Not a record to be pleased about :(

[JamezF]

According to the NBU maps, it looks as though the area just south and east of me, OS grid reference ST12 has had more EFB outbreaks diagnosed than anywhere else in England so far this year. In fact there only appears to be one place that's been worse in the whole of England/Scotland/Wales -- up in the middle of Scotland. There's been some discussion that EFB has been worse because of the weather resulting in weaker colonies due to lack of foraging time, but I'm struggling to believe that can be the only reason. It's not as though this area is radically different from anywhere else.

James

 

[Paulypaul]

For a moment, I thought you were going to admit to owning some Johnny Mathis vinyl.

We've also had a few EFB outbreaks here, in West surrey.

 

[JamezF]

For a moment, I thought you were going to admit to owning some Johnny Mathis vinyl.

Only When A Child Is Born. The production on that album is amazing.

James

 

[Antipodes]

There's been some discussion that EFB has been worse because of the weather resulting in weaker colonies due to lack of foraging time, but I'm struggling to believe that can be the only reason

Generally, cool and wet weather will increase the incidence, but it is also contagious of course.

 

[JamezF]

Generally cool and wet weather will increase the incidence, but it is also contagious of course.

It's an odd pattern though. The affected area is a square 10km on a side. There are adjoining 10km squares where no outbreaks have been recorded at all. I find myself wondering whether the size of the squares involved might be giving a distorted picture, but either way the weather might reasonably be expected to be broadly similar over a larger area which in turn leads me to question whether there's something else driving the number of cases up.

James

 

[The Poot]

It's an odd pattern though. The affected area is a square 10km on a side. There are adjoining 10km squares where no outbreaks have been recorded at all. I find myself wondering whether the size of the squares involved might be giving a distorted picture, but either way the weather might reasonably be expected to be broadly similar over a larger area which in turn leads me to question whether there's something else driving the number of cases up.

James

One has to assume the cases were all diagnosed correctly and that cases were not missed in adjacent areas; making it an odd set of circumstances…..
Out of interest, do the adjacent areas share the same SBI?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

either way the weather might reasonably be expected to be broadly similar over a larger area which in turn leads me to question whether there's something else driving the number of cases up.

it's usually as simple as movement of bees/hives/nucs

 

[JamezF]

One has to assume the cases were all diagnosed correctly and that cases were not missed in adjacent areas; making it an odd set of circumstances…..
Out of interest, do the adjacent areas share the same SBI?

Same SBI, yes.

James

 

[JamezF]

it's usually as simple as movement of bees/hives/nucs

Could be. I suspect there may also be quite a few beekeepers around here going "under the radar".

James

 

[Parsonage Bees]

it's usually as simple as movement of bees/hives/nucs

In a talk from a retired bee farmer and inspector he blamed bees being moved around, coming in contact with more wild and commercial populations. So bee farmers or significant hobbyists. If you have to make money you don't have the time to check your colonies, (says me, a beekeeper who hasn't done a disease inspection this year).

The EFB we had 300m from me 3 years ago was a swarm collector who didn't use an isolation apiary.

#edit. You mention "under the radar" beekeepers. I 'passed on' a couple of colonies that I didn't want via a post on association FB group. Never seen these folk before. Not people who join clubs. Unsure of how much training they'd done. Eye opening.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

we had a foulbrood alert a few years ago in my area (we were within the contiguous area, so had a 100% inspection of all colonies) but the infected colony had been detected in Pembrokeshire - it was a nuc from our area that had been sold in the Pembrokeshire spring sale.

 

[JamezF]

I don't know of many larger scale beekeepers around here. They seem to keep themselves to themselves. I know one has/had in the region of fifty hives scattered around the area. I don't think he manages them himself now though. He's not a young chap by any stretch of the imagination. I guess that's potentially a recipe for problems.

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I find it's the small scale 'hobbyists', bee fiddlers and leavitaloners, rather than the larger scale part timers and bee farmers that are the problem

 

[alancooper]

Agree - colony movement.
Interestingly, I noticed recently that association map records of recent foul brood this year (from memory) were distributed a short distance from main roads leaving Belfast to other parts of Northern Ireland.

 

[Swarm]

I don't think any particular 'type' of beekeeper are at fault, in most cases it's just bad luck and something that could happen to any of us.

 

[Wilco]

I don't think any particular 'type' of beekeeper are at fault, in most cases it's just bad luck and something that could happen to any of us.

Agree in general, although those who check less regularly, when they do have disease outbreaks, are likely to have the issues for longer before it is detected and dealt with thus do represent a greater risk of being a reservoir for infection.

 

[drex]

#edit. You mention "under the radar" beekeepers. I 'passed on' a couple of colonies that I didn't want via a post on association FB group. Never seen these folk before. Not people who join clubs. Unsure of how much training

when I moved House 300 miles, I sold off colonies I could not take with me to members of local assoc, at rock bottom prices.
A couple who came were very interested. On talking, they knew little about bees, and I said I would not sell to them. They pleaded and pleaded but went away empty handed. Others got 10 bargain colonies as I was confident they went to good homes

 

[rolande]

I don't think any particular 'type' of beekeeper are at fault, in most cases it's just bad luck and something that could happen to any of us.

I remember being caught in the middle of the purchase of 100 colonies from quite a well known beekeeper, the person doing the buying did so, at the back end of winter, totally oblivious to a previous efb issue. Sure enough the inspectors descended at the earliest opportunity and almost all 100 were positive at the same time. Massive, powerful colonies that were getting honey, longtime ago now but an experience never to be forgotten.