Small Hive Beetle in mainland Europe

[gavin]

So you admit importing queen bees from Eire without the required paperwork?

The island of Ireland consists of both another European country - the Republic of Ireland - and part of the UK (when I last looked), Northern Ireland.

[Duncan]

Of course you do not need veterinary certification to move bees from NI to any other part of the UK. The use of the word Ireland on its own usually implies Eire, from where imports require paperwork. You are dodging the question about the origin of the the queens you purchased.

It has already been mentioned that pests and diseases are often detected by the authorities after they have been present for a couple of years and therefore it is risky to import bees from anywhere. I should imagine the same thought must apply to both Eire and NI.

[fatshark]

Unless of course the detection of SHB in Italy fits in very comfortably with your own personal general agenda of anti-imports.

My only 'agenda' is preventing the introduction of SHB to the UK ... or, for that matter, elsewhere. A defining feature of the global spread of pathogens is that human activity - trade, war etc. - has exacerbated their spread. Far better we limit the chances of SHB spreading, than deal with it once it is here.

[Bumble]

- there is no record of this import from Eire on beebase.

Are imports into Scotland listed on Beebase or somewhere on the Scotland Gov site?

I'm assuming that if bees are imported into England they can be moved freely elsewhere on the mainland (except to Colonsay), and I'm assuming that bees are free to swarm or forage in the Republic and Northern Ireland - or is there a bee and beekeeper exclusion zone to either side of the border?

I think these assumptions are naive. I would prefer a ban on all imports.

I'm not sure if it is naive, but I would prefer a ban on movement of all products out of the area for the time being. I don't mind over reacting, it's not much different from rules preventing beef being exported to some countries in case there might be latent CJD.

Who'd have thought the Asian Hornet would arrive in Europe in a consignment of pottery. We know fruit, soil and plants are a route for transfer because, if these beetles are as widespread as the reports suggest, they will be feeding on fruit and pupating in the soil, as well as infesting feral colonies. The standstill orders should prevent any exports or movement of bees and bee products.

[mbc]

This talk of fruit is a red herring, the beetle may be able to survive on fruit, but they're not attracted to them and wouldn't make a bee line for a pile of fruit hoping to hitch a ride. On the other hand, they are chemically programmed to home in on bee material from many miles away. Probability suggests bee materials is where they will hitch a ride around the world, it's not as if there is any shortage of such material being shipped around.

[chris]

On the other hand, they are chemically programmed to home in on bee material from many miles away. .

Apparently they can fly up to 8km. at a go, but I'm not so sure about the "homing in". In their attempts to develop a method of reducing the number of beetles in the hives, researchers worked on the inaccuracy of the beetles' flight and landing.
Ellis J. D. Jr., Delaplane K. S., Hepburn R., Elzen P. J., 2002. - Controlling Small Hive Beetles (Aethina tumida Murray) in Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Colonies Using a Modified Hive Entrance - American Bee Journal, 142 (4) : 288-290.

[Neils]

Ah, that *was* sarcasm from Neil, then.

I'm totally bemused as to why the BBKA should want to downplay the risks of importing bees in comparison to other possible routes of entry into the UK. Surely the number one, way and above anything else, risk is that someone will bring bees into the UK (packages, queens with attendents) carrying this pest - so this is the first and by far the most important thing to focus on? Those 1767 recorded queens from Italy (the page has been updated since I last used data from there) and 1200 packages in 2014.

Specifically, is the BBKA really wanting to say this:

'However, we expressed the strong view that movements of bees carried a far lower risk than that of the shipment of fruit, vegetables and other plant materials .... '

Eh??!! Does that make even the slightest bit of sense to anyone reading this? Is there any evidence for fruit, vegetables etc being a higher risk than live bees? By all means consider and do something about the risk from the transport of fruit and suchlike, but for heavens sake, the movement of bees has to be the number one, top of the list, dramatic, serious, immediate risk, doesn't it? The risk requiring immediate and strong action?

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http://www.bbka.org.uk/news_and_even...eetle_in_italy

To BBKA Members:

25 September 2014
FURTHER STATEMENT RE SMALL HIVE BEETLE IN ITALY

BBKA representatives attended the meeting of the Bee Health Advisory Forum held at Defra’s offices on Millbank, on 23 September 2014.
At our request, the discovery of Small Hive Beetle (SHB) in South West Italy was a priority item on the agenda. We learned that the Italian authorities have established a 100km exclusion zone around the apiary where SHB was first found. No exports of bees will be permitted from within this area. However, we expressed the strong view that movements of bees carried a far lower risk than that of the shipment of fruit, vegetables and other plant materials from this area and which are more likely to spread SHB.

