Malta has banned bee imports from Southern Italy to prevent pest threat, the Plant Health Directorate (PHD) under the archipelago's Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change said on Wednesday.

PHD notified that the Italian National Reference Centre for Beekeeping had recently confirmed several detections of the presence of the Small Hive Beetle Aethina tumida - a honeybee pest - in various of cities in Southern Italy. It said that this beetle poses a serious threat to bees in Malta, therefore it has been decided to prohibit the importation in Malta of live bees from these affected areas, including bees used for the purpose of pollination.

Originally from Africa, Aethina tumida is dark brown to black in colour, about 0.5 centimeter in length, and can be observed almost anywhere in a hive. The adult beetle lays eggs in crevices and cracks in the hive that hatch into larvae that reach 1.6 cm in length. The latter feed on pollen and honey and cause extensive damage to the comb and brood. Pupation occurs in soil near the hive, after which the adults emerge and fly for long distances in search of another hive.

Aethina tumida is a statutory notifiable pest of honey bee colonies across Europe, including Malta. The directorate urged beekeepers and their associations ought to immediately report any sighting of this pest to the Veterinary and Phytosanitary Regulation Department. It also suggested beekeepers to avoid importing bee equipment from the affected region, as there is difficulty in detecting Small Hive Beetle in these items.

Beekeepers are also encouraged to propagate replacements from local stock to further reduce the risk of its accidental introduction into Malta via trade in queens and bees from EU countries.

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