Import of NZ bees into UK

[Poly Hive]

Possibly "KISS" even....

One thing that does bother me though and I find it both nasty and not a little ignorant is the ease with which the racist card is being played.

If you find yourself typing those words please have another think before posting?

PH

 

[RoseCottage]

Admin,
This thread still has legs..is it a teenager,adult, or grand ol man.. i'm not sure yet.

The unpleasant comments about people's attitude to people's race I think came in pretty left field. now far be it from me to be paranoid (just checking under my bed for reds) but it is a quick way to get threads locked down...being a little to inflammatory...no?

I believe that people of all views on the themes in this thread still support this discussion. That is reason enough in my book to keep it open.

I left the thread for 30 pages earlier because the tone was too personal so if you don't like it just ignore it.

Sam

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

I asked the question because I have a vested interest, my bees are mixed race as is my daughter and just wondering if people have their way what could happen.
Will now butt out...

 

[RoseCottage]

Bee-kee-purr,
Please don't feel you need to leave the discussion but accept that opposition to imported livestock on grounds of biosecurity is a wholly different position to general immigration control.
I oppose imports as they increase disease risks...see lots of my posts in the thread for more detail. I come from a very 'multicultural' background and see/feel no link or hypocrisy in my position to biosecurity and human migration (without which I would not be here in all senses)

Have a great Sunday
Sam

 

[johna]

???

It's been the best ever thread on this forum. Although folk wander off at tangents there might be more to come on the main topic. If folk are bored with it why not just stop reading it? You don't have to. There is no need to close it. Many are now waiting with bated breath to find out what happened to Murray's hired help and what these behind the scenes things are going on further south.

Besides, how could it get to 100 pages if you close it?

Gavin

Honestly Gavin It's getting more like a soap opera day-by-day.
The "BEEPS-EVERY DAY UTTERINGS OF BEEKEEPING FOLK" perhaps?? or perhaps you could persuade "ERIC McA" to throw in his pennuth-then it would certainly get to 100 pages methinks!!

 

[Chris B]

Radical idea

I'm not 100% for or against bee imports. I do believe we bring in way too much due to lack of home-grown options.

Rather than ban imports how about an import levy, say £5 per queen. Or if the EU don't like that it can be a "landing fee". That would raise £50k a year which could be made available as grants to any group or professional willing to establish a significant queen production operation.

 

[Poly Hive]

I wonder what the total imported queen level actually is, hence the aim at level of queen rearing required.

I do not know if this is still true but II queens used to have a pretty short working life.

PH

 

[fredbloggs]

But if they keep going they will reach 30 pages which I suspect might be a Forum record...

I started reading this thread from scratch at 0830. Got to rooftops post stating it might exceed 30 pages!! It has risen from 60 odd to 72 whilst i have been going solid. Time now is 13:08. If there has been a subject provoking a more sustained and voluminous? Contribution, i struggle to think what it is. Transferring from iphone to laptop now in order to speed up. Like a good book you can't put down! Remember them?

FB

 

[Into the lions den]

???

It's been the best ever thread on this forum. Although folk wander off at tangents there might be more to come on the main topic. If folk are bored with it why not just stop reading it? You don't have to. There is no need to close it. Many are now waiting with bated breath to find out what happened to Murray's hired help and what these behind the scenes things are going on further south.Gavin

Just a quick one as I am off out again this afternoon.

Man has not been found. Thank you for your support in this.

Shake of the head in frustration at the two who e-mailed me suggesting I was laying another red herring........... search 'Olav Tabur' and open the Tayside Police search result........

On the other matter, the senior figure involved has apparently done his work and a dialogue is going on now between myself and another party. Hoping the issue is close to being sorted out.

 

[Tom Bick]

That’s good lets hope for an amicable compromise all round

 

[Norton]

That would raise £50k a year which could be made available as grants to any group or professional willing to establish a significant queen production operation.

I would gladly accept the 50K to start me off.

 

[oliver90owner]

Norton,

Don't be silly, you wouldn't be able to stand the weather for long!!!

Regards, RAB

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Hoping the issue is close to being sorted out.

Good news ITLD.

Hope you find your staff member. Keep us posted.

 

[mbc]

I'm not 100% for or against bee imports. I do believe we bring in way too much due to lack of home-grown options.

Rather than ban imports how about an import levy, say £5 per queen. Or if the EU don't like that it can be a "landing fee". That would raise £50k a year which could be made available as grants to any group or professional willing to establish a significant queen production operation.

Maybe any money raised could be put towards properly trained staff at the Border Inspection Posts and the added costs of imported queens would automatically boost UK queen raisers.
I cant see how anybody could sensibly argue with the sense of such a scheme .

 

[RoofTops]

MBC, If you order queens from a supplier I know they come through the post in a Jiffy bag. They come with a health certificate from the country of origin but there are no checks at this end. Large numbers of queens must come in like this every year with no records in the UK of their arrival. You could machine guns up at the ports but it won't stop the mail.

 

[Somerford]

Very good point, Rooftops.

I think the option has to be someone to start churning out good queens probably produced the year before for the coming season (to allow for the demand at the start of the season). As soon as the supply is focused on the UK producer, the imports will dry up. After all, the majority of people would far prefer to buy a UK queen that is suited to the climate.....surely ?

I'm glad the thread appears to have got back on track after the brief interlude. Remember, Admin isn't online 24/7 and these things have to be sorted out by ourselves too.

Am speaking to Ron Hoskins later on....

regards

S

 

[Poly Hive]

By and large Admin prefers threads to be self steering.

Now then this might make for an interesting poll.

How many would prefer an unknown quantity type queen mated at large in the UK to a well bred queen of known quality from abroad?

Because this is the issue. And no, there is not a chance of producing enough inseminated queens in the UK to match demand.

So we have bees arriving in jiffy bags hmm? I hope the authorities are reading this thread too.

PH

 

[Hivemaker.]

They come with a health certificate from the country of origin but there are no checks at this end.

The NBU must know about them by magic then,but know about them they do.

 

[Somerford]

this is interesting, PH as I'm sure I read earlier that demand exceeded supply....exactly how many queens are needed each year ? This shouldn't include the ones the beekeeper raises through supercedure or increase by dividing the colony...but actual re-queening

250,000 colonies in the UK ?

20% requeened each year ??

50,000 queens.....got to be a business plan there for someone !

regards

S

 

[RoofTops]

If you receive queens in a jiffy bag you are supposed to send the accompanying workers to the NBU for analysis, if my memory serves. There are instructions on BeeBase.

When I got my first queens from Denmark I asked the local bee inspector what to do and he wasn't interested once I told him the source.

I suspect he thought testing them a waste of time.