Bee Health

Bee treatments and the recording of veterinary medicines 

apiarymanager Bee Health, Education & Training, Foul Brood Diseases, National Bee Unit, Nosema, PBKA, Pests, Starting Beekeeping, Stories of Interest, Training, Varroa
Beekeepers should regularly check their bees for signs of disease and infestations.
Now is a good time to check and treat for Varroa, before Winter feeding commences. There are numerous permitted treatments available and you are required to keep records of treatment given.
See below the advice given by the National Bee Unit (NBU).

Record of Veterinary Medicines 

You must keep records of all veterinary medicines administered to colonies for at least five years, irrespective if the colony concerned is no longer in your possession or has died during that period.

The ‘veterinary medicine administration record’, is a useful template for you to use to meet these requirements.
Your medicines records can be requested at any time by the relevant authority and/or bee inspector. Failing to keep records of veterinary medicines applied to honey bee colonies, as set out in the Veterinary Medicines Regulations (VMR) 2013, is an offence.

NBU – Starvation Alert!

apiarymanager Bee Health, Feeding Bees and Starvation, PBKA

Over the last few days during routine inspections, we have observed honey bee colonies that are extremely short of food stores. We urge beekeepers to check the levels of food stores in colonies and monitor closely, particularly if apiaries have not been visited for some time or if a honey crop has recently been removed. Colonies need to be checked because they can succumb to starvation very quickly.

In addition, in many areas wasps are very populous and we have witnessed lots of beekeepers across the regions who are losing colonies to wasp attack. Please read our fact sheet on wasps for advice about how to prevent wasp related losses

Feed can be prepared from refined white sugar and water mixed at a 2:1 ratio, or ready mixed syrups may be acquired from beekeeping equipment suppliers. For more information on how to make a sugar syrup and feed bees, please read our best practice guidance: NBU best practice guideline for sugar feeding of honey bees.

If you have any questions, please contact your local Inspector. Contact details can be found at https://www.nationalbeeunit.com/contact-us/.