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Bee Health - Programme

Introduction

Defra's bee health programme is designed to control the spread of notifiable diseases and pests of honey bees and to identify and manage the risk associated with new pests and diseases that may be introduced into the UK, thus helping to maintain a healthy population of kept honey bees for the pollination of agricultural and horticultural crops and wild plants, and the production of honey and wax.

This programme is supported by funding of £1.35m p.a. for a range of bee health measures to assist the beekeeping sector in England. These are delivered by the National Bee Unit, part of the Central Science Laboratory (CSL), an executive research agency of Defra. The measures include:

  • Enforcement of statutory disease and pest controls under the provisions of national bee health legislation and EC veterinary checks Directives. This includes surveillance for diseases and pests of honey bees; inspection of hives; provision of a free diagnostic service for notifiable diseases and pests; and, as necessary, the treatment or destruction of hives infected by these diseases or pests; checks on imports of bees and the issue of health certificates for exports.
  • Assisting the beekeeping sector to become more self-reliant in controlling serious bee diseases and pests through the provision of training and guidance to beekeepers to help them improve bee husbandry.
  • Researching more effective control methods and rapid diagnostic techniques.
  • Supplying the latest technical data and information about the beekeeping sector to Defra to enable informed decisions to be made about UK bee health policy.

Research and Development

Bee Health Legislation

Statutory measures that control bee health in the UK are implemented under the powers of EC legislation in respect of animal health requirements for international trade, and national legislation for the control of notifiable diseases and pests.

EC Legislation

Council Directive 92/65/EEC applies to bees by setting health certification requirements for international trade both within and into the European Community. The Directive lists American foul brood, Aethina tumida (the small hive beetle), and the Tropilaelaps mite as notifiable diseases of bees within the Community, and also recognises national programmes for monitoring European foul brood, Varroosis, and Acariasis. Commission Decision 2003/881/EC together with Commission Decision 2006/855/EC establish rules on the importation of bees from third countries.

UK Legislation

Domestic legislation is implemented under the Bees Act 1980, which empowers Ministers to make Orders to control diseases and pests affecting bees, and provides powers of entry for authorised persons. Such Orders are implemented separately by Government Departments in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Bee Diseases and Pests Control (England) Order 2006

In England, the Bee Diseases and Pests Control (England) Order 2006 requires beekeepers (and others) to notify the Secretary of State (in practice the National Bee Unit acting on her behalf) of the suspicion of the presence of the notifiable diseases, American foul brood and European foul brood, and the notifiable pests, small hive beetle and tropilaelaps mites.

In response to a notification of a suspected notifiable disease or pest, restrictions will be imposed on the movement of anything that might spread the disease or pest until an authorised bee inspector has visited the affected premises to confirm the identification and a decision has been made on action to eradicate or control the outbreak. The Secretary of State may also declare an infected area and implement control measures within it, if the small hive beetle or tropilaelaps has been found present in that area. The Order also implements the requirements for post import controls of bees imported from third countries contained in Commission Decision 2003/881/EC.

A guidance note on the Order is available (pdf).

Notifiable Diseases and Pests of Bees in England

Currently, there are four notifiable diseases and pests of honey bees in England:

  • American foul brood (Paenibacillus larvae var. larvae) is a bacterial disease of honey bees. It is present in England at low levels and occurs sporadically. All colonies found infected with American foul brood are compulsorily destroyed and affected apiaries are placed under the conditions of a Standstill Notice prohibiting movement of bees or equipment.
  • European foul brood (Melissococcus plutonius) is a bacterial disease of honey bees. It is prevalent in the south, southwest, and midlands of England. There are few outbreaks in the northern areas of England. Diseased apiaries are placed under the conditions of a Standstill Notice prohibiting movement of bees or equipment. Lightly infected colonies are treated with an antibiotic by an authorised bee inspector under the powers of the Bee Diseases and Pests Control (England) Order 2006, although the shook swarm technique without antibiotic is increasingly being applied. Colonies that are considered to be too weak or too heavily infected are destroyed.
  • Small hive beetle (Aethina tumida) commonly known as SHB, is an exotic pest of European honey bees. The beetle is indigenous to Africa where it is considered a minor pest of honey bees, and until recently thought restricted to that continent. However, in 1998 it was discovered in the USA, where its occurrence is now widespread, and in 2002, the beetle was also found in Australia and Canada. The beetle is exotic to the European Community, but is a serious threat to the sustainability of European apiculture. The beetle is notifiable throughout the Community.
  • Tropilaelaps (Tropilaelaps spp) are potential new threats to European beekeeping. There are known to be at least two species of the mites, Tropilaelaps clareae and Tropilaelaps koenigerum. They are native to Asia and have spread from their original host, the giant honey bee, Apis dorsata, to the European honey bee, Apis mellifera. The mites are exotic to the European Community but are notifiable throughout.

Further information about these notifiable diseases and pests can be found in the following advisory leaflets:

  1. Jan 2007 Foul brood leaflet
  2. Statutory procedures for controlling foul brood
  3. The small hive beetle: a serious new threat to European apiculture - factsheet
  4. Tropilaelaps: parasitic mites of honey bees

Some documents are in Portable Document Format (pdf logo), a copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader is available free of charge.

Page last modified: 8 April 2008
Page published: 10 March 2005

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs