Just a seasonal reminder for beekeepers concerning American Foul Brood (AFB).

We have been advised to direct you to the National Bee Unit (NBU) factsheet ‘Apiary Hygiene and Quarantine’, plus ‘Foulbrood Disease of Honey Bees and other common brood disorders’. These are available on Beebase at: http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/index.cfm?pageid=167

All beekeepers have a duty to keep healthy, disease free bees and the PBKA strongly recommends that beekeepers sign up to Beebase in order to ensure that they receive any warnings and can obtain advice etc. in the event of a disease outbreak.

Beekeepers within 3km of an AFB outbreak, with a current email address on Beebase, will receive an emailed alert from the NBU. All beekeepers within 5km of an outbreak should exercise vigilance as per the above factsheet, which also covers swarm collection and we strongly recommend that all swarms caught are quarantined for a period of 6 weeks with any concerns advised to your local Bee Inspector.

Please note if PBKA members see any hives in their area which appear to be abandoned, or are of unknown origin, contact the PBKA with details.