NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL BEE UNIT

Live Data Maps

Wed, 13 Jun 2018 09:59:19 GMT

Please note: We are currently experiencing issues with our live data maps and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

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New Asian Hornet Trap Recording in BeeBase Beekeeping Records

Wed, 23 May 2018 09:59:19 GMT

Dear Beekeepers.

The National Bee Unit (NBU) has added a new BeeBase feature to help understand UK Asian hornet surveillance.

In April 2018 a single Asian hornet queen was photographed by a member of the public in Bury, Lancashire, on a cauliflower which was traced back to a farm in Boston, Lincolnshire