EFB in Scotland

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VEG

Queen Bee
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Just had this sent from Edingurgh beekeepers


"** PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE. ENSURE THOSE WITHOUT INTERNET ARE ALSO INFORMED **

Details on the EFB outbreak have finally been officially released by the SBA Diseases Convener, and it appears the outbreak is much worse than first suspected.

It has been reported that the Tayside outbreak of EFB appears to be the biggest bee health issue to affect beekeeping in Scotland in recent years.
Some 85 colonies have been destroyed so far and as the bee inspectors are broadening their search the area with confirmed EFB the numbers of beekeepers and colonies affected seems likely to grow. Currently suspect cases cover a broad area of Strathmore, the Carse of Gowrie and in the Dundee area. The Scottish Government have indicated that they will release information on this outbreak on their own website in the next few days.

The outbreak appears to be well-established in Eastern Scotland, due largely to the difficulty in diagnosing this new form of EFB. The variant form of EFB is suspected to have been present in the apiaries of the beekeeper concerned for at least two years. The guidance from the CSL leaflet is not appropriate for this type of EFB. An SBA guidance document is now available for download from this and the SBA website.

http://www.edinburghbeekeepers.org.uk/downloads/EFB_Outbreak_15_July.pdf

EMBA Members please note the visit to Boarhills this weekend has been duly cancelled.

There are currently no directives or advice from SGRPID regarding any restrictions etc. on beekeepers. However, as the full extent of this outbreak of a variant form of EFB is not known, and that it has been in existence for some considerable time without report, it would be prudent of beekeepers to be vigilant in checking their colonies for this (and other) disease. They should also consider not moving colonies and equipment about until such time as a clearer picture is available and official instruction is given.

Always Practice Good Apiary Housekeeping:

• Always maintain a high level of hygeine in all your beekeeping practices.

• Carry out methodical health inspections on a regular basis, checking for brood disease particularly in spring and autumn.

• Never transfer combs between colonies without checking for brood diseases.

• Systematically replace old brood combs in your hives melting down the old comb to maintain clean and healthy brood.

• Never bring colonies or equipment into your apiary without establishing their origin, condition, and disease status.

• Sterilise any second hand equipment or hive components before introducing them into your apiary.

• Discourage drifting and robbing in the apiary.

• Suspect stray swarm health until you know otherwise.

• Report any incidence of disease or suspicious conditions immediately to your Local Association.

More details as they arrive.

** PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE. ENSURE THOSE WITHOUT INTERNET ARE ALSO INFORMED **


--
Thanks, Webmaster"
 
Veg,

Thanks for this. I for one think this is important info to share and, as a newbie beek. a reminder of good practice will never go amiss.:nature-smiley-011:
 
Trouble is Finman, EFB is a notifiable disease in the UK and beekeepers are obliged to burn bees and frames.
 
I thought that you might get away with treating EFB but destroying AFB diseased hives. Probably down to the inspector when he comes doing his thing.
 
There is a recurrance rate when shook swarming or treating with antibiotics...

When the bees are destroyed and the hive sterilized the problem is gone.....
 
There is an update going up tonight, I hope.

There is no doubt about it, this outbreak has caught everyone on the hop. Experienced beekeepers, large-scale commercial guys, bee inspectors ... officials in the Scottish Government ... no-one had much of a clue about this disease. That includes me, and some of the words you are quoting are mine. I've had to eat some of them today, as this outbreak appears to be standard EFB and it was just those looking at it in the early days who were puzzled by the few symptoms in unsealed brood and thought it different from the usual type they'd heard about. Such things happen when you are under pressure to spread news of something new and important.

The inspectors are now working their way through the other commercial operations in the area, and the combined reach of the infected operations will probably cover much of E Scotland - but whether the infection has spread out of Tayside is yet to be determined.

So, we have a situation here where we *all* have to work together (organisations, commercial guys, government) and we still have that webmaster with a chip on his shoulder trying to imply that the SBA was inefficient in some way. Apparently the guy stormed out of the organisation in a huff - I don't know the details. As far as I can tell, the inspectors passed on information on the outbreak very soon after they had confirmed it, and the word went out to all the local association secretaries in the area within hours. The webmaster complained on his forum about the lack of confirmation of an outbreak, but he only knew about the outbreak because word *had* reached him.