The BBKA and other stakeholders at the meeting pressed Defra hard to take steps to avert this major risk via shipments of produce. We are unhappy with an approach which is dependent principally on the actions of the local authorities or on containment measures once SHB is found in the UK. We have insisted that Defra keeps us fully informed of developments and the measures put into effect to combat this threat with all vigour. We will share this information with members as andwhen received.

Dr David Aston
Chair, BBKA Technical and Environmental Committee

Me, Sarcastic? Perish the thought

I've no idea what's going on with the BBKA at the moment, and that does seem an odd statement to make. I might be missing something obvious, but it would seem to me that the risk of SHB from infected bees would be far more substantial that that from contaminated soil especially when there are large volumes of imports from areas where it seems that beekeepers are not forthcoming about the issues that they face and it is only the fortuitious arrival of an infected swarm into a university monitoring apiary that's blown the issue into the open.

[Neils]

Oops, not sure what happened there to lock the thread, but probably my fault, my apologies.

[Jon]

9 separate outbreaks detected now. Definitely not looking good.

http://www.federapi.biz/index.php?op...=1271&Itemid=1

San Ferdinando (RC), 28 September 2014 Twenty-third day of the discovery of small hive beetle. When you say Piana di Gioia Tauro and Port of Gioia Tauro, San Ferdinando also say: a whole village overlooking the Gulf, 4,500 inhabitants on a flat area of thirteen square kilometers overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. The vocation is predominantly agricultural, indeed citrus. And then even beekeeping. Being with the people here discover a warmth, a predisposition to

friendliness that is consistent with the insight of one who is accustomed to bending over backwards not to upset anyone. Even if you arrive in the days when the stillness, a place where life is cadenced by the wisdom of beekeeper who sniffs the air and recognizes the imminence of the blooms of citrus fruit or the intensity of the nectar, is shaken by the fall of a meteorite called small hive beetle; even now you refuse acceptance and availability. Yet San Ferdinando means the red zone, outbreaks official infested apiaries, the last confirmed today and we are in the ninth, testifying only a sad fact: in the vicinity of this small town in the province of Reggio Calabria there is a biological factory that produces beetles with the curious vocation to destroy the hives. No one is yet able to figure out where he is hiding and if he is acting from within an apiary not yet been visited by teams of veterinarians and beekeepers that even today, and it's Sunday, they beat the territory. Or if you rather, a hypothesis that is gaining increasing ground, small hive beetle is landed here from some Egyptian ship that transported unloaded, along with their bags of garbage, a trigger for the outbreak of this pest omnivorous. The checks are still in place, the clock is ticking but the circle is now about to be tight. Tomorrow (September 29, 2014) Dr. Franco Mutinelli, in his capacity as Head of the National Reference Centre for Beekeeping in the Ministry of Health, will be back here to take stock of the situation with the authorities of Public Health and the Beekeepers . It is expected from him a turn signal on what to do. Here is the summary of the data so far emerged nine officers small hive beetle outbreaks in many apiaries, for the most part located between the towns of San Fernando and Rosario. They are all small farms, in which were found only a few specimens of the adult beetle. In Outbreak n. 1 repeated checks to ten days after the first discovery of small hive beetle showed a reduction of the presence of mature, traps inspected speak for themselves. No evidence, visual examination, immature forms: eggs, larvae. What little statistical data processed so far tells us that the beetle is found in stronger families alongside the weak, in honeycombs freshly built and not just old ones and darker nuclei as in complete families. The hives that are positive are often also the ones in the head in a row, as if the drift of bees indirizzasse the landing of the parasite there where you gather more bees. Inspections outside the red zone have all failed. Today, finally, came the news that in Rome, during a meeting at the Institute Zooprofilattico, a ministry official has declared that he now hopes to be able to contain the infestation throughout the country are small. Words that create discomfort in the local beekeeping community, because in San Ferdinando as in the whole of Calabria anyone yet resigned to the idea that efforts to eradicate cease right now. Words, just words that in such a delicate moment they sound even as irresponsible. But the people here are accustomed to concrete facts; the efforts made so far, the will to make possible and impossible to avoid losing control of the parasite, the collaboration that beekeepers are giving Vets is the only word that applies to those who, in the red zone, it is still not working pause to avoid the Calabria and Italy irreparable harm.

[chris]

The link that I follow gives a much more optimistic report:

http://www.plateforme-esa.fr/index.p...ida&Itemid=328

The map shows the 2 new locations. The furthest from the original one is 6 km. So 4 in all.