Around and about the region Autumn 2007

Perhaps the most difficult year I have known in 30 years! A rather sweeping statement you may think but if you consider some of the experiences in 2007, they certainly make it an interesting year.

Firstly there was the exceptional start to the spring which (if I am to believe the reports from equipment suppliers) caught many beekeepers unprepared with supers not yet cleaned up let alone re-waxed. Then accompanying the excellent weather and early crop, we had early swarming. This too, apparently caught many beekeepers unaware as not only were the supers not prepared but nor were the spare brood boxes. Of course, if you live in one of those places where there is little spring crop (I do) then much of this may have passed you by.

Then came the summer - nearly two months of perpetual chill weather with frequent rain which kept ground temperatures low and limited the nectar flow. In consequence, many beekeepers who had taken an early crop found that they were having to feed their bees within weeks of extracting the spring crop. But some salvation was around the corner and colonies that were able to work borage and heather made good the losses in some cases. However following some further swarming in late August and early September, the chill nights in the first half of September have caused very rapid contraction of brood nests and, as far as the bees are concerned, most are now preparing for winter.

So, another year over, another year done. Reports suggest that crops are only about a third to a half that of normal so honey prices will be rising. As beekeepers, we are eternal optimists so lets look forward to next seasons bumper crops - at the new higher prices which honey will command.
Ian Homer

Current Topics

Different People

Some of you will know that we have had an influx of fresh blood into the region this year.

Following the retirement of Maurice Roll and David Purchase, two new seasonal inspectors joined the team. David Packham has been covering large parts of Dorset whilst Pete Kennedy has been covering Berkshire, South Bucks and North East Hampshire. Robert Carpenter-Turner, who joined late last season has been covering Wiltshire and North West Hampshire.

Margaret Holland added Northamptonshire and North Bucks to her Oxfordshire territory and I covered the parts that were left over! It's meant a lot of unfamiliar faces in unfamiliar places but we seem to have got through without too many hiccups. Maybe 2008 will be the season when we settle down to a little bit of stability.

Varroa Control

All of the Southern Region Team have reported significant amounts of varroa damage in colonies and clearly we can expect to hear of colony losses during this winter. We keep preaching the need to monitor and understand the varroa situation within colonies and, to be fair, many beekeepers are well on top of varroa. But equally, many are not.

Many associations have found our workshops on Integrated Varroa Management useful and we are still offering them. But help is often to be found close to hand as well. If you feel that you need help in managing varroa, why not contact your association officers and see if they can help - they can always contact me to arrange a workshop if there is demand locally.

Pyrethroid resistance is now present to some extent more or less right throughout Southern Region. Pyrethroid based products are therefore going to have only a limited effect in the way of varroa control. Several associations have asked if we can demonstrate safe and effective use of organic acid, and in particular, oxalic acid, and a number of field sessions are scheduled for this autumn. Contact me if you would like to know more about dates and locations.

Beebase On line

If you have an internet connection (if not they are freely available at most Public Libraries) you can log onto the National Bee Unit database called Beebase. Not only does it include current bee health statistics and a whole host of other information but it also allows you to register and look at the data relating to inspections of your own bees. Whilst there is sometimes a delay in getting data into beebase during the summer period (due to the sheer volume of inspections carried out - over 700 apiaries and over 3300 colonies in Southern region this year), once the winter comes the data gives a complete reflection of the year's statistics.

The internet address for Beebase is beebase.csl.gov.uk

Pete Kennedy muses on the season past

A new season, a new start.

Opting for redundancy after 8 ½ years with my previous employer, what better opportunity to follow a passion for bees that I had already developed than to take up the offer to work as a Seasonal Bee Inspector in the Southern Region. Working off my notice, I unfortunately missed the start of the season but quickly got the opportunity to catch up, working 5-days a week covering Berkshire, south Buckinghamshire, south-east Oxfordshire and north-east Hampshire.

Everybody had mentioned the steep learning curve - it certainly is that! After attending workshops and working alongside Ian, training was essentially on the job. Having worked in both academic and industry research may have helped tune the eye to detail, but it is surprising how quickly all of one's senses become attuned to disease given the chance to look for it every day. It certainly also did wonders to further develop my beekeeping as I had plenty of opportunity to glean valuable snippets and handy tips from the many beekeepers I had the pleasure of working with during the season. A big thank you for both the support and welcome I received.

Exotic Pests - in Wiltshire???

If you had been browsing the National Bee Unit's on-line database (beebase.csl.gov.uk) on a certain Wednesday afternoon in August this year you may have noticed reports that small hive beetle had been identified at a site just south of Devizes. Mike Brown, Head of The National Bee Unit, very quickly got the data updated to avoid panic and pandemonium as the reports were part of an exercise in which we simulated the discovery of small hive beetle and then put our emergency plan into effect. All of the southern region team took part and we also had invaluable input from members of the Melksham branch of Wiltshire Beekeepers and both Richard Ball, National Bee Inspector and Mike Brown, Head of the National Bee Unit joined us as working observers.

