (Nemognatha lutea)
(VIII) Driedfruit Moth (Vitula edmandsae)
(IX) Indian Meal Moth (Plodia interpuntella)
(X) Cadelle Beetle (Tenebriodes maurintanicus)
(XI) Blister Beetle (Epicauta normalis)
(B) Pathogens
(I) Alfalfa Leaf-cutter Bee Chalkbrood (Ascosphaera sp.)
Section 4. Importation and Movement of Leaf-cutter Bees within the State of Wyoming.
(a) Bees imported into Wyoming which meet the standards for Unconditional Alfalfa Leaf-cutter Bee Certification set forth in Section 3 (a) may be moved into any area within the State of Wyoming.
(b) Bees meeting the standards for Restricted Alfalfa Leaf-cutter Bee Certification set forth in Section 3(b) may be moved into any area in which bees designated as being under Restricted Alfalfa Leaf-cutter Bee Certification are located within the State of Wyoming.
(c) Bees meeting the standards for Quarantined Alfalfa Leaf-cutter Bee Certification shall not be moved from the landowner's or bee owner's area within the state as described in Section 3 c. No special permit to move bees or equipment under quarantined Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee Certification will be issued under Wyo. Stat. § 11-7-405(b).
Section 5. Alfalfa Leaf-cutter Bee Sampling Procedure. The following procedures shall be used to sample bees under the bee certification program.
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(a) All bees must be in loose cell state before samples can be taken.
(b) A two ounce sample shall be taken from each 20 pounds of bees owned or possessed by a beekeeper. An official sample size shall not consist of less than eight ounces (8 oz.). If the beekeeper owns or possesses more than 400 pounds, then the larvae will be divided into 400 pound lots and official samples shall be obtained from each lot. All official samples shall become the property of the department.
(c) Once the official samples have been obtained, the remaining composite sample shall be left in the possession of the owner of the bees or his designee. The owner has 10 days from date of receipt of certification to contact the department and discuss the original laboratory test results.
(d) All samples shall be collected using a random sampling procedure, i.e. a uniform sample from the top, middle, and bottom within the bee storage containers.
(e) All official samples will be obtained by department personnel in the presence of the owner of the bees or his designee.
(f) All official sample lot numbers must correspond with lot numbers assigned to the beekeepers storage containers.
(g) Sanitization - Wyoming Department of Agriculture personnel shall sanitize or dispose of equipment used in connection with sampling.
Section 6. Fees. All requests for certification shall be made to the department. The required certification fee shall be paid upon sampling.
(a) Importation Certification- All imported bees must be sampled by the department at the buyer's or owner's location within 10 days after importation and only a $50.00 per sample lab fee will be assessed.
(b) Annual Certification - Any person owning or possessing leaf-cutter bees within Wyoming shall make a request to the Department for certification by February 1 of each year and pay assessment fees at the time of sampling. A lab fee of $50.00 for each sample shall be assessed on bees sampled before March 1. Any samples received after March 1 will be assessed a $100.00 lab fee per sample.
(c) A certification fee shall be assessed for all Leaf-cutter Bees examined by the State of Wyoming. The fee, to cover costs of administration and enforcement of the Wyoming Alfalfa Leaf-cutter Bee Act and other related program needs shall not exceed $.26 per pound.
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Section 7. Sale and Termination. All sales of bees shall be reported to the department as follows:
(a) All sales made shall be reported to the department by the bee owner giving name, address and location of the new owner.
(b) The department shall be notified of termination of bee operations.
Section 8. Wild Trapping Permit Procedure. A person intending to engage in wild trapping shall obtain a permit from the department prior to commencing trapping activities. The person applying for a permit shall obtain the signature of the property owner on which the bees are to be wild trapped. Any person keeping bees or nesting materials on property other than their own shall clearly mark the trapping material with his or her correct name, address, phone, location of wild trapping activities (1/4 section,
section, township, range), number of bee boxes, and permission of property owners. Wild trapping will only be allowed with new laminated nesting material which must be removed from the state by October 1 of the year in which trapping began or submitted for certification as required under the regulations. A fee of $10.00 shall be submitted with each application for a wild trapping permit, with the check being made payable to the Wyoming Department of Agriculture. Each trapper is required to have a separate permit for each county in which he traps. New permits are required each season.
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