Opting out of BDI

[alanf]

reading through it my take on it is if an association elects to have bdi then all members have to have the insurance.
Can anyone else confirm this?

That's the statement on the BDI site. The association subscribes to BDI, not the individual. Once subscribed, the association treasurer is then responsible for collecting subscriptions to cover all the individual members. Some itemise the £2 minimum separately, some include it in the general membership fee but if the association are BDI subscribed the fee is due however the association decides to raise the money.

 

[alanf]

Can anybody get confirmation on this please. Is there somewhere where this rule is written down?

The web site is http://www.beediseasesinsurance.co.uk/

It has pages for individual association members and treasurers. There is an FAQ. What it doesn't have is a copy of the accounts, the full insurance policy or the articles of association.

 

[BeeJayBee]

The web site is http://www.beediseasesinsurance.co.uk/

It has pages for individual association members and treasurers. There is an FAQ. What it doesn't have is a copy of the accounts, the full insurance policy or the articles of association.

Ok, thanks. Found the FAQs http://www.beediseasesinsurance.co.uk/about-1/learn-more

This seems to be sensible, I'm not sure why it isn't.

Should all bees on a communal site be covered?

All colonies on a communal site must be covered with BDI taken out by the respective owners, otherwise none are covered. A communal site is a permanent or temporary apiary site, which is shared by two or more beekeepers. BDI consider that apiary sites on the opposite side of the same field are separate apiaries but if in the same garden would be communal, however each case must be considered on its merits. If in doubt, it is best to ensure that each beekeeper has cover and if not, then do not use the site. Communal BKA sites normally have robust rules, so a check with the apiary manager is all that is required. If the BKA is a BDI member, then it is obliged to collect subscriptions and premiums from all its members so by default all users of the site have the opportunity to be fully covered, but it is still your responsibility to check.​

 

[dilys]

Ok, thanks. Found the FAQs http://www.beediseasesinsurance.co.uk/about-1/learn-more
If the BKA is a BDI member, then it is obliged to collect subscriptions and premiums from all its members so by default all users of the site have the opportunity to be fully covered, but it is still your responsibility to check.[/INDENT]

This is the problematical bit. How many associations have members not paying enough to cover all their hives? I would guess they all do and yet BDI, sensibly, still pays out.

Dil

 

[itma]

This is the problematical bit. How many associations have members not paying enough to cover all their hives? I would guess they all do and yet BDI, sensibly, still pays out.

Dil

As an FAQ it isn't definitive. So picking its nits isn't terribly productive.

However, I read it as saying merely that if the Association is 'in' BDI, then individual members with bees don't have the option to 'opt out' of BDI.

Now, that is not the same as saying that unless all members of the Association pay at the correct rate, nobody is covered - which I believe is the construction you are putting on it.

I would agree that if the Association has an apiary used by plural members, then unless all those using the shared apiary are properly covered (paid up at the correct rate), then none of those using the shared apiary are covered - but that cannot be generalised to all members of the Association using other apiary sites.

 

[alanf]

As far as I can work out: if you have a couple of hives in the garden, BDi will cover them whatever any other member of your association does. If, on the other hand, you move one of those to an association apiary, there's a good chance one of the other occupants has a split more than they estimated, is late with subscription, unclear on ownership or otherwise outside the restrictions so that moved hive is probably not covered. Your hive left at home is still covered and you have acted in good faith.

There are a couple of features of the system that I'm pretty sure many members are not aware of. One is that hives on any association apiary are unlikely to be covered. The other follows on from that in that if you have two hives at home and two in the apiary, you still have to pay for the higher band of 5 even though you know the two at the apiary are not covered. You cannot opt to pay the basic rate for the hives at home and leave others outside the policy.

I'm not aware of any other insurance company that insists you pay premiums on items that you and they both know will not be covered.