When he says it had 'been in existence for some considerable time without report' again he is twisting things to cause trouble at a time when we *have* to be working together. The outbreak, according the guy who first put his hand up, will be at least two years old because that is when he started seeing what he thought was parasitic mite syndrome in colonies not responding to Varroa treatment. It has taken all that time for anyone to recognise the problem for what it is, and part of that was the failure of the Vita tests to work when the printed instructions were followed.

But thanks for the copy of the circular Veg, once the dust settles a bit I'm going to descend on a committee meeting of the Edinburgh Association and make this guy's life hell!

Incidently, the best information on the foulbrood disease I've seen recently is here:

https://secure.csl.gov.uk/beebase/pdfs/fbleaflet.pdf

Still, it is all good evidence to get imports banned, isn't it Mike ;)

G.
 
If you new how many Nucs went to NE Scotland on the Lorry this morning from Mike you would faint :svengo:

All with health certificates issued yesterday...

Thats not my attempt at trying to be funny,just passing on what I know.
 
I Feel sad for those poor keepers in Scotland,and know just how they feel,lets just hope its brought under control as quick as possible,efb is a bugger,much worse than afb in many ways as its so elusive at times,and can creep and linger for years.Have no faith in those test kits,you cannot beat a good microscope.

Mike should do well sending his packages up there admin,sounds like they will be ordering them like mad,replacements after efb affair.
 
Last edited:
Hello,
The majority of bees in E Scotland are AMM and this outbreak just confirms one of the weak points of this type of bee. I have seen lots of EFB in other parts of the UK where they were using AMM types as well.
Finman is correct in advising to change stock.
Best regards
Norton.
 
NORTON Cant change stock!! CANT get the bloody queens on time can we!!
Order and PAY now BEFOR delivery you say---- “Order states Delivery ASAP”
They then come 10 one week,-- then three weeks after another 20, then if your lucky 3 weeks another 25 more then to finalize the deal, You phone up to find out the vet ran out of certificates? The answer for you is don’t promise to supply the order IF YOU CAN’T DELIVER ON TIME.
I don’t make the same mistake twice no matter what once bitten twice shy.
I don’t know if you realize this makes a bad relationship with my customers and with us
Because of your promises and can’t supply. So as the dragon said IM OUT
i agree with FINMAN
All the best mike
 
We will have a limited number of our Superbee queens available from mid June till mid July. Price is UKP22 each plus UKP30/shipment for the health certificate and shipping by EMS.
Terms are pre-payment only.
For ordering please contact Roger White.
Email:[email protected]
Mike,
I have copied the original advert here for your perusal. It said mid June to mid July. Mid July was last week and as I told you when you called me at 23.50 last night, there was a small problem with the vets: we could only get the sample checked on Wednesday - so rather than let the queens sit in the postal system over the weekend, I decided to send them this next Wednesday. The problem was unavoidable.
Yes it is all prepayment, especially after some beekeepers that received queens on credit last year have still not paid for them. One of them even had the cheek to ask if I could supply him with some more queens this year.
I didn't even bother to reply.
Why didn't you use the Slovakian queens that you were trying to sell last week.
Best regards
Norton.
 
I really feel this discussion should take place in private.

PH
 
Actually POLYHIVE he mentioned your name last night as well - asked me angrily why I had sent queens to you and not to him.............I really don't know what to say - do you.
Best regards
Norton.
 
I really feel this discussion should take place in private.

PH

Don't say that! I'm quite enjoying it. Paints an interesting picture.

:rant:

G.
 
COPY
We will have a limited number of our Superbee queens available from mid June till mid July. Price is UKP22 each plus UKP30/shipment for the health certificate and shipping by EMS.
Terms are pre-payment only.
For ordering please contact Roger White.
Email:[email protected]


Sorry Roger I can’t do business this way!! You know my feeling that’s the end of it.


USELESS INFO
I import from four queen suppliers mainly Slovenia that supply me 200/300 queens at a time fortnightly, Delivered on the date given,and all at once, I have posted many times where they come from.
There service and queens are excellent and superb.

All the best mike
 

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