-
This thread...if indeed it is anything to do with this thread, has brought some interesting mail to my inbox.
A guy in Spain just messaged me hoping I might be able to place the 500 nucs on combs he supplied annually to the UK. He has a lot of last years left (200) all on BS National frames due to non payment by his UK client.
He was breeding them for a guy in England and they were being supplied all over, even Lewis was mentioned on the list of destinations. All black bees.
If this gets out please all be clear on one thing. I will NOT get involved in importing any bees on combs. NOT SAFE, and its more about brood diseases than SHB.
I see no reference to any of this on any import statistics, and I have reason to believe they were all being sold as UK domestic product. All were northern Spanish black bees on BS combs. So...if you bought any nice black bees on new BS frames thinking you were getting British Amm, you might be a little surprised.
Not going to put the full info up on here but will let Gavin see it in private if he wants.
-
The moral of the story is that if you care about bees don't order them from online companies who are importing them join the local association
I realise now local associations need all the help they can get to produce enough bees to meet demand
Sent from my LIFETAB_S1034X using Tapatalk
-
Anyone else read the section in Scottish beekeeping magazine about insurance from hive beetle. The premise for not offering insurance (and I'm not suggesting they should or shouldnt) was that the fund that would be accessed in the outbreak of SHB would be used up by the time the beetles got to Scotland. Seems a bit presumptuous to assume that the beetle would take a long time to get to Scotland in the event of arriving in Kent or further along the coast. I would think that entry points of SHB may well be on the south coast....but that bees get moved around a lot quicker and more directly than the SBA seem to think.
-
No GG ... there's another scenario ... the £££ put aside is limited, very limited. I believe it's £50,000 ... happy to be corrected but check here:
"Am I covered in respect of Small Hive Beetle and the Tropilaelaps mite?
The Directors have agreed that there should be a scheme in the event of these pests arriving in England or Wales. As with varroa, when they do arrive they may well become endemic and have to be managed as an element of routine beekeeping practice. Compensation for the destruction of honey bee colonies because of Small Hive Beetle and Tropilaelaps infestation is consistent with BDI’s founding principles, that a compensation scheme encourages beekeepers to come forward if there is any cause for concern. It was agreed in 2006 that BDI cover should be extended to compensate for the statutory destruction of colonies, hives and equipment on account of either Small Hive Beetle or Tropilaelaps infestations. A maximum amount of £50,000. per annum will be available to cover claims. Each eligible claim will be covered to a maximum of £150 per hive. This amount will be adjusted to take into account the condition of equipment, (Excellent - as new, Good or Poor, as certified by the Bee Inspector), providing the beekeeper is not otherwise insured or entitled to obtain compensation elsewhere. The amount will be calculated pro rata between all claims in any year, so if they collectively exceed £50,000, each claim will be proportionately reduced. Settlement will be made after all claims for that year are processed. Should these pests become endemic and statutory control abandoned, then BDI compensation cover will cease."
My emboldened text.
I think C4U has indicated that endemicity might be announced rather quicker than we might hope ... perhaps reflecting the limited chance of eradicating it once it's here. So the compensation might only be available for a year or so.
-
Thanks for the link fatshark. Insurance (or the lack of it) causing concern for beekeeping organisations just now ... and their members. We could take out BBKA membership I suppose, if we wanted in on the scheme.
-
I have been advised that a field of oilseed rape close to my hives will be sprayed with Biscaya, produced by Bayer for beetle management. Despite googling, I cannot find out how long after spraying period that bees should remain in the hive. Does anyone have up to date info on this?
