Honey bee health strategy survey 2022: analysis

Next Steps

With the identification of the above conclusions, the Scottish Government Bee Health Team along with the Bee Health Improvement Partnership will be using this information to develop a new 10-year Honey Bee Health Strategy for Scotland which will include a focus on the following key areas:

• The way that participants have described their beekeeping and communication preferences will be key information when designing the pillars in the new honey bee health strategy.
• The information provided whether positive or negative will be taken into account and will help us on the decision making required to continue to build an expert and efficient bee health inspectorate that can adequately support the needs of the Scottish Beekeeping community. This will include better communication of clarifying our policy position and the work that we plan to carry out in each of the pillars in the next 10 years. Particularly on positions regarding important issues such as imports, Varroa free areas and issues which have been raised regarding our international obligations after Brexit. It should be noted that some of the areas mentioned are not within scope of the bee health team in Scotland (for example, the use of pesticides), however, our new strategy will emphasise the need to work in partnership with those parts of government who are responsible for these areas.
• We will continue to develop tools to support our disease control strategies, including BeeBase to encourage up-to-date and accurate data.
• We will continue to look at opportunities through the next 10 years to improve our understanding of the interaction of honey bees with the environment and other pollinators through science and research.
• We will also continue to work in partnership with NatureScot and their pollinator strategy, SASA on research and science as well as other UK administrations to reach the best outcome for beekeepers, honey bees and the environment.