With the agreement of the beekeepers involved, several colonies were "spiked" in advance with photographs of small hive beetle adults or larvae; the inspection teams found these and took samples of floor scrapings to send to the lab for analysis. Whilst the lab could have expected that I would "tamper" with some of the floor samples, they did not know what to expect. So it is very pleasing to know that three of the four samples to which I had added ground up parts of dead small hive beetles were identified as positive straight away and the fourth was identified as suspect with a request to resample. Colonies in 16 apiaries were inspected over a two-day period; each was subjected to a very detailed scrutiny to ensure that no exotic pests were present. This demonstrated the extent of the resource requirements to examine the colonies thoroughly - there is no doubt that in a real emergency, there would be a need for many extra staff.

The exercise indicated that even though we work hard to maintain accurate records of beekeeper and apiary locations, around one quarter of the apiary sites we had listed were no longer in use whilst a further eight new apiary sites were identified. In addition, four beekeepers who were not previously recorded in Beebase were identified. The exercise also highlighted several aspects of our procedures which could usefully be improved and these will be built into our defined procedures during this winter.

There is little doubt that all involved found the exercise beneficial. The contribution which the local beekeepers were able to make cannot be overrated and I and the NBU team are most grateful to them for their crucial role during the exercise.

Disease Report

2007 has seen a slight improvement over 2006 with a total of around 100 cases of European Foul Brood in the region this year. A couple of late cases of AFB, following self-identification by a beekeeper has resulted in the highest AFB figures for the region since 2002. The preliminary figures are shown below.

Dorset and Hampshire continue to be the problem areas but we are by no means top of the list this year - 104 cases of EFB have been dealt with in Norfolk this year with Suffolk recording 47 and Devon 85 cases - more than half of the England total being recorded in just 5 counties.

Whilst a good number of the cases of disease discovered can clearly be attributed to the use of previously diseased equipment, once again, many of the EFB cases leave us wondering just exactly where the disease has come from. Our standard practice, on discovery of disease, is to carry out priority inspections on all known colonies within a 3 or 5 km radius (depending on colony density). This will often identify other cases but this year there have been several instances where the trail has gone cold. Is it because there are other colonies in the area that we are not aware of? Every beekeeper could help us in this respect by advising your local inspector of any colonies of which you are aware.

Extension Work

An integral part of the work of the Bee Health inspection team is to provide talks and lectures which will help beekeepers deal with bee health and husbandry issues. I realise that many association members do not wish to go to meetings and be berated about the health and temperament of their bees so my colleagues and I try to be constructive and entertaining when speaking to associations. If your association is planning its winter program just now, you may find the following list of talks of interest. Several of the Seasonal Bee Inspectors are also offering talks to local associations but please recognise that they are not paid by the National Bee Unit during the winter and some help with their expenses may be appreciated.

Please contact me to arrange suitable dates or if you would like a talk on a beekeeping topic which is not included. There is a separate list of topics suitable for apiary meetings which could be useful for next season.

1. Apiary and Hive Hygiene - this can be given as a talk but is also a good subject for an apiary workshop.

2. No bees, No honey - No honey, No money - basically about swarming and other reasons for colony depletion with a good measure of swarm control procedures thrown in.

3. Eureka Moments in Beekeeping - a collection of good ideas that suddenly dawn on you and, once discovered, make beekeeping more enjoyable and profitable.

4. Integrated Pest Management - the only sensible way we can go forward now that resistant varroa mites are well established. (This is offered either as a one day workshop or a short evening overview)

5. Sunshine in a Bottle - a look at honey, what it is and what we can do to improve quality and quantity.

6. Re-queening - Choice or Chance? - which looks at the significance to the colony and the beekeeper of requeening colonies.

7. Bee Behaviour - roles, rituals and responsibilities within the colony.

8. Balancing Bees - a look at some of the delicate balances which are established within a bee colony, including the one that we can't get right, the work/life balance!

9. Does size really matter? - A review of hive types, bee space and the eternal question of single, double or brood and a half management.

10. Best Management Practice? - Discuss! - This talk reviews colony management practices and assesses their impact on the bees. It is intended as a discussion and can sometimes unearth some unconventional approaches to beekeeping.

11. A Lexicon of Beekeeping. On the night associations can define a few letters of the alphabet and we will talk about whatever comes up against those letters .

12. The Work of the National Bee Unit - the role and responsibilities of the NBU including a brief look at some of the current research activity.

13. Small Hive Beetle - video and discussion of this new threat to beekeeping in Europe.

14. A day in the life - this is a light hearted (but there are some serious messages) look at the work of a bee inspector - the joys, the pitfalls and the problems.

FULL DAY WORKSHOPS

1. Integrated Pest Management - looks at all aspects of varroa management with practical workshops dealing with specific techniques.

2. Disease recognition - discusses disease recognition and identification methods and offers an opportunity for "hands-on" inspection of EFB and AFB diseased combs.

