Bee Health Improvement Partnership minutes: August 2024

Attendees and apologies

Attendees:

Scottish Government (SG), Animal Health and Welfare (AHW) Head of Animal Welfare and Bee Health and Chairperson

SGRPID, Bee Health Delivery Lead

SSGAHW, Bee Health Policy Lead

SGAHW, Bee Health Policy Officer

SGSASA, Senior Entomologist

SGSASA, Laboratory Manager

Scottish Beekeepers’ Association, President and Bee Health Convener

Bee Farmers’ Association, Membership Services

Bee Farmers’ Association, Scottish Representative

SRUC, Bee Health Advisor

Observers:

Defra Policy Team representatives

Apologies:

National Diploma in Beekeeping (NDB)

SGAHW, Veterinary Advisor (Bee Health)  

Welsh Government (WG) representative

The Apiarist

National Bee Unit (NBU) representative

Items and actions

Welcome, introductions and apologies

The chair welcomed everyone to the meeting noting attendees/apologies as above.

The Bee Health Policy Lead, who joined the Bee Health Policy Team in March 2024, introduced themself to the group. The Bee Health Policy Lead will be taking over as chair for future meetings. Following suggestions for new members, The Apiarist agreed to join the BHIP. Whilst they offered their apologies for this meeting, The Apiarist will attend future meetings in an advisory capacity.  

The SBA President confirmed the SBA are looking for a new Vice-President. The SBA President will be the lone representative for the SBA until a suitable replacement is found.

 

BHIP membership

The group discussed new members and agreed to reach out to bee-related groups to ask if they would be interested in joining.

 

Action: SG Policy Team to approach the Natural Beekeeping Trust and the Scottish Native Honey Bee Society (SNHBS) to ask if they would be interested in sending a representative to attend future meetings.

 

Previous minutes, review of actions and questions over reports sent by group members

 

The minutes of the previous quarterly meeting held on 12 December 2023 were agreed and accepted as an accurate record after the last meeting and subsequently published on the SG bee health web pages.

Actions are recorded in the Implementation Plan and are updated with the information provided in members reports.

There were no questions raised over those quarterly reports which were submitted.

 

Update on Activity

 

Updates relevant to the group from invited administrations

Defra Policy informed the group that, in terms of inspections, they are experiencing high levels of foulbrood down south. They have an acting Chief Bee Inspector but are looking to fill the post permanently as well as filling inspector vacancies. The Head of the NBU post has been filled on a permanent basis.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) had an eye-catching Asian hornet stand at the Chelsea Flower Show which proved popular with members of the public and resulted in an increased number of reports. Defra Policy noted it has been a quieter year so far in terms of Asian hornets. Defra Policy also clarified that the NBU/Defra have agreed that for the Asian hornet to be considered established in the UK, the population would have to produce year after year over several generations. Consequently, it is too soon to consider they are established here.

 

Policy update

In terms of European foulbrood (EFB), analysis work to inform the long-term direction of the Control Plan is underway and as part of this, the SG have commissioned SRUC to undertake an analysis of the economic impact of EFB to help identify whether the control measures currently in place are sustainable. Initial discussions with SRUC to agree the remit and scope of the work have taken place and proposals of what is possible are expected shortly. This review will complement the EFB survey which will be covered in the SASA update below. 

 

Delivery update

It was highlighted that it has been a difficult year for beekeepers and inspectors due to a poor spring build up and a wet start to the summer, resulting in brood not being at the right stage to inspect.

The Bee Health Delivery Lead provided an update on the outbreak which took place in East/Mid Lothian last year where both American foulbrood (AFB) and EFB were found. Inspectors have been working closely with the beekeeper and carrying out inspections. As a result, the business has been cleared up considerably. Following extensive surveillance in the area, the inspectors have found no evidence of spillover.

An update on outbreaks of EFB in Fife and AFB in Brechin were provided. Communications to local associations and through the SBA providing details of the Fife outbreak resulted in new registrations on BeeBase and two call-outs to beekeepers in the area, which turned out to be negative. Surveillance and work to establish the origin of the outbreak is underway. It was noted that disease levels are on par with 2023, although levels were high last year.

