Foul Brood Diseases

National Bee Unit’s Disease and Comb Workshop

apiarymanager Bee Health, Foul Brood Diseases, Nosema, Varroa

Carmarthenshire Beekeepers’ Association (CBKA) is one of the associations hosting the National Bee Unit’s Disease and Comb workshops this season. We have received an invitation from the CBKA for PBKA members to come along to their venue and take part in the workshop.

The workshops will give detailed insights on the notifiable diseases, American Foul Brood and European Foul Brood, as well as looking at the overall disease situation in Wales and updated approaches to its control. Beekeepers will learn about other pests and diseases, in particular Varroa and its associated viruses, that can pose a risk to their colonies.

The Inspectors are licensed to bring with them examples of diseased comb. Participants will have the chance to examine these live examples of disease and put their learning into practice, on the day.

Date: Saturday 27th June

Venue: Newchurch Community Hall, SA33 6AF

Time: 2 to 5 pm

There is plenty of parking, no charge for the workshop and refreshments will be provided.

Please advise the PBKA secretary, Lesley Williams asap, if you wish to attend in order that we can advise the CBKA of numbers.

American Foul Brood – June 2011

apiarymanager Bee Health, Foul Brood Diseases

American Foul Brood (AFB) is a deadly and notifiable honey bee disease. AFB has recently been confirmed at four locations in Pembrokeshire: Burton, Clynderwen, near Tenby and Llangwm.  In some of the hives affected only one cell showed symptoms.

We advise all beekeepers in Pembrokeshire to carry out the following precautions urgently:

  1. Be aware of the symptoms of the disease.  A short guide can be downloaded from the PBKA website here and the BeeBase Foul Brood page can be viewed here.
  2. Check your hives urgently and thoroughly – make this the only objective of your inspection.
  3. Report any suspicious findings to Ceri Morgan – his contact details are in the short guide.
  4. Respect other beekeepers If you do suspect you have identified Foul Brood please do not relocate hives which you believe not to be affected.
  5. Keep your beekeeping equipment clean, especially hive tools and gloves.  Washing soda solution is recommended for this purpose. This is particularly important if you have more than one apiary or visit another beekeeper’s apiary to assist them.
  6. Do not feed honey to your bees.
  7. Unless you believe the source hive is free of infection do not moving comb from one colony to another.  This includes honey frames.
  8. Do not leave comb or honey buckets out ‘for the bees to clean’.
  9. Keep entrances small to minimise robbing.

Ceri will be contacting beekeepers near the affected locations to carry out inspections but as a precaution check your hives as soon as possible wherever they are in the county.

If your membership is up to date and you have not exceeded the number of  hives you are insured for then your BDI Insurance will provide compensation for cost of frames and honey lost as a result of a destruction order.