Colony Collapse Disorder

Early in the 2007 season, a number of UK beekeepers believed that they had experienced the same sort of problems experienced in the USA and this received significant coverage in the National and Local press. I was asked to visit a number of apiaries where the beekeeper believed that this had happened - each of the colonies that I looked at when asked to do so showed clear evidence of serious, unmanaged, varroa problems. Throughout the year there have been numerous press reports on "the cause" of this problem and, whilst the media are keen to have something to blame for this condition, there are as yet no definite conclusions on whether there is a single cause for colonies collapsing.

The most plausible evidence I have heard has come from two visiting American bee scientists this year. Both Professor Tom Seeley from Cornell University and Dr. Marian Ellis from The University of Nebraska pointed to a long list of extreme stresses which bees worked in a commercial environment in the US can be put under. Migratory beekeeping over thousands of miles to give an active season of 10 months or more, the presence of bee health issues such as European foul brood, acarine, nosema, small hive beetle, varroa and attendant viruses, short season monofloral crops such as almond blossom where, once the almonds have finished flowering there is nothing else for the bees to forage and removal of all honey and the use of high fructose corn syrup to feed the bees are all readily identifiable stress factors. Recent reports suggest that a common factor in all of these colony collapses is a hitherto unidentified virus called Israeli Bee Paralysis Virus but even here, reports are contradictory as, apparently not all colonies concerned showed evidence of it.

Whilst the viruses are beyond the control of most beekeepers (good hygienic practice can minimise the risks), it is fortunate that most of the man-made stresses are not present in UK beekeeping - long may it continue that way.

The Thin Blue Line

David Packham - one of this year's new Seasonal bee Inspectors has contributed this item on his experiences in the field.

Note: Lateral flow devices are used to provide field confirmation of disease identified visually. A little like home pregnancy test kits they give one blue line if the kit is working and the sample is negative and two blue lines if the sample is positive.

I had, of course, seen European Foul Brood before, albeit, mostly in a classroom environment on disgustingly smelly, decomposing black frames. However, I was once fortunate enough to observe it during an apiary meeting with Richard Ball. Nonetheless, nothing could prepare me for the first time I detected EFB.

It was a typical summer's day, typical that is for 2007, it was unseasonably cold and the constant drizzle was only interrupted by intermittent bursts of heavy rain. As I entered the apiary, I could see the bees flying and soon realised how incredibly friendly they were, as they greeted me with such enthusiasm. I approached undaunted and even when the wind gusted and distributed the paperwok the length and breadth of the apiary, I was undeterred, Bee Inspectors are made of sterner stuff.

As I removed the super and Queen Excluder I was confronted by 11 frames which the Bees had decided should, under no circumstances be removed, they were visibly cemented by many years of propolis. Nor had the passage of time done anything to improve the condition of the frames, the top bars looked precariously fragile and a number of the lugs had been replaced by nails. Eventually, I managed to persuade a frame to relinquish its hold on the brood box and having shaken it to remove the bees, commenced inspecting each cell in accordance with the recently memorised Operational Procedures.

It was on the second frame that I noticed the decidedly patchy brood pattern. There nestling amongst the healthy brood was a single larva looking distinctly unhappy with life, it was twisted spirally around the walls of the cell. This was one larva that would not develop to enjoy the excitement of the season's swarm. Ian's training had reaped its reward; it was exactly as he said it would be. This was my first incidence of EFB. I forgot the rain and the Bees bouncing of my veil, I had found EFB and was overjoyed. This after all was the principal purpose of my employment, to hunt down and destroy disease. My elated emotion quickly changed as I imagined the impact this would have on this delightful lady whose only crime was to persist with the use of old brood combs.

As I transferred the offending larva to the buffer bottle and placed two drops of the resulting fluid on the Lateral Flow Device, I hoped and prayed for a negative result. It was time to act as Bereavement Counsellor as I consoled the distressed Beekeeper offering the possibility that it was Varroa damage but even as we spoke, it appeared, that conclusive second Thin Blue Line………………
PS. Grateful thanks to all those hard working and enthusiastic Dorset beekeepers who contributed to this years work as a bee inspector, in particular, I wish to thank them for their kind hospitality and support which has made my work such a pleasure.

Associations Day 2008

Plans are afoot for this, now, annual event which has received some very complimentary comments over the years. One reviewer said of this year's event "a most worthwhile day" whilst another reported that "this is an event not to be missed in the future".

I'm sure that the 2008 day on Sunday February 10th 2008 will live up to expectations. Already we have Giles Budge, Research Coordinator at the National Bee Unit and Dr. David Aston, author of the book "Plants and Honey Bees - their relationships" booked to give us talks and I am confident that the day will be as interesting and social as usual.

Once again, the day is open to all beekeepers and will be held, as before, at Stockcross Village Hall, about 2 miles west of Newbury. It will run from 1030 to around 4pm. Tea and coffee will be provided but delegates are asked to bring their own packed lunch. It is essential that we know, in advance, the likely numbers of attendees so please contact your association secretary or advise me of names of attendees by post, fax, 'phone

or e-mail.

I would like to attend Southern Region Associations Day on Sunday February 10th 2008

Name:
Address:

Phone No:
e-mail address (if applicable):

No of delegates: