Resource List for Diagnostic Testing of Honey Bees 2024
(information provided by, Bri Price, WSU Honey Bee Program Extension Coordinator)
If you want an answer on the cause of the death of your bees, the following is a list of organizations in the United States
that may be able to assist you. For a compete list of diagnostic labs and what they will test go to this website:
https://apiaryinspectors.org/page-18060.
If you believe the apiary was damaged through the use of pesticides and if you have registered your hive(s) with the
State Department of Agriculture, you can also contact Katie Buckley (Pollinator Health Coordinator) with the WA Dept of
Agriculture, and report the situation as a potential bee kill: kbuckley@agr.wa.gov. They usually only formally investigate
if it is a large number of hives that were killed.
WSU Bee Program used to have a diagnostic lab but does not currently have one. For now, they recommend that people
send their bees to the Beltsville Bee Lab; it’s a free source in Maryland. This facility tests for bacterial, fungal
and microsporidian diseases, two species of parasitic mites, and other honey bee pests. They also test for American Foul
brood when requested. But this lab does not test for viruses or pesticides.
The following all charge for their testing services:
VIRUS TESTING (not pesticides)
- North Carolina State (https://www.ncsuapiculture.net/queen-and-disease-clinic)
-Fees range from $24-320 - National Agricultural Genotyping Center (https://www.genotypingcenter.com/honey-bee-pathogen-panel/)
-Fees range from $60-300
PESTICIDE TESTING (not viruses)
- Cornell Chemical Ecology Core Facility (https://blogs.cornell.edu/ccecf/the-facility/)
-$90 - USDA-AMS National Science Laboratory (https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/lab-testing/nsl)
-$450 - Synergistic Pesticide Laboratory (https://synpestlab.com/services/)
-This is a lab that WSU’s bee program has used, direct contact: Camille Holladay cholladay@synpestlab.com
-Fees range from $160-365
Copyright © 2026 Stanwood Camano Beekeepers Association