Which areas of the UK are still varroa free?

[Stromnessbees]

I just had a look at the April issue of Beecraft. There is an article about Bee Health by Margaret Cowley on page 5, where she states: 'The only places in the UK without varroa are the Isle of Man and the Scillies.'

This is of course incorrect as Orkney, Colonsay and Mull are to my knowledge still ok, and the rumour about Shetland having varroa might not be true. Can anybody add to this list or clarify the situation in Shetland?

The statement in Beecraft can be potentially very damaging, as it gives people the false impression that varroa is everywhere anyway and that it's ok to move bees anywhere in the UK except to the IoM and the Scillies.

I think that we should write to the editor, Claire Waring, and ask her to publish a correction in the next edition, but we should have an idea first, which areas are still clear.

Doris