Foul Brood in Scotland

[Keeper]

Nearby European Foul Brood outbreaks had become an annual event for one of my West Lothian apiaries. It had reached the point that I just come to expect a disease outbreak notification at some point during the season, and managing an apiary that was consistently in the 3KM outbreak zone was having much less appeal than it previously did. Then recently there were a few years happily clear of the disease in my area, I could concentrate on normal affairs, however it came back again this year, along with American Foul Brood. It's disappointing that we seemed to have brought the recurring EFB under control only to find that three years later it's not only back, but it's brought it's cousin.

When the BeeBase 'disease alert' arrives in the inbox telling me there is disease outbreak within 3KM of my apiary it makes me quite nervous. The possibility of it transferring to my colonies is always a possibility, there are many ways this can happen, and if one colony gets it, it's more than likely they will all get it, then the chance of diseased colonies being destroyed becomes a reality. That would be bad enough for my small scale operation and would be a painful loss of much hard work and effort, but for commercial beekeepers, with so much more investment to lose, it must be their nightmare.

So why is this happening? With so much information and guidance disseminated through Beebase, the Bee Farmers Association, the Scottish Beekeeping Association and the many local associations, you would rightly expect all beekeepers to be knowledgeable and vigilant enough to help bring Foul Brood and other pests and diseases under control. But there's the rub. Not everyone that keeps, or has, honeybees is a member of any of these organisations, and there are many who have bees who have little or no beekeeping skills and simply don't understand the responsibilities involved. Many don't, and won't, engage with any of the aforementioned for a variety of reasons, and are outwith the loop when it comes to honeybee health issues and how to deal with them. Some believe the bees can sort themselves out, and don't need human intervention, oh that that was the case!

Beekeepers are an eclectic lot, some are fully engaged and already work with the wider community, some are equally engaged but only within their own confines, and some are not engaged at all and are completely below the radar, some are well skilled and trained, and some not at all. No beekeeper would want to be a source of foul brood infection but it's a distinct possibility that Foul Brood could and is lurking undetected in some unsuspecting individuals failing colonies that keep topping up with healthy bees thereby prolonging the spread. It's surprising just how many unattended or abandoned hives are dotted around the countryside, neglected by keepers no longer able, or no longer around to tend them. On top of this is a new trend of keeping bees to 'save the bees', 'help the pollinators', or to 'meet environmental commitments', resulting in unattended colonies scattered all over the place, gardens, rooftops, industrial yards included. All are at risk from Foul Brood diseases.

Effective control, or better still, eradication requires identification and treatment of any source(s) including all honeybee colonies, even if it's just to eliminate them from the list. The Scottish Government Bee Health team have a responsibility for inspecting and dealing with infected colonies. They are undertaking a program of colony inspections across the country to check the health of honeybee stocks, much like the inspections that keep our cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry livestock in good health. That has its own issues, and when many beekeepers, who knows how many, are below the radar it renders their efforts significantly less effective. It may even be pointless if, while registered apiaries are inspected and outbreaks dealt with, the very source of the diseases are completely missed and continue to spread infection.

The source of the infections is key to bringing it under control otherwise the inspectorate are just fire fighting. The source could be as yet unknown infected colonies, or products and equipment that contain the bacterium. One thing that is known is that following testing it has been confirmed the strains of the diseases we are experiencing are Scottish strains, home grown and have not been imported from abroad. That's good and bad news. Good, because folks by and large are complying with recommendations and advice, and no one is importing the diseases. And bad, because it means that the diseases may very well be lurking in someone's apiary, someone who is unaware of the tell tale signs, and who doesn't realise that they are maintaining the source of these outbreaks. It is costly to everyone else and can mean the destruction of colonies and hives, not to mention further spread.

Registering on BeeBase is an absolute must for any and everyone who keeps or has bees, even if it is just one colony. Registering is a simple process, there are no pre-requisits, you don't have to be a member of any association, and public anonymity is observed. It only takes a few moments and in truth there is little to lose by registering, and much to gain, including access to disease recognition, advice, support, and guidance.

If you are not registered on BeeBase already, do it today! If you know someone with bees that are not registered on BeeBase, encourage them to register today! If you know of abandoned or unattended hives or colonies, report them to the Scottish Governement Inspectorate today!

There are links to BeeBase on every page of this website.

You can also contact the Scottish Government Bee Health Inspectorate directly:

Lead Bee Inspector - Scotland
Claire Gill
The Bee Health Delivery Lead in Scotland works for the Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate.
Contact the bee health team in Scotland by emailing: Bees_mailbox@gov.scot
Postal address: Strathearn House, Broxden Business Park, Lamberkine Drive, Perth, PH1 1RX.
Phone: 0300 244 5400