BBKA Website and Tree Bumbles

[Barbarian]

I am on the BBKA Swarm Collectors List.
The majority of calls I get turn out to be Tree Bumbles.
It would save me a lot of phone time if the BBKA Website were amended to filter out Tree Bumble "nests" and "swarms".
A typical first question for me is "Is the swarm high up in a roof, eaves, gutter or bird box ? ".

Any thoughts ?

 

[B+.]

It would save me a lot of phone time if the BBKA Website were amended to filter out Tree Bumble "nests" and "swarms".

IMHO the majority of people wouldn't know the difference between a bumblebee and a honeybee. I get calls all the time during the swarming season when people just say there are flying insects

 

[alldigging]

I am on the BBKA Swarm Collectors List.
The majority of calls I get turn out to be Tree Bumbles.
It would save me a lot of phone time if the BBKA Website were amended to filter out Tree Bumble "nests" and "swarms".
A typical first question for me is "Is the swarm high up in a roof, eaves, gutter or bird box ? ".

Any thoughts ?

It might help. With a link to the Bumblebee conservation leaflet about tree bumbles.


"So you don't keep all types of bee, why doesn't it say that in the name..?"

 

[Vortex]

I am on the BBKA Swarm Collectors List.
The majority of calls I get turn out to be Tree Bumbles.
It would save me a lot of phone time if the BBKA Website were amended to filter out Tree Bumble "nests" and "swarms".
A typical first question for me is "Is the swarm high up in a roof, eaves, gutter or bird box ? ".

Any thoughts ?

I'm also on the list. I think a significant part of the issue is that
1) People don't understand the differences in life cycle (ref the thread about Spring Watch) or nesting habitat
2) Unlike us they're not used to looking at bees so have much greater difficulty in differentiating between Honey and Bumbles at a distance (i.e. standing on the ground looking at bees flying about the eaves
3) Tree Bumbles are a recent phenomenon and aren't clearly denominated on many sites and unlike "Traditional" bumbles nest at height.

One on my neighbours has a Tree Bumble nest this year. Their used to seeing my bees use their bird bath and track them back and forward, but they still couldn't tell that the bees were tree bumbles.
I'm going to check on a site tomorrow that I'm pretty sure from the descriptions are Tree Bumbles. Most of the time will be taken up in explaining (1)

 

[abm]

My first question is - explain the bee activity, as you know HB's enter/exit in a straight line...ish...

Bumbles, this time of the year "hang around" suggesting male bumbles.

 

[madasafish]

Charge a call out fee. Much simpler. I charge £20.

 

[Davelin]

Yes more calls for tree bumbles than swarms by far this year.

If not too far away I try to go round just to reassure people they are ok and explain life cycle of bumble bee.
I've also printed off a few copies of info sheet from bumble trust so people have some info to refer to.

Takes up a bit of my time, but good bee PR in my opinion.

Got talking to an elderly lady the other day about all sorts of things and she was telling me about the Wedmores buried in the local Quaker graveyard; turns out she knows Keith Wedmore, grandson of E B Wedmore, author of "A Manual of Beekeeping", which I have a copy of on my bookshelf.

Time well wasted !

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Must be a good year for bumblebees around my spot. I've got two,probably tree bumbles up in the higher reaches of my farm buildings plus a nest in a compost bin. Also had three calls from villagers about bees in bird boxes over the last few days.
Who said bees were in decline?

 

[MuswellMetro]

Charge a call out fee. Much simpler. I charge £20.

so do you carry your own third party insurance as if a fee is charged you invalidate the BBKA swarm collectors insurance...donation yes, fee No

 

[sbisme]

I had a call from a lady asking if I wanted a hive off bees,, obviously yes yes yes please BUT after a brief discussion on the phone they were bumble's in her compost heap. A brief chat about the difference and she is now happy to let them stay there But she did say "I thought a bee was a bee I didn't realise there was a difference "

 

[For want of a better word]

so do you carry your own third party insurance as if a fee is charged you invalidate the BBKA swarm collectors insurance...donation yes, fee No

BBKA insurance???

ANYONE ever claimed???

Forget BBKA and BDI.. not worth the paper it is printed on... although I must admit that I have never seen a "Policy Document" ... despite asking for one many times over.
How many times have I heard... but I have BBKA Insurance... for public liability/product liability/public exhibition of live bees/market trading/swarm collection.. etc etc etc...

Possibly you may get 29p per frame of BROOD ( Not super) frame if destroyed under a foul brood order... NO compensation for loss of bees/honey/hive/cost of destruction.

If a swarm of bees is in easy access and you have the landowners full permission OK.... but BBKA do not seem insure the risk to you or anyone else or their property..... otherwise leave it to the professional Pest Control firms that carry full insurance ( and charge!)

If I am wrong on this someone please put me rite!

There is a BBKA membership category without the Insurance charge.. County I think

Yeghes da

 

[alldigging]

BBKA insurance???

Compensation Rates for 2016 season
http://www.beediseasesinsurance.co.uk/products

The rates of compensation for property insured are:-
British Standard Brood Frame £2.35
Top Bar Hive Frames £1.75
Warre Hive Frames £0.74
All other Brood Frame sizes £3.20
British Standard Shallow Frame £1.70
All other Shallow Frame sizes £2.35
Slotted Zinc Queen Excluder £6.90
Wire Queen Excluder £17.10
Plastic Queen Excluder £3.80
Polycarbonate Quilt £16.95
Glass Quilts £15.75
Open Mesh Floors £10.00
Saleable honey - £2.50/lb; maximum 40lb per colony

Subject to Condition – Excellent-as New, Good or Poor.
No other property will be paid for. e.g. hive bodies are not covered.
Compensation for destruction due to Small Hive Beetle incorporates a hive allowance.
If claims have been made in the previous two consecutive seasons compensation will be reduced by 25%.
If claims have been made in the previous three consecutive seasons compensation will be reduced by 50%.
The maximum compensation payable to an individual is £3,000 in any one year of insurance (uprated for 2016 from £2,500)

 

[MuswellMetro]

Compensation Rates for 2016 season
http://www.beediseasesinsurance.co.uk/products

The rates of compensation for property insured are:-
British Standard Brood Frame £2.35
Top Bar Hive Frames £1.75
Warre Hive Frames £0.74
All other Brood Frame sizes £3.20
British Standard Shallow Frame £1.70
All other Shallow Frame sizes £2.35
Slotted Zinc Queen Excluder £6.90
Wire Queen Excluder £17.10
Plastic Queen Excluder £3.80
Polycarbonate Quilt £16.95
Glass Quilts £15.75
Open Mesh Floors £10.00
Saleable honey - £2.50/lb; maximum 40lb per colony

Subject to Condition – Excellent-as New, Good or Poor.
No other property will be paid for. e.g. hive bodies are not covered.
Compensation for destruction due to Small Hive Beetle incorporates a hive allowance.
If claims have been made in the previous two consecutive seasons compensation will be reduced by 25%.
If claims have been made in the previous three consecutive seasons compensation will be reduced by 50%.
The maximum compensation payable to an individual is £3,000 in any one year of insurance (uprated for 2016 from £2,500)

i have never understood why OMF and Qex are included in the compensation but not the Brood box, i know they say even with AFB the boxes can be torched to clean them..but i would burn the lot if i got AFB as it is a spore that lasts years whereas EFB dies if it dries out

one of our federation BKAs has opted out of BDI because they run a joint member apairy that got EFB three years running and the SBI said shook swarm the whole apiary but only one member got EFB compensation and that was @ 75% due to reaccurance

 

[Gilberdyke John]

How many domestic household insurance policies include or can be extended to give personal liability indemnity?