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Brosville

Queen Bee
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rumour has it that "Friends of the Bees" http://www.friendsofthebees.org/ are now including £5 million public liability insurance included in their £15 pa membership fee - as they put it "For the first time, UK beekeepers can get insurance cover without joining an organization that supports the pesticide industry!"not worthy
 
Just had a look and yep if you join as a beekeeping member you get the insurance.
 
including £5 million public liability insurance included in their £15 pa membership fee
Interesting. Whether it's practical depends on whether local authorities, for instance, accept it as equivalent to the BBKA PL insurance when they are compiling swarm lists etc. That would need an insurance policy and sample schedule which you could show and compare with the BBKA policy. Is that available anywhere?
 
Has anyone any experiences of there insurers paying up for the?millions of pounds compensation for one of your bees stinging someone?

Co-op will pay for wasp infestation removal / murdering by selected approved pest control services so I am lead to believe?... but do not know if this include bees....


***need to add other insurance companies may offer cover........ before post gets removed by moderator !!!!
 
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Has anyone any experiences of there insurers paying up for the millions of pounds compensation for one of your bees stinging someone?

Co-op will pay for wasp infestation removal / murdering by selected approved pest control services so I am lead to believe?... but do not know if this include bees....

Does anybody know of anyone having been ordered to pay even £1 for one of their bees stinging someone (no apochryphal tales or decisions from other jurisdictions please)?
 
off topic I am sorry.. but I think only an exact DNA fingerprint match betwixt colony and the sting would be necessary to conclusively prove carers of the bee.. and then the stingee would have to prove neglect!
 
I'm a sceptic as to whether or not most of us actually need insurance, as others have said "prove it", but there are a great many people who have to have insurance if they keep their bees on allotments and similar, and many others who believe it is a "good thing" to have - as they say, this is now an opportunity to have PLI insurance without giving your funding and tacit support to an organisation that still maintains it's ties with the pesticide industry, AND at half the price, and the satisfaction of knowing you're not paying the 'bus fares for "officers" to nip over to Europe to schmooze for Bayer........:biggrinjester:
 
Yep,
I got this today.


Thank you for your interest in and support for Friends of the Bees. We have some important news for you, especially if you are a UK-based beekeeper!

UK BEEKEEPER INSURANCE

We have finally succeeded in negotiating a great deal on Public Liability Insurance for beekeepers. This policy is designed to protect you to the tune of £5 million in the event of legal action being taken against you, with an excess of only £250. If you have hives on someone else's land, you may be required to have PLI cover - and even if your hives are on your own land, you may consider it sensible to have insurance cover in case someone is injured and makes a claim against you.

The best news is that your cover is included free with Beekeeper Membership of Friends of the Bees at only £15 per year. See our new site at www.friendsofthebees.org for how to join.

For the first time, UK beekeepers can get insurance cover without joining an organization that supports the pesticide industry!
 
does it include PLI for honey? (i.e. a shard of glass in a jar?)
 
How can one tell if it was your bee that stung someone, I have insurance that is free with WGBKA which covers property damage and loss of colonies from disease under the bees act 1980. I don't think anyone can prove that it was my bee that stung them and are feral wild bees insured ?
Check out your home insurance some include liability insurance free.

I think if your bees are near any public places then signage should be erected just to cover your bottom
 
I think if your bees are near any public places then signage should be erected just to cover your bottom

When in Surrey we lived opposite a barrister... some free advice he gave me was to remove the Beware of the Dog sign as it could be taken that I was aware that my dog could cause discomfort to a third party and having such a signage in place was an admittance of liability !

Reading the very small print on Public Liability insurances ( motorcycle and car 3rd party, marine insurance, diving insurance etc) it would appear that the insurers will only stump up for a court case costs against you, not pay the fine etc if found negligent...

this has made me very wary of litigation.... basically NEVER APPOLOGISE for you actions as it may be taken by some as a reason to sue you ... or an admittance of wrong doing.

I did consider once living on a Crannog in a remote lake/ loch somewhere to avoid people!
 
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How can one tell if it was your bee that stung someone, I have insurance that is free with WGBKA which covers property damage and loss of colonies from disease under the bees act 1980. I don't think anyone can prove that it was my bee that stung them and are feral wild bees insured ?
Check out your home insurance some include liability insurance free.

I think if your bees are near any public places then signage should be erected just to cover your bottom

Not many people look at my bottom (it's been said that it 'looks like a bulldog chewing a wasp' when I'm walking), so they wouldn't see the sign. :biggrinjester:

It doesn't matter who's bees they actually were. Anyone can sue you for whatever they want. If they decide it was 'your' bees then it's you, or your insurance company, that has to fight your corner in court. The cost of the court case could easily be more than the amount of the damages you're being sued for.

If someone who has been badly stung, perhaps even had an anaphylactic reaction, thinks you have no legal defence and no reliable witnesses they might just take a chance at court action for some compensation. That's just the kind of society we live in.
 
Has anyone seen the details of the policy yet? The website is quite vague with

We are satisfied that this policy offers the best possible cover and terms for the purpose for which it is offered. If you decide within 14 days of taking out this cover thaty it is not suitable for your needs, we will refund your payment in full on request. Beyond that, we cannot enter into any correspondence regarding the content of the policy or its suitability for any particular purpose.

Why would they not want to show you details of a policy unless you hand over the money? Even my car, motorbike, house and in fact every insurance policy I have you can view the details before paying any money.
 
Why would they not want to show you details of a policy unless you hand over the money? Even my car, motorbike, house and in fact every insurance policy I have you can view the details before paying any money.

Strange,an insurance you have to buy first,then work out if it is any good, then go through the process of getting your money back if its not suitable,what an ass about face way of doing things, if thats the case.
 
so slinging them 15 by PP and you are insured? is there more that needs to be done?
 
Not many people look at my bottom (it's been said that it 'looks like a bulldog chewing a wasp' when I'm walking), so they wouldn't see the sign. :biggrinjester:

It doesn't matter who's bees they actually were. Anyone can sue you for whatever they want. If they decide it was 'your' bees then it's you, or your insurance company, that has to fight your corner in court. The cost of the court case could easily be more than the amount of the damages you're being sued for.

If someone who has been badly stung, perhaps even had an anaphylactic reaction, thinks you have no legal defence and no reliable witnesses they might just take a chance at court action for some compensation. That's just the kind of society we live in.

Stuff and nonsense. They would have no case against you, as any solicitor would tell them immediately. Believe it or not "no win, no fee" makes it harder to run spurious cases, not easier. There's no way I would take on a case that has less than a 65% chance of success if I knew I wouldn't get paid if I lost.
 
Out of interest, is "Friends of the Bees" run by Phil Chandler? The main link on the 'About Us' page goes straight to the Biobees/NaturalBeekeeping forum
 
I'm a sceptic as to whether or not most of us actually need insurance, as others have said "prove it", but there are a great many people who have to have insurance if they keep their bees on allotments and similar, and many others who believe it is a "good thing" to have - as they say, this is now an opportunity to have PLI insurance without giving your funding and tacit support to an organisation that still maintains it's ties with the pesticide industry, AND at half the price, and the satisfaction of knowing you're not paying the 'bus fares for "officers" to nip over to Europe to schmooze for Bayer........:biggrinjester:

Good idea, Brosville. Thanks for sharing the info.
 

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