Scotland’s Honey Bee Health Strategy: implementation plan

Action (SMART)

Owner/lead

Priority

Progress/achievements

2.1: Communication and guidance of Varroa mapping exercise and guidance to beekeepers on best practice to protect these areas and to keep their status up to date.  

BHIP

Annually or bi-annually depending on level of updates.  

The BHIP are driving awareness raising of the map and its messaging. The BHIP Annual Report provides an update on the progress made.

For 2024, NorthLink Ferries agreed to display the Varroa mapping poster at their ports and on their ships.

A dedicated page on Varroa has been developed on the SG Bee Health website.

2.2: Hold Varroa Working Group (VWG) meetings to address Scottish-specific Varroa issues.

Matthew Richardson

Ongoing

In November 2024, the group met to take stock and review its action log and decide what to do next. Representative from the Scottish Native Honey Bee Society joined the group.

In 2023, the reconvened VWG met on three occasions to discuss the issues affecting beekeepers in Scotland with the goal of improving the education and knowledge of Varroa management and control in Scotland.

2.3: Working with VMD, clarify labelling instructions, common applications and include information in Scottish specific Varroa guidance.

Varroa WG

SG-Policy

Ongoing

Discussions with the VMD confirm labelling is a matter for manufacturers, and approval of Summary of Product Characteristics (SPCs) is reserved to the VMD.  Scottish-specific guidance on various Varroa treatments is included in the Scottish Varroa Learning Package.

2.4: Ensure stakeholders in an area where a disease or pest outbreak occurs are informed in a timely fashion about the outbreak and what to do.  

SG-Delivery

SG-Policy

SBA

Ongoing

This year’s first finding of AFB in Scotland was confirmed on 5 April 2024 in a single hive in the Stanley area of Perthshire. Ministers were informed and a news release was issued to raise awareness.

SG Officials carry out prompt and effective comms ensuring the beekeeping community are made aware of any outbreaks in a timely manner with clear information on what this means and next steps. Alerts are sent via BeeBase to registered beekeepers in the 3km radius, to BHIP members to disseminate to their respective members and to the local associations and MSPs and MPs in the area.

2.5: Run a campaign to promote and encourage beekeepers to keep their records up to date on BeeBase. 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 to be targeted

BHIP

Annual campaign

Cards and posters developed encouraging beekeepers to register and update their details on BeeBase (inc. heather and oilseed rape sites) distributed/displayed at the SBA Conference in September 2024. Also a piece included in the November 2024 issue of the SBA magazine as well as text on social media which also encourages people no longer actively beekeeping, to mark their account as “non-current.”

This will be picked up again in the Spring of 2025.

2.6: Promotion of related issues such as biodiversity/the interaction of managed honey bees with other pollinators/land use/climate change/plant health/pesticide use; wildlife issues to stakeholders.

(depending on the task)

Ongoing

The annual SBA Autumn convention took place in September 2024 with speakers presenting on a variety of topics, including climate change.

In July 2024, the film-maker Maxim Nekliudov released a film made in collaboration with the SNHBS exploring the issues of the remaining fragments of the population of dark native honey bees in Scotland and the work being done to attempt to conserve it. The film has been promoted widely in beekeeping circles and to the public, including at the RHS.

In 2024, the SRUC Bee Advisor was added to the list of Advisors for the biodiversity, sustainability and land management grant offered by SRUC. SRUC has advised on topics such as pesticides, the loss of local biodiversity and climate change etc through Farm Advisory Service at events and to beekeepers, smallholders and crofters.

Plans to hold a Pollinator Conference in Spring 2025 at the SRUC Barony Campus where BHIP members may be invited to be involved.

SG provide updates for NatureScot’s Annual Pollinator Strategy Progress Report for actions relating to honey bee health.

2.7:  Communicate scientific developments and updates to the sector.

BHIP

Ongoing

SRUC shared results from the Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus (CBPV) investigation by Peter Richard Rios.

2.8:  Utilise the SG Bee Health website and BeeBase effectively to ensure that Scottish interests are considered and easily identified.

BHIP

Ongoing

SG and the National Bee Unit have confirmed a Way of Working and Service Level Agreement to ensure that Scotland's honey bee health interests are represented.

2.9: Reach out to bee-related groups and individuals with an interest in honey bees inviting them to send a representative to join the group to ensure a fair representation of beekeeping in Scotland.

BHIP

Ongoing - membership of the group will continue to be reviewed.

The Scottish Native Honey Bee Society (SNHBS) joined the group as contributors in November 2024 . The Natural Beekeeping Trust unfortunately declined to join the group for logistical reasons. The representative from the National Diploma in Beekeeping (NDB) stepped down in November 2024. There is not currently a replacement to sit on the BHIP.

In July 2024, David Evans, The Apiarist agreed to join the BHIP in an advisory capacity.

2.10: To raise awareness and encourage extra vigilance for Yellow-legged hornets in Autumn and the BHIP to use their various communication channels to assist sharing the messaging.

BHIP

Annual campaign (Autumn)

A newsletter style digital document was created and following an effective communication effort had a successful reach amongst beekeepers, gardeners and the public.

SRUC delivered two talks on Yellow-legged hornet to associations and one to a gardening group.

2.11 To produce an annual report to outline and reflect on the achievements and progress made by the BHIP over the past year which will be presented to the Minister and published on the SG bee health web pages.

BHIP

Annually

Work has begun on the 2024 report.