Small hive beetle in mainland Europe.

[Hivemaker.]

It's what worries me is that my bees will be torched just because it arrives close by in an attempt to stop it.

Bet that is just what some of those Italian beekeepers thought, and are thinking.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Bet that is just what some of those Italian beekeepers thought, and are thinking.

wonder if they will get compensation, unlike us ,who will i assume get nothing unless we are insured, if FERA decide to cull and burn our hives to contain an infestation

 

[Hivemaker.]

wonder if they will get compensation, unlike us ,who will i assume get nothing unless we are insured, if FERA decide to cull and burn our hives to contain an infestation

Beekeepers with poly hives may even have to pay to have their colonies destroyed and hives incinerated.

 

[alanf]

Clicking through from the NBU site and following Italian links, the most frequently updated maps appear to be on the Venezia regional site:

http://www.izsvenezie.it/index.php?...situazione-epidemiologica&catid=59&Itemid=373

The table from the 16Oct14 has 40 sites listed and plotted on this map with the current 20 km zones:

http://www.izsvenezie.it/images/sto...a-tumida/2014-10-16/20141016_Zoom20km_ITA.pdf

The bad news is that from positive inspections being in a zone about 7 or 8 km wide at the beginning of the month, the infected area now maps at around 30 km across. That's as found, the beetles have probably been spreading a few months before discovery.

Probably too late to stop, realistically you'd have to wipe out all potential hosts within infection range, a dead zone 70-80 km or so? And you would have to be prepared to repeat that at every detection over the years to come. I just can't see the political will to enforce that.

 

[itma]

Beekeepers with poly hives may even have to pay to have their colonies destroyed and hives incinerated.

Source for that?

 

[thenovice]

Source for that?

well, you can not burn polystyrene in open air or one would assume that such practices are not allowed in a civilized country...

 

[Hivemaker.]

Source for that?

Not allowed to burn poly hives on site like can be done with wooden hives.

 

[itma]

No, what I was asking for was a source for any such destruction being an extra cost to the beekeeper.

 

[Hivemaker.]

No, what I was asking for was a source for any such destruction being an extra cost to the beekeeper.

I just pulled the idea out of a hat... after the recent talk of any extra costs for taking poly hives away for incineration would be the responsibility of the beekeeper, in the case of AFB, but as it turned out they can be sterilized with bleach instead, that does not seem to be the case with SHB, so could be back to costing the beekeeper.

They would even have to use special transport to prevent the risk of a beetle or larvae escaping from the hives on the way to the registered incineration depot.

 

[Apple]

How about a 500 mile exclusion zone around the British isles, where all colonies are incinerated, regardless of SHB infestation?
An a ban on all imports of fruit, bees, trees in fact anything!

now where is that self sufficiency book???


James

 

[Tom Bick]

Bet that is just what some of those Italian beekeepers thought, and are thinking.

Yes you have to feel for them and the bit that seems to be unknown how long before they are allowed to get up and running again.

 

[VEG]

and more to the point when do we think it will get here

 

[MuswellMetro]

I say about two years, it will come in via a shipment of fruit next year but will not be found until late summer the year after

 

[gavin]

How do you account for the huge tonnages of fruit and other plant imports from SHB positive countries, esp South Africa and the USA, yet it isn't established here? Fruit, veg, herbs, pot plants, these must all be a risk but they are nothing like the risk from casually inspected or uninspected bees from compromised sources.

SHB are highly attracted to bees, they fly with swarms, hide in cracks in equipment, survive long periods without food. Bees and associated equipment are the big risk.

G.

Sent from my BlackBerry 8520 using Tapatalk

 

[pargyle]

How do you account for the huge tonnages of fruit and other plant imports from SHB positive countries, esp South Africa and the USA, yet it isn't established here? Fruit, veg, herbs, pot plants, these must all be a risk but they are nothing like the risk from casually inspected or uninspected bees from compromised sources.

SHB are highly attracted to bees, they fly with swarms, hide in cracks in equipment, survive long periods without food. Bees and associated equipment are the big risk.

I'm inclined to agree with this .. in addition a lot of fruit and veg is shipped at near zero temperatures and as I understand it adult SHB are susceptible to cold environments - adults survive winter mainly because of the warmth of the hive - if a colony of bees die out in winter the adult beetles also die.

In addition, adult SHB needs food and water - two days without either shows a high mortality - 7 days without either is almost 100%. As their preferred food is bee larvae and eggs followed by wax and honey they may find it difficult to survive in a container of fruit coming half way across the world.

http://www.clemson.edu/psapublishing/pages/entom/eb160.pdf

No room for complacency .. but I'm with Gavin - the risk is from the transport of bees and bee products from infested countries ... it will only be a matter of time however as we seem to not heed the lessons of the past. Close our borders to bees from anywhere else is my solution ... I know it's not a popular standpoint but it gives us a chance.

 

[mbc]

I say about two years, it will come in via a shipment of fruit next year but will not be found until late summer the year after

I say about two years, it will come via bee imports due to the apathy of beekeepers failing to secure a ban on them due to being sold red herrings about melons and such like

Scenario 2. Not in our lifetimes, due to a ban on bee imports and increased vigilance and bio security at our borders successfully keeping it out - if only!

 

[mbc]

How do you account for the huge tonnages of fruit and other plant imports from SHB positive countries, esp South Africa and the USA, yet it isn't established here? Fruit, veg, herbs, pot plants, these must all be a risk but they are nothing like the risk from casually inspected or uninspected bees from compromised sources.

SHB are highly attracted to bees, they fly with swarms, hide in cracks in equipment, survive long periods without food. Bees and associated equipment are the big risk.

G.

Sent from my BlackBerry 8520 using Tapatalk

100%

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

failing to secure a ban on them due to being sold red herrings about melons and such like

What! are melons a danger to bee health!? at least they're easier to spot than varroa mite

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

What! are melons a danger to bee health!? at least they're easier to spot than varroa mite

When SWMBO drops one at the top of the cwm, it can take out an apiary like skittles. I saw it wnce; a terrible site.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

When SWMBO drops one at the top of the cwm, it can take out an apiary like skittles. I saw it wnce; a terrible site.

SWMBO dropping one of her melons is always a terrible sight!