bee inspector

[Winker]

The inspector (Peter Folge) was meant to turn up at my apiary 2 weeks ago, after me buying bees from WPF and him having EFB. He phoned me to make an appointment then never turned up, no phone call, nothing!

2 weeks on, still never heard back from him!

Edit: There was no way he sneeked in to inspect the bees, he has to get past 4 German Shepherds first..

 

[VEG]

then ring him up

 

[victor meldrew]

Defra (the bee inspectors keepers) Have the statutory right to inspect your bees! They like the private utility companies have the right of access to your bees , in fact access for them requires less justification than that required by the police!
As there is no requirement for registration in the UK ,the inspectorate have to keep their ear to the ground ! Their prime concern is the detection of any of the foul brood diseases ,which you've got to agree is for the good of all.
ROUGH HANDLING.
Foul brood starts in a few cells only and could easily be missed, this is why the inspector shakes off all the bees .
There may be Queen cells that you want but the man hasn't the time to mess about . You could help yourself (inspections are prearranged) by ensuring that you know on which frames any required Queen cells are and marking with a drawing pin !
Having a bolshie attitude to the guy responsible for your area helps no one , further more it will not exempt you from said examination so ,please co-operate , learn what you can and make the visit pleasant for both he and thee

VM

 

[Alabamaeee]

I'd rather be a member of an association, be insured against loss of my hives from disease, and have the BI inspect my colonies to reassure me, than keep bees without insurance.

 

[BBG]

so when does a hobby become an operation?

Lambs to the slaughter, comes to mind.

As soon as you keep bees is the answer, one or a hundred, no difference to the authorities.

Hivemaker is absolutely right and some; Bee inspectors can continue with what they have come to do whether you like it or not.

Bee inspectors have the authority to enter any premises where they reasonably believe there is beekeeping equipment.

That's your home, your premises, the farmer's field where he has kindly let you put some bees, ANYWHERE

The OP:
A request to Fera, for copy of the guidelines, by a friend, has only resulted in the question; Why do you want it? Is it in relation to an inspection in the past or future?

Do you need to give a reason - No, but the nice chap from Fera thinks you should.

Is it best to take the jump over their heads and do it this way:

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/

(A wonderful place to ask where your money is being spent.)

A little info from the NBU website:

Fera Bee Inspectors

What legal powers do Fera Bee Inspectors have?

Fera Bee Inspectors and other appointed authorised persons under the Bees Act 1980, the Bee Diseases Control Order 1982 (recently replaced by the Bee Diseases and Pests Control Order 2006) and the Animal and Animal products (Import and Export) regulations.
This gives them authority to:

Enter premises where it is believed bees, hives, appliances and bee products are kept.
Examine these items and to take samples of them in order to see that they are free from infection.
Mark any hive or appliance for identification purposes
Destroy colonies infected with American foul brood or European foul brood
Treat colonies infected with European foul brood
To do this, they can enlist the help of the/some local constables if necessary.

See for yourselves:
https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/beebase/index.cfm?pageid=106

That is almost as much power as Customs and Excise have, which is a lot more than the police.

These powers are fine except when they are used to step sideways; as in the case of Poole Borough Council.

They felt entitled to use the Terrorist Act to follow, investigate and film parents who said they lived in the borough and were therefore entitled to have their children in a specific Junior ( I think) school (a good, desirable one).

Extrapolated, this could mean white vans with cameras, covert weighing and a snatch squad for your rubbish and recycling to make sure you haven't mixed the two in a careless moment. They already do this though so forget that!

All fine you say? Yes, but do you know the code of conduct these people must abide by?

Such as HMRC. They have the power to enter premises where the books of your business are kept or where they (reasonably) believe they are kept and are allowed to inspect the accounts but not search for your accounts etc.

In summary, it's nice to know when someone is going to visit and how they should conduct themselves so that you can put away the things you wouldn't want others to see for what ever reason.

If this has repeated other info posted, apologies, busy between paragraphs.

 

[BBG]

There may be Queen cells that you want but the man hasn't the time to mess about .
VM

I find it very odd that you accept there may be damage to your property because you are happy that, for some reason, a government official feels he is in a hurry.

If HMRC entered your home, as they are entitled to do, would you adopt the same attitude of laissez-faire if they entered your bedroom and your wife was naked from the shower or your children in their rooms ?

Would you say to them, "It's fine, they're busy. They haven't time to mess about"

You may not place any value, moral or monetary, on the well-being of your bees but most on here do. It's called good husbandry.

 

[beeatshellards]

my experience of a bee inspector visit was great. Took his time , treated my bees well and was extremely pleasant. |He informed me of his findings and explained everything step by step I had suspected poisoning on 4 hives and he was the first point of call to help me. I was informed by him at regular intervals of a long investigation and found him a delight. hope your inspection goes as well as mine did

 

[Steve Dyer]

so when does a hobby become an operation?

I believe that bee inspectors have a right to inspect and destroy any hive, including abandoned hives where the owner isn't known. I don't think they differentiate between a commercial operation and a hobby one. However I have never known them to be anything other than considerate, helpful and polite.