In terms of staffing levels, the team consists of ten inspectors with three of those recruited this year.

 

SASA update

As well as providing diagnostic services for all suspected cases of EFB and AFB, the team are doing molecular testing and strain typing one sample for every apiary to direct and help maximise the inspector resource.

Work on subclinical analysis of adult bees for the pathogen which causes EFB is progressing. Results are being used to target inspections. The team are working on tailored responses to beekeepers; providing advice on what to do if the pathogen is found, with risk dependent on the levels detected. It was also confirmed the testing is more sensitive than lateral flow tests.

 

Action: (medium-long term) SASA to publish a methods-based report with statistical analysis and results on the subclinical work.   

 

An update was provided on the EFB Scotland-wide survey organised in conjunction with SG policy, RPID business support and inspectorate staff. Beekeepers, selected at random across the country, have been contacted to request they provide two samples of bees, one from their strongest colony and one from the weakest. Sample packs were sent out to beekeepers in July and samples have begun to be returned. SASA have started processing samples, and results will be available over winter 2024/25. This should provide a clearer picture of what the disease situation is in Scotland.

PhD student has commenced fieldwork on his project investigating the possible impact of managed bees on wild populations under Scottish conditions. The PhD student has been contacting beekeepers to ask if he can sample their apiaries and beekeepers are encouraged to support PhD student wherever possible. The BFA suggested the PhD student considers using their magazine to raise awareness of their project and appeal for spring sites to sample.

 

BFA update

A poor spring had a detrimental effect on Bee Farmers in both Scotland and England. In terms of bee health, the main concern for members is outbreaks of EFB and AFB.

The BFA Scottish representative reiterated that it has been a difficult year due to the late start resulting in a considerable feed bill and more EFB.

 

SBA update

Members have been experiencing issues with starvation of their bees this year.

SBA members have raised concerns regarding poor swarm management, especially in urban areas, areas where commercial beekeeping occurs and in areas where there have been disease outbreaks. Members are reluctant to collect swarms due to the risk and suggest that there should be a mechanism where Bee Inspectors take responsibility and destroy the swarm or Bee Farmers in the Control Plan take responsibility for swarm control in their area. The group agreed this is a method of transmission for picking up disease and is an issue which requires a wider discussion on who is responsible for managing this and whether guidance should be provided. It was agreed that swarm control should be a substantive discussion topic at the next meeting.

It was queried whether local authorities should be involved in conversations. It was noted by one member that honey bees are not considered pests, so it would end up with the SBA. It was also highlighted that there are pest control companies who deal with swarms, however, this is costly.

 

Action: SBA President to summarise in writing the issues raised by SBA members regarding swarm management control prior to next meeting in November.

 

Implementation Plan 

The chair provided a summary of several key actions from the Plan which have been delivered recently.

 

The chair also reminded group members that it is a requirement to provide updates via the quarterly reports on the progress of activities contributing to the aims of the Honey Bee Health Strategy. Following a discussion on the best way to gather information from members, it was agreed to keep the quarterly report template so members can provide a written update. This makes reporting at the end of the year easier and allows members who cannot attend the meeting to provide an update. It was also agreed to introduce an agenda item which allows members to provide a verbal update where they can provide more detail if needed.   

 

The BFA Scottish representative and SBA President provided an update on their action to produce a report on the economic impact of EFB in a business and on the individual. The BFA Scottish representative confirmed that he aims to work on this over the winter months.

 

As a priority for the next quarter, the group agreed to run a campaign to promote registration and maintenance of records on BeeBase, requiring involvement from all members to drive the message.

It was noted that when a beekeeper passes away, it is difficult to update this. It was suggested that when the annual hive count reminder is issued, rather than having to log in, it should have a button to click to confirm you are no longer a beekeeper.

