The Scottish Government position on Varroa the Outer Isles and NW Scotland, for info

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Poly Hive

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Location
Scottish Borders
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I asked for some clarificaiton on the current position regarding moving bees to these areas and this is the answer:

Hello Pete,



The short answer is that no, there is no legislation avoiding movement of bees into Lewis and Harris.

But that doesn’t meant that people should be moving bees up there. We expect beekeepers to act responsibly and educate themselves, working in partnership with local beekeepers. We are trying to protect pockets of Scotland which are currently Varroa free through education.



Allow me to expand a bit more regarding the background of this:



The only Scottish Island where it is currently not allowed to move bees is Colonsay. The Scottish Government introduced The Bee Keeping (Colonsay and Oronsay) Order 2013, however, it is important to note that the protection afforded to Colonsay and Oronsay was provided under the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011(WANE). The Order was made under conservation measures to protect the sub-species Apis mellifera mellifera (“the black bee”) as this was deemed to be in need of the greatest protection from hybridisation from other honey bee species. Consideration was given to protect the island from Varroa however the WANE conservation route was chosen. Protection against varroa is more problematic as the degree of evidence legally required to achieve freedom is high and Varroa may arrive naturally, for example on wind-blown bees.



Within the British Isles, only the Isle of Man has legally recognised Varroa free status.



Officials in the Animal Health and Welfare Division have received requests for parts of Scotland to be declared Varroa free, and therefore, limit the movement of bees to these areas. There are a number of issues that this raises, for example, the process which must be followed in order to be recognised as ‘disease free’ requires evidence from official surveillance for a period of over 3 years and the cooperation of all beekeepers in the area. The investment in resources required to achieve this level of surveillance, alongside the difficulty of enforcing movement controls when there is no legal requirement to register as a beekeeper or notify movements of bee colonies has made the proposals to date unfeasible.



However, the Scottish Government is taking steps to protect these areas where varroa is not endemic. Although the majority of work carried out in relation to honey bee health covers notifiable pests and diseases we do recognise the serious threat and impact of other pests and diseases have on bees and beekeeping. For example Varroa was made reportable with the introduction of The Bee Diseases and Pests Control (Scotland) Amendment Order 2021 which requires all beekeepers and officials in Great Britain to report the presence of Varroa. Following this we have worked in partnership with SASA in mapping the distribution of Varroa across Scotland, highlighting any areas which are currently reported as free from this pest. Unfortunately we have not been able to publish this data as yet, but we are working with SASA on trying to publish it as soon as possible.



We strongly believe that education, communication raising awareness of these areas and promoting ethical and responsible beekeeping will help to protect these important areas where Varroa is absent. We have also initiated a Varroa Working Group in partnership with the Scottish Beekeepers Association and the Bee Farmers Association. This group aims to improve Varroa management in Scotland by promoting knowledge and education of beekeepers. A new 10- year Honey Bee Health Strategy for Scotland is currently being drafted and will build on the lessons learnt during the previous 10-year Strategy and will continue to have a focus on education, communication, disease identification, control, surveillance and research.



Hope you find this useful.



Best Regards,

Luis.

Luis Molero Lopez

MRCVS

Veterinary Advisor &

Lead Bee Inspector Scottish Government

Animal Health and Welfare Division
 
We have a wide archipelago of Ahvenanmaa between Finland and Sweden. It is free from varroa.
If Varroa appears in some hive, like last summer, beekeepers will destroy such colony voluntarily.
 
I asked for some clarificaiton on the current position regarding moving bees to these areas and this is the answer:

Hello Pete,



The short answer is that no, there is no legislation avoiding movement of bees into Lewis and Harris.

But that doesn’t meant that people should be moving bees up there. We expect beekeepers to act responsibly and educate themselves, working in partnership with local beekeepers. We are trying to protect pockets of Scotland which are currently Varroa free through education.



Allow me to expand a bit more regarding the background of this:



The only Scottish Island where it is currently not allowed to move bees is Colonsay. The Scottish Government introduced The Bee Keeping (Colonsay and Oronsay) Order 2013, however, it is important to note that the protection afforded to Colonsay and Oronsay was provided under the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011(WANE). The Order was made under conservation measures to protect the sub-species Apis mellifera mellifera (“the black bee”) as this was deemed to be in need of the greatest protection from hybridisation from other honey bee species. Consideration was given to protect the island from Varroa however the WANE conservation route was chosen. Protection against varroa is more problematic as the degree of evidence legally required to achieve freedom is high and Varroa may arrive naturally, for example on wind-blown bees.



Within the British Isles, only the Isle of Man has legally recognised Varroa free status.



Officials in the Animal Health and Welfare Division have received requests for parts of Scotland to be declared Varroa free, and therefore, limit the movement of bees to these areas. There are a number of issues that this raises, for example, the process which must be followed in order to be recognised as ‘disease free’ requires evidence from official surveillance for a period of over 3 years and the cooperation of all beekeepers in the area. The investment in resources required to achieve this level of surveillance, alongside the difficulty of enforcing movement controls when there is no legal requirement to register as a beekeeper or notify movements of bee colonies has made the proposals to date unfeasible.



However, the Scottish Government is taking steps to protect these areas where varroa is not endemic. Although the majority of work carried out in relation to honey bee health covers notifiable pests and diseases we do recognise the serious threat and impact of other pests and diseases have on bees and beekeeping. For example Varroa was made reportable with the introduction of The Bee Diseases and Pests Control (Scotland) Amendment Order 2021 which requires all beekeepers and officials in Great Britain to report the presence of Varroa. Following this we have worked in partnership with SASA in mapping the distribution of Varroa across Scotland, highlighting any areas which are currently reported as free from this pest. Unfortunately we have not been able to publish this data as yet, but we are working with SASA on trying to publish it as soon as possible.



We strongly believe that education, communication raising awareness of these areas and promoting ethical and responsible beekeeping will help to protect these important areas where Varroa is absent. We have also initiated a Varroa Working Group in partnership with the Scottish Beekeepers Association and the Bee Farmers Association. This group aims to improve Varroa management in Scotland by promoting knowledge and education of beekeepers. A new 10- year Honey Bee Health Strategy for Scotland is currently being drafted and will build on the lessons learnt during the previous 10-year Strategy and will continue to have a focus on education, communication, disease identification, control, surveillance and research.



Hope you find this useful.



Best Regards,

Luis.

Luis Molero Lopez

MRCVS

Veterinary Advisor &

Lead Bee Inspector Scottish Government

Animal Health and Welfare Division

That's a very comprehensive reply....good on Luis.
 

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