Colony Register (Bestandsbuch)
Lexikon
The colony register is the record of which medicinal products a beekeeper has applied in his colonies.
The colony register is the record of which medicinal products a beekeeper has applied in his colonies. The legal basis is Article 108 of the European Regulation on Veterinary Medicinal Products (EU) 2019/6, which has applied directly since January 28, 2022, flanked at national level by Section 32 of the German Veterinary Medicinal Products Act. Because bees serve food production, the requirement applies to every bee keeper, even one with a single colony, and even when only over-the-counter products such as formic acid or oxalic acid are used.
To be recorded are the date of first administration, the name of the medicinal product, the quantity administered, the name and address of the supplier, proof of purchase, the identity of the animals treated, i.e. the number or designation of the colony, the name of the veterinarian where applicable, the duration of treatment, and the withdrawal period. The withdrawal period must be recorded even if it is zero days.
The records and the proof of purchase, that is, pharmacy receipt, prescription or veterinary application and dispensing record, must be kept for five years and produced to the responsible authority on request. Electronic record-keeping is permitted as long as the data remain readable and unalterable at all times. Many veterinary offices and state associations issue ready-made forms.
The most common misconception in practice is the assumption that over-the-counter products, or treatment in a hobby apiary, need not be documented. That is not correct. Oversight takes place under veterinary medicinal product supervision, which, depending on the federal state, lies with the veterinary office or with a state agency. Austria and Switzerland have their own regulations with comparable aims, though the details differ.
Quellen (4)
- Landesamt für Landwirtschaft, Lebensmittelsicherheit und Fischerei Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Bestandsbuchführung in der Bienenhaltung, Stand August 2025
- Landeshauptstadt Hannover: Bestands- und Behandlungsbuch für Bienenhalter, Vordruck
- LLH Bieneninstitut Kirchhain: Infoblatt Varroazide, Dokumentationspflicht seit der Tierarzneimittelverordnung (EU) 2019/6
- Tierarzneimittelgesetz, Paragraph 32, Buchführung