The Bee Health Delivery Lead mentioned that during the off-season the bee inspectors undertook a data cleansing exercise of registered beekeepers in Scotland and found over 50% of beekeepers they contacted were no longer actively beekeeping. This will be an annual exercise, however it was noted this is labour intensive.

Following discussion, it was agreed the emphasis should be on:

• encouraging beekeepers to ensure their data on BeeBase is accurate and up to date, especially when moving their bees to the heather
• a focus on encouraging de-registration and local associations could be targeted

 

Action: secretariat to add campaign to promote maintenance of records on BeeBase to the Implementation Plan.

 

The Plan was recently revamped to group the actions under the pillars of the Honey Bee Health Strategy. The group agreed to the proposal of using this version of the Plan going forward and for the quarterly report template to be amended to reflect the changes.

 

Asian hornet update

The Bee Health Policy Lead provided an update from policy which included plans to run a mock exercise in the Autumn, named Exercise Melliseus, to test the recently published Contingency Plan. There is work underway to raise awareness and encourage extra vigilance for Asian hornets in the upcoming months. It was also noted the Honey Bee Heath Team had a stand in the Honey Tent at the Royal Highland Show in June where they were able to raise awareness by talking to and handing out leaflets to the general public.  

From the operational side, the Bee Health Delivery Lead informed the group that two bee inspectors per week will be going to Kent to assist the NBU with their Asian hornet response. This will help the inspectors gain vital training and experience in the event an incursion occurs in Scotland. There are also plans to run an in-field contingency exercise later in the year.

SASA mentioned they also plan to upskill by travelling to FERA to learn about nest analysis in the lab.

 

Education update

The SRUC Bee Health Advisor gave an update on the recent Bee Health Day which took place on 6 July in Aberdeen. The feedback from attendees was positive and the suggestions provided will be used when planning next year’s event. The plan is to use a different SRUC campus each year and to work closely with the local association in that area. An article covering this years’ event is due to appear in the September issue of the SBA magazine.

The first association-led Bee Health Day is due to be held on 17 August at Dunblane and Stirling Beekeepers Association. The SRUC Bee Health Advisor clarified that this is similar to the main Bee Health Day but without the live disease. Support and advice with planning and presentations will be provided by The SRUC Bee Health Advisor. Three other associations have expressed interest in holding an event and The SRUC Bee Health Advisor is developing a package of material to support this.

 

The SRUC Bee Health Advisor provided an update on the development of the government learning package which will be a standardised curriculum of education in the form of several PowerPoints. It will be aimed at beginner beekeepers and aims to provide consistent and important messaging which support the aims of the Honey Bee Health Strategy. It was suggested that it would be beneficial to locate groups who deliver beekeeper training and ask if they would pilot the packages and provide feedback. The group were invited to contact The SRUC Bee Health Advisor should they have any further suggestions or comments on this topic.

 

An update on the Varroa Learning Package was provided. The SRUC Bee Health Advisor thanked the Short Life Working Group and BHIP members for their input. It is hoped the package will be available on the new SRUC website and there are also plans to turn it into a booklet. The group agreed to allow one week for any final comments on the package and the dissemination and engagement plan, after which time both will be considered signed-off.

 

Discussion regarding next BHIP meeting

The next meeting is due to take place in November, with the final date still to be determined. Given this meeting will take place out with the beekeeping season the group agreed to make this in-person with the option to dial in still available. There was no strong preference on location. The secretariat will take this forward.

 

Any Other Business

The Honey Bee Health Team have been looking at how to improve how they coordinate  requests for talks and asked the SBA if there is anything they can do to assist by sharing resources and co-ordination to avoid duplication. The SBA President confirmed the SBA have dedicated speakers who travel to different associations and venues. They also bring in experts on occasions and list upcoming events on the SBA website. The SBA President confirmed the Team can add upcoming talks/events to the website.

It was mentioned that there was an informative talk at the NBU Conference in April on Tropilaelaps and that if a venue could be arranged, the Team and the SBA could work together to arrange for the speaker to come and present this to the beekeeping community.