There are some people who bridle at the suggestion that someone else knows better than them and I suspect the bad stories come from such rare encounters. I'm equally sure there are no inspectors who haven't made a mistake sometime, they are human.

They are welcome here any time..

Steve

 

[madasafish]

my experience of a bee inspector visit was great. Took his time , treated my bees well and was extremely pleasant. |He informed me of his findings and explained everything step by step I had suspected poisoning on 4 hives and he was the first point of call to help me. I was informed by him at regular intervals of a long investigation and found him a delight. hope your inspection goes as well as mine did

 

[stilllearning]

bee inspectors are there for YOUR benefit,any problems or concerns then ring them up thats what they're there for.
i have heard horror stories too but you always get people who once they get a clip board and a piece of authority, it goes to their heads. if enough people complain then they usualy get moved on...............into local councils(but thats another story )
i have dealt with plenty over the years and never fallen out with any of them but lets not forget i expect there are plenty of beekeepers who are equally as stubborn
a few years ago bee inspectors looked like they all might loose their jobs, budget cuts etc etc but because of the masive influx of new beekeepers over the last few years all of a sudden they're needed again

 

[yantabulla]

Good Morning

Another interesting post that I have enjoyed following.

May I give my two bobs worth from someone who has a foot in each camp.

I am a very small scale beekeeper. I am also a food inspector with the same strong powers of entry mentioned by Victor Meldrew & BBG.

Authorised Officers have those powers of entry due to the public health issues or the significant bio-security/animal health issues that they deal with. It would be difficult for regulators to deal with outbreaks of food borne illness eg E. coli in veges or foot & mouth or even an outbreak of AFB without the ability to enter properties & carry out work in connection with the Act or Regulation that they enforce.

In my day to day work I manage to get around & into food premises simply by saying "G'day I'm Yantabulla. I'm here to help you. May I come in please?" (Or words to the same effect)

I always carry a fact sheet with me that describes the powers of inspectors & of course I have ID.

I am sure that your bee inspectors use the same method & the heavy powers are only exercised when people are obstructive, committing an offence or during a situation when emergency powers are in force.

The general surveillance for disease benefits the whole beekeeping industry from hobbyists to the commercial setups.

I can only echo others in this thread & encourage you to work with your bee inspector & make him your friend rather than getting off on the wrong foot & making him your enemy.

Happy beekeeping

Yantabulla

 

[keithgrimes]

I had a visit last week. The inspector was excellent. Took his time, handled the bees better than me, knew his stuff and communicated well. I learnt a lot. All in all a very positive experience

 

[tonybloke]

I had a visit a fortnight ago, a lovely lady inspector. She was both quick and thorough, and also inspected 3 other beekeepers hives nearby. A very positive experience ( bees were given a clean bill of health ) and a good learning experience. I can only recommend that other folk welcome the inspectors with open arms ( and a cuppa tea)

 

[terry jones]

Had my first visit from the Shropshire bee inspector in June. he gave my hives clean bill of health and some useful tips in spotting early signs of desease. No complaints about the way the inspected the hives

 

[Deeperdiverdude]

I had my first visit from the bee inspector today.

Very pleasant and instructive.

Everything found to be OK plus some useful tips

DDD

 

[susbees]

"G'day I'm Yantabulla. I'm here to help you. May I come in please?" (Or words to the same effect)

Yeah, but it's just not the same when it's "Hi I'm Dave/Bill/Fred...."

 

[BBG]

I had a visit a fortnight ago, a lovely lady inspector. She was both quick and thorough, and also inspected 3 other beekeepers hives nearby. A very positive experience ( bees were given a clean bill of health ) and a good learning experience. I can only recommend that other folk welcome the inspectors with open arms ( and a cuppa tea)

Did she change clothing between apiaries, wash hive tool, gloves etc or did you not think she could be bringing disease to your bees?

You didn't mention these checks in your enthusing.

Yantabulla; greetings like "Hi, I'm Chuck from Alabama!". Don't cut the grass in the old country I'm afraid.

 

[keithgrimes]

Did she change clothing between apiaries, wash hive tool, gloves etc or did you not think she could be bringing disease to your bees?

You didn't mention these checks in your enthusing.

Yantabulla; greetings like "Hi, I'm Chuck from Alabama!". Don't cut the grass in the old country I'm afraid.

The inspector that visited me wore new gloves straight out of the pack, changed in to a clean suit as he had been in another apiary earlier that day, and kept all his tools in a lidded bucket full of sterilising solution that is changed every day.

 

[BBG]

The inspector that visited me wore new gloves straight out of the pack, changed in to a clean suit as he had been in another apiary earlier that day, and kept all his tools in a lidded bucket full of sterilising solution that is changed every day.

That is v reassuring to know. Many thanks.

 

[peteinwilts]

so the inspector should be a good guy and is there for positive reasons for those that have nothing to hide (which I do not, I hasten to add!)

I'll offer him a cuppa before taking round to the apiarys. (i'll even hold back the laxatives! )

Another question I am afraid! Bearing in mind the majority of the beekeepers keep bees as a hobby, and the inspector only works three days a week, why do their three days not include at least part of a weekend? (only works wednesday, thursday and friday)

I am having to take a day off work for his visit.