(1) In addition to the required registration of bees, beekeepers may certify bees according to the following procedure:

(a) All requests for official certification shall be made on forms provided by the committee.

(b) All certification fees shall be transmitted within ten days after the official sampling has been completed.

(c) Any person owning or possessing bees within Montana who desires to apply for certification shall do so on or before April 1, and arrange a date for sampling of said lot(s) of bees.

(d) Each person requesting certification shall pay a certification fee of $30 per sample. Each person shall also pay per diem and mileage charges as established in Title 2, chapter 18, part 5, MCA and a sampling fee of $44 per hour during the time the department employee is collecting the certification samples, including travel time.

(e) The certification fee shall provide laboratory services for the determination of pathogens, parasites, predators, nest destroyers, and live larvae count. Additional laboratory services may be provided upon request based on appropriate fee schedules.

(f) A beekeeper may deliver entire lots of leafcutting bees to an inspector to be officially sampled for certification purposes.

(g) Parasites and pathogens that bees are to specifically be examined for are:

(i) Parasites:

(A) Minute chalcid (Tetrastichus megachi),

(B) Sapyga wasp (Sapyga pumila),

(C) Canadian chalcid (Pteromalus venustus),

(D) Imported chalcid (Monodontomerus obscurus).

(ii) Pathogens:

(A) Alfalfa leafcutting bee chalkbrood (Ascosphaera sp.).

(h) Reported parasites and pathogens infestation levels apply to the levels found in the official laboratory sample only, and makes no representation as to the lot from which the sample was collected.