New rules add multi-year disease-free requirements, expanded inspections, and resistance-based bans for incoming colonies. The cut and resized photo of a generic honeybee colony is by Brad Weaver on Unsplash.
Prince Edward Island has released its updated 2026 protocol regarding the importation of honey bees, establishing some of the most stringent movement rules in the country. The protocol outlines new inspection, disease control, and transport requirements for any beekeeper or broker moving honey bee colonies, nucleus colonies, or used equipment into the province.
The intent is “to reduce the risk of introducing named diseases as per the Animal Health Act Bee Health Regulations” and ensure all incoming colonies meet strict health standards.
Three year SHB free Requirement Set PEI Apart
A major change is the requirement that exporting operations must be free of small hive beetle (SHB) for 2024, 2025, and 2026. If SHB is detected in any apiary within an operation during that period: “No colonies from that operation will be permitted entry into PEI.”
No other Canadian province currently requires a multi year SHB free history.
Expanded Inspection and Disease Control Rules
Before importation, colonies must undergo detailed inspections:
- 10 percent of colonies per apiary (minimum 10) must receive a full brood inspection for SHB.
- Colonies showing symptoms of American foulbrood (AFB) are barred from entry.
- If an apiary has two percent or more AFB positive colonies within six months of import, the entire apiary is disqualified.
- Any apiary with oxytetracycline resistant AFB in 2025 or 2026 is prohibited.
PEI also requires SHB traps or microfibre cloths in 100 percent of colonies for at least 14 days before inspection—another requirement not commonly found elsewhere in Canada.
Amitraz Resistant Varroa Mites Trigger a Full Ban
PEI is the only province to explicitly prohibit imports from operations where amitraz resistant Varroa destructor mites have been detected:
“If an operation was found to have colonies containing an amitraz resistant strain of Varroa mites… No colonies from this operation will be permitted entry.”
Other provinces require Varroa monitoring but do not impose resistance based bans. Amitraz is the active ingredient in Apivar and is the last widely effective synthetic miticide in Atlantic Canada. Because resistance is emerging in parts of Canada and globally, PEI has taken a hard‑line approach to preventing resistant mites from entering the island.
Transport and Post Arrival Rules
All incoming colonies must:
- Travel with a Bee Health Certificate (import permit)
- Be covered with ≤ 2×2 mm netting
- Stop at the Borden Carleton weigh scales for permit verification
Once in PEI, colonies are inspected again. Any colony suspected of containing SHB must be removed within 48 hours; if confirmed, the pallet will be quarantined and destroyed. Imported bees must leave the province immediately after pollination and no later than July 15, 2026.
How Other Provinces Compare
Every Canadian province regulates honey bee imports, and all require disease free certification for SHB, AFB, and Varroa. However:
- None requires a three year SHB free history.
- None mandates SHB traps in 100 percent of colonies before inspection.
- None bans imports based on amitraz resistant Varroa.
The only jurisdiction with more strict movement rules is Newfoundland & Labrador, which prohibits the importation of any honey bee colonies or used equipment.
Why Honey Bees Matter to Canadian Agriculture
Honey bees are essential to Canada’s food production system. Roughly one third of all food crops depend on pollination, and honey bees provide the majority of managed pollination services nationwide. In Canada:
- Pollination contributes over $5 billion annually to agricultural output.
- Blueberries, apples, canola, cranberries, and many vegetable crops rely heavily on honey bee pollination.
- PEI’s blueberry sector, in particular, depends on thousands of imported colonies each spring.
Healthy, disease free bees are therefore critical not only for beekeepers, but for crop yields, farm profitability, and food security across the country.