EFB locally. Should it be more widely known?

[Parsonage Bees]

300m from me EFB has been found, hives destroyed, colonies shook swarmed by SBI. I've been given all clear. Source not identified so could be swarms spreading this about at the moment.

Should the local association be making this known? Published on social media?

What do other areas do?

 

[Boston Bees]

Interesting you say that!

Exactly the same happened to me. EFB about 500m away, one hive apparently destroyed (so I hear, but only thanks to a whisper from a BKA member who happened to have spoken to the SBI).

SBI inspection of my 22 colonies all clear.

It's shown on the NBU list of recently found cases, which you have to manually search for. But the "Known risks" box on the "My Apiary" section still says "None within 3km in last 3 years", and I have heard nothing from my local BKAs, etc.

Maybe EFB isn't seen as a "known risk"? I think it would be worth an email to local beekeepers though ......

 

[GuyNir]

SBI told me EFB is (in most cases) staying within the apiary. Possible, but less likely to move between apiaries unless equipment was shared. I asked about drones entering hives in different apiaries, he said possible but less likely. Swarms, as mentioned above is a risk of course.

 

[Finman]

It must be EFB tolerant queen and hive is good.
It is like chalk brood. Change the queen's genes. If it does not help, change again.

 

[Boston Bees]

It must be EFB tolerant queen and hive is good.
It is like chalk brood. Change the queen's genes. If it does not help, change again.

In the UK we view EFB as being much more serious than chalkbrood. Colony destruction is the more common approach now, in the UK, I believe.

In Finland the approach of your bee inspectors may be different.

 

[Finman]

In the UK we view EFB as being much more serious than chalkbrood. Colony destruction is the more common approach now, in the UK, I believe.

In Finland the approach of your bee inspectors may be different.

I have read this EFB procedure from US and from Australian disease booklet. We do not have inspectors here. This is not a Finnish story.

I believe that in the UK black bee is the reason, why you do not have EFB immune bee population there. BUT I read couple years ago, that in Switcherland they had very bad EFB epidemy .

However, I have not had EBF during last 50 years. It existed when I had Caucasian x Black Bee hives.

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Interesting you say that!

Exactly the same happened to me. EFB about 500m away, one hive apparently destroyed (so I hear, but only thanks to a whisper from a BKA member who happened to have spoken to the SBI).

SBI inspection of my 22 colonies all clear.

It's shown on the NBU list of recently found cases, which you have to manually search for. But the "Known risks" box on the "My Apiary" section still says "None within 3km in last 3 years", and I have heard nothing from my local BKAs, etc.

Maybe EFB isn't seen as a "known risk"? I think it would be worth an email to local beekeepers though ......

Thanks. Didn't know that was available. Of the 4 cases in Lincolnshire, 2 likely to be local to me, the original case and his neighbour. Literally feet away the otherside of a 4 foot garden fence.
The local beeks with records on Beebase have had the email from NBU and inspections arranged but it's not mentioned on the association Facebook page for instance. I know the beekeeper of the original apiary is an experienced hobbyist. He's unlikely to let any of his hives swarm but I don't doubt other swarms have been picked up recently. I lost one just before inspection.
. . . . Ben

 

[Parsonage Bees]

SBI told me EFB is (in most cases) staying within the apiary. Possible, but less likely to move between apiaries unless equipment was shared. I asked about drones entering hives in different apiaries, he said possible but less likely. Swarms, as mentioned above is a risk of course.

Good to know. I looked though his hives for him when he was on holiday 2 years ago and took some of my frames in a box to catch a swarm. Where those frames are now I have no clue. It's a tough bacteria apparently but that was 2 years ago. My apiary hygiene could be better.
Just off to wash my hive tool.
. . . . . Ben

 

[Newbeeneil]

Good to know. I looked though his hives for him when he was on holiday 2 years ago and took some of my frames in a box to catch a swarm. Where those frames are now I have no clue. It's a tough bacteria apparently but that was 2 years ago. My apiary hygiene could be better.
Just off to wash my hive tool.
. . . . . Ben

I would certainly hope that EFB stays within an apiary as I have just had confirmation of a positive in one of my hives. Negative on the other 2 in the apiary.
The problem I have is that the hives had to be moved about 150m across the property earlier this year so moved them to my main apiary which has about 15 hives in it for 3 weeks. The SBI is coming back next week to check out that apiary..

 

[Parsonage Bees]

I would certainly hope that EFB stays within an apiary as I have just had confirmation of a positive in one of my hives. Negative on the other 2 in the apiary.
The problem I have is that the hives had to be moved about 150m across the property earlier this year so moved them to my main apiary which has about 15 hives in it for 3 weeks. The SBI is coming back next week to check out that apiary.☹.

