EFB in Dorset

[DorsetB]

Just got home to find an email from FERA in my inbox:

Please be advised that today 24/08/2011, the following disease has been confirmed within 5KM of one or more of your apiaries:

Disease Diagnosed: European Foulbrood (EFB)
Your Apiaries At Risk: Home

Anyone else in Dorset received the same email? I am near Ringwood btw, just on the Hants Dorset border.

 

[Skyhook]

Hi yes, lots of it around here. My hives are near wimborne, and I've had a couple of emails. The inspectors been out to mine and declared them clean (well they were last tuesday anyway)- but said it was a nice change not to find efb!

 

[VEG]

seems to be more cases this year than last year.

 

[oliver90owner]

seems to be more cases this year than last year.

More beeks?

One or more suppliers distributing the problem nationally or locally?

The trend over the last several years is showing a positive gradient?

Disease into the feral colonies and more feral colonies?

More robbing?

More beeks leaving honey extractors out for bees to clean them up?

Running out of ideas. Anyone for any more?

Regards, RAB

 

[DorsetB]

"but said it was a nice change not to find efb!"

nice change - how quaint!

I have emailed my local inspector to ask for a visit, we shall see.

With regards to RAB's comments, I think "new beeks" is definitely a factor - simple mathematics would dictate that more beekeepers = not only more sales of everything from kit to nucs, but also would mean more disease as more hives & more bees about, and let's face it we all made some cringing mistakes when we started out as beeks...

And yes, leaving supers and extractors out for the bees to clean up is something I have unfortunately witnessed.

I also suspect that particularly in Southern England, which is overcrowded, the "6 degrees of separation" must start to apply in parts, as more colonies and apiaries appear, and 3 mile or so flying radii start to overlap.

 

[region2]

My inspector think's it's due to the strange year we're having weatherwise as normally EFB would be prevelent in the spring.

Not sure blaming the beeginners is very fair - it could be the old-school beeks who rarely venture into their brood chamber and just take the honey.

R2

 

[Tom Bick]

More Apiaries overlapping not related as in how the bee flies with a greater risk of spread.

On a positive note plenty of new beekeepers registered so they can be contacted with a warning of potential threat. Although this is not 100% as I have not been contacted this year and I know of an out break close to me, I think they are rushed off their feet perhaps another problem under funding bee inspectors not able to do their job 100%.

 

[Hivemaker.]

My inspector think's it's due to the strange year we're having weatherwise as normally EFB would be prevelent in the spring.

If EFB is in a colony it is there,no matter what the weather or time of year.

 

[DorsetB]

"More Apiaries overlapping not related as in how the bee flies with a greater risk of spread."

How does that work then? Not sure I understand.

 

[region2]

If EFB is in a colony it is there,no matter what the weather or time of year.

Yes but it can become apparent when the colony is stressed or weak (mine was very small) so perhaps the drought helped?!

R2

 

[Hivemaker.]

Yes but it can become apparent when the colony is stressed or weak (mine was very small) so perhaps the drought helped?!

R2

It is apparent if you look often enough, at any time they are brooding,strong or weak colony,bee inspector could look at your colony once and see nothing that would indicate EFB,and give you the all clear,unless a heavy infection,they would need to inspect the bees perhaps several times in a season to spot a light infection,which is why beekeepers should know what to look for,and look at every inspection,just one larvae could be it,and quickly removed by the bees.

 

[busybee53]

DorsetB What is 6 degrees of separation please. I have never heard of this.

 

[DorsetB]

Hi busybee

In the late 20's a Hungarian (I think) author postulated that any two individuals could be connected via any other 5 people or acquaintances. This was effectively the start of network theory. As the world has grown smaller through technology, this has become even more likely.

I was using this as a crude analogy for S. England where I imagine the number of hives has increased in proportion to the rising population, and the number of hives which have overlapping flying areas have increased in proportion to this, thus speeding up the spread of diseases for example, other factors like seasonal weather variations being excluded.

Probably scientifically inaccurate, but I would love to run the numbers.

 

[busybee53]

Well I don't know about Hungry but in my bit of London I don't even think it needs 5 people to connect to another person. It seems as if every one is linked up in some way. Two of my daughters boyfriends are now with people who live in my road. Her new boyfriend lives near here although she does not. My other daughter's current and ex play sport together and a 5 minute walk takes about half hour because of all the people that chat. I have even met people on the bus who have known my friends for years. It does not pay to say anything bad about anyone round here. I think the walls have ears.

 

[Spadaman]

Just got home to find an email from FERA in my inbox:

Please be advised that today 24/08/2011, the following disease has been confirmed within 5KM of one or more of your apiaries:

Disease Diagnosed: European Foulbrood (EFB)
Your Apiaries At Risk: Home

Anyone else in Dorset received the same email? I am near Ringwood btw, just on the Hants Dorset border.

I am not far from you DorsetB and this is the third email I have had in as many weeks. My hives got a clean bill of health about 3 weeks ago and the Inspector ( same one as you) also mentioned the high prevalence of EFB in this area. I asked where the latest EFB outbreak was but he was not allowed to tell me! Seems there is a data protection issue ( or something else) . I would prefer to know where it is ( not just a glib statement that it is within 5 Km of my hives) so that if I was obtaining some bees/queens locally I would be more aware of potential disease.

I have nothing but respect for the two bee inspectors I have met but I know that my attitude to them is not shared by all beeks. I have witnessed a very negative approach to these hard working guys from beeks with decades of experience.

I believe that one of the reasons that EFB is so prevalent is that some ( possibly a lot of) beeks do not look for it and don't report it when they find it. It is probably a financial issue- destroying colonies and movement restrictions and is human nature I suppose. I don't want to have more beaurocracy in my beekeeping but we won't get rid of disease like EFB /AFB until we have mandatory registration of hives / movement of hives and more Inspectors to enforce the rules.

 

[DorsetB]

busybee, your last post was a really funny read - and you learnt about something you already knew!

Spadaman thanks for the heads up, I have emailed my RBI when I got the email, and am waiting for a call to hopefully arrange a visit. I am a bit concerned, particularly as I have still got nucs to sell.

As other people have mentioned though, like so many diseases, including human ones, it must always be there lurking, waiting for the hive to weaken in some way just as a virus will take over when we are not at our peak.

I think there used to be a map on Beebase, but I could not fid it the other night.

By sheer coincidence, I happened to be reading the section on diseases in the last edition of Ted Hooper's "Bees & Honey", & came across this paragraph on P. 205:

"In England there was a well-known area in the Southwest, in Hants, Dorset, and the Wiltshire border country, where it[EFB] has existed for years..."

... which suggests that in the past at least, we have always had EFB in this area, which has come and gone according to some local criteria (?)

I suppose we could ask for new county signs, proudly proclaiming "Welcome to Dorset - home of The Cherries and EFB"

 

[taff..]

https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/beebase/maps/map.cfm