Bee inspector arriving tomorrow!

[Browntea]

I've only been keeping bees since march, my mentor has been keeping bees 65 yrs,so to me he IS god!! I've had a call today from the bee inspector wanting to come and have a look tomorrow!! I can't wait, all these experienced folk around me!
Do I need anything to prepare for his arrival?

Tips, help and or advice much welcome

 

[Midland Beek]

So, you think all Bee Inspectors know quite a lot about bees? You don't even have to be educated to degree level to bee an Inspector these days.

 

[Moggs]

He/ she will inspect using his/ her kit. Inspectors like to get around as many new beekeepers as possible in the first year. They look for disease, not much else. You will get a report posted on the Beebase site, should you wish to register. They are usually very helpful and a valuable source of knowledge. Tea and biccies work well in this respect.

It should be a pleasant experience. They have no real powers to do anything about bad beekeepers (not that this should worry you of course)! They do however have statutory powers of inspection and are authorised to destroy colonies found with AFB and EFB (again, we trust, not a worry for you). Other notifiable nasties are Small Hive Beetle and Tropilaelaps (if they find these in your colonies, we should all be worried).

 

[hughjamton]

So, you think all Bee Inspectors know quite a lot about bees? You don't even have to be educated to degree level to bee an Inspector these days.

So your saying a bee inspector knows nothing about bees then? Interesting

 

[Browntea]

So, you think all Bee Inspectors know quite a lot about bees? You don't even have to be educated to degree level to bee an Inspector these days.

I'm sure he will know more than I do!!

 

[Moggs]

This from a SBI vacancy ad in 2009:

"Candidates will need relevant experience in the field of beekeeping as well as evidence of strong practical beekeeping skills, an in-depth knowledge
of bee diseases and their control, including exotic bee pests and effective communication skills. Alternatively a degree or equivalent qualification in a
relevant subject will be considered."

 

[Browntea]

He/ she will inspect using his/ her kit. Inspectors like to get around as many new beekeepers as possible in the first year. They look for disease, not much else. You will get a report posted on the Beebase site, should you wish to register. They are usually very helpful and a valuable source of knowledge. Tea and biccies work well in this respect.

It should be a pleasant experience. They have no real powers to do anything about bad beekeepers (not that this should worry you of course)! They do however have statutory powers of inspection and are authorised to destroy colonies found with AFB and EFB (again, we trust, not a worry for you). Other notifiable nasties are Small Hive Beetle and Tropilaelaps (if they find these in your colonies, we should all be worried).

Thanks Moggs I have no worries at all I hope! I've looked for the nastys and am confident alls well! Can't help him with tea as the hives on the middle of nowhere but I'm meeting him outside the closest pub to them!!

 

[hughjamton]

This from a SBI vacancy ad in 2009:

"Candidates will need relevant experience in the field of beekeeping as well as evidence of strong practical beekeeping skills, an in-depth knowledge
of bee diseases and their control, including exotic bee pests and effective communication skills. Alternatively a degree or equivalent qualification in a
relevant subject will be considered."

Yep. Sounds like they might know something then. Thought so.

 

[oliver90owner]

So your saying a bee inspector knows nothing about bees then? Interesting

I don't quite think so. Read what he said more carefully. Mis-quoting or just not understanding?

Not that being educated to degree level necessarily has much to do with it. There are a lot out there with, shall we say, inappropriate degrees for the job they are doing. The level of education is often a measure of being able to study at that level, not necessarily working in that particularfield. Experience can also count for a great deal.

RAB

 

[greatbritishhoney]

In my experience Bee Inspectors are helpful, friendly, knowledgable and professional.
No doubt there will occasionally be an exception to the rule, but show me a profession where there isn't!

No need to do anything to prepare other than make sure you have noted down all the questions you want to ask him/her.

P.S - who cares if a bee inspector has a degree or not? Personally I'd prefer 10+ years of beekeeping knowledge.

 

[hughjamton]

Rab, I must be mis-understanding, I've tried but I'm still reading it the same way.
Completely agree with your next paragraph though.

 

[Midland Beek]

Personally I'd prefer 10+ years of beekeeping knowledge.

How many Bee Inspectors have 10+ years experience of keeping bees? How many of them have kept bees in a commercial context? How many of them are University-degree calibre?

Please. Someone send around a survey form around to the UK's Bee Inspectors. And especially the ones in Scotland who have difficulty noticing foulbrood.

 

[oliver90owner]

hughjamton,

There is a three letter word in Midland Beek's post . The word 'all' is in the post.

At least give credit to those that are degree educated and those that do know a lot about bees.

He certainly did not say what you inferred.

RAB

 

[hughjamton]

Rab
At least give credit to those that are degree educated and those that do know a lot about bees

I thought that was exactly what I was doing.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

How many Bee Inspectors have 10+ years experience of keeping bees? How many of them have kept bees in a commercial context? How many of them are University-degree calibre?

Please. Someone send around a survey form around to the UK's Bee Inspectors. And especially the ones in Scotland who have difficulty noticing foulbrood.

3 out of the 4 bee inspectors that I have met fulfill your criteria MB. The fourth fulfills most of your criteria except he has only been keeping bees 8 years.
Perhaps you have had bad experiences with bee inspectors but I reckon you are in the minority.
And I'm not sure what this obsession with degrees is. Being a bee inspector is, in essence, a relatively basic field inspection and education job. The point being that you could easily train someone to carry out the required tasks effectively without the need for 3 years of university education.
If you want degree level inspectors you'd better start coming up with a plan of how that's going to be funded.

 

[gavin]

And especially the ones in Scotland who have difficulty noticing foulbrood.

Nope. We effectively didn't have bee inspectors at the time and it was the commercial sector who failed to diagnose the disease causing havoc in their stocks. One of them after having serious problems with it for years it seems. It was the persistence of one of the nominal bee inspectors (but in reality a horticultural inspector) that finally uncovered the mess. Hat's off to him, the first time he was called out to follow up something else (in an operation that had caught the disease more recently), he spotted the problem.

Now we have a set of trained bee inspectors, but we are back to increasing pressure from those with the purse strings so I fear that some of the gains since June 2009 are going to be lost. They are good people doing an excellent job, when they are allowed to do it.

 

[tonybloke]

Now we have a set of trained bee inspectors, but we are back to increasing pressure from those with the purse strings so I fear that some of the gains since June 2009 are going to be lost. They are good people doing an excellent job, when they are allowed to do it.

well said Gavin.

 

[Browntea]

well he has been....

he advised me to purchase apivar to help controll varoa,comments on this product very welcome.

 

[Hivemaker.]

well he has been....

he advised me to purchase apivar to help controll varoa,comments on this product very welcome.

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3395&highlight=aPIVAR

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6341&highlight=aPIVAR

 

[Browntea]

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3395&highlight=aPIVAR

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6341&highlight=aPIVAR

Thanks Hivemaker for the links

does anyone have any APIVAR for sale?, as i have only one colony i dont really want to buy 10 strips for £30! i only need 2...can anyone help?