Urgghh! Sorry to hear that. I'm a hobby beekeeper and apart from worrying about my livestock being killed, I started adding up the cost of all the frames and foundation and sugar. And I haven't paid for any additional hives on my BBKA membership.

 

[GuyNir]

I would certainly hope that EFB stays within an apiary as I have just had confirmation of a positive in one of my hives. Negative on the other 2 in the apiary.
The problem I have is that the hives had to be moved about 150m across the property earlier this year so moved them to my main apiary which has about 15 hives in it for 3 weeks. The SBI is coming back next week to check out that apiary.☹.

Sorry to hear Neil. Hope all the rest are clear.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Just returned from doing the deed. It's heartbreaking hearing that loud buzz diminish as they are overcome by the fumes.
Fingers crossed for next week when the SBI returns to supervise the burning and inspects my other apiaries.

 

[polymath]

Of course the key lecsons are you need to make sure you pay for extra BDI insurance. Also as long as you are registered on Bee Base you receive automatic notifications when EFB is found within a certain area of your Apiary. Two years ago i had EFB literally hundreds of metres from one of my apiaries, but as their are high trees between i got away with it. I do think well screened apiaries i.e. high trees give some protection from drifting drones transmitting the disease. The other thing i would say to all Beekeepers with more than one Apiary is don't move your smoker, hive tools etc between them. The cost of the equipment is quite low, better to keep a set at each apiary and only move yourself, the less you move the less chance of moving disease.

 

[Boston Bees]

Also as long as you are registered on Bee Base you receive automatic notifications when EFB is found within a certain area of your Apiary.

I didn't.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Also as long as you are registered on Bee Base you receive automatic notifications when EFB is found within a certain area of your Apiary.

I didn't.

You need to go nto your beebase profile and set to 'receive' notifications' yours is obviously set to disable notifications

 

[Boston Bees]

You need to go nto your beebase profile and set to 'receive' notifications' yours is obviously set to disable notifications

I checked, and this is the current setup:

Subscribed to receive updates? Yes
Preferred method of contact by NBU Email

And the email address is correct.

So, it's a mystery.

Anyway, I will keep an eye on the pages that cover where disease has been found nationwide.

Cheers

Matt

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Watched this YouTube lecture by Giles Budge.

He suggests tackling foulbrood outbreak as a community. Need to avoid any tendency towards blame as he stresses it can just be bad luck.
There may be beeks in my association that have not added apiaries to Beebase or their entry is out of date.
There will be beeks who are not in any association and have done no formal training (I've set up 2 of these)
There will be local swarm collectors who catch swarms in the effected area. (swarm just arrived in one of my bait boxes. Free bees! But they could be infected.)

My association has done nothing to inform it's members as far as I know. Shouldn't this be a responsibility of a BBKA branch?

. . . . Ben

 

[GuyNir]

I checked, and this is the current setup:

Subscribed to receive updates? Yes
Preferred method of contact by NBU Email

And the email address is correct.

So, it's a mystery.

Anyway, I will keep an eye on the pages that cover where disease has been found nationwide.

Cheers

Matt

Call them Matt. I had problems logging in couple of weeks ago, called, spoken to a nice lady and she resolved this for me.

 

[GuyNir]

Watched this YouTube lecture by Giles Budge.

He suggests tackling foulbrood outbreak as a community. Need to avoid any tendency towards blame as he stresses it can just be bad luck.
There may be beeks in my association that have not added apiaries to Beebase or their entry is out of date.
There will be beeks who are not in any association and have done no formal training (I've set up 2 of these)
There will be local swarm collectors who catch swarms in the effected area. (swarm just arrived in one of my bait boxes. Free bees! But they could be infected.)

My association has done nothing to inform it's members as far as I know. Shouldn't this be a responsibility of a BBKA branch?

. . . . Ben

You would think... My association is doing absolutely nothing, and I’m in the middle of EFB ‘pocket’.

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Watched this YouTube lecture by Giles Budge.

He suggests tackling foulbrood outbreak as a community. Need to avoid any tendency towards blame as he stresses it can just be bad luck.
There may be beeks in my association that have not added apiaries to Beebase or their entry is out of date.
There will be beeks who are not in any association and have done no formal training (I've set up 2 of these)
There will be local swarm collectors who catch swarms in the effected area. (swarm just arrived in one of my bait boxes. Free bees! But they could be infected.)

My association has done nothing to inform it's members as far as I know. Shouldn't this be a responsibility of a BBKA branch?

. . . . Ben

I take this back, partially. Buried amongst an email from the branch secretary is a note from the BBKA Chair that 'Foulbrood is about'. But nothing more specific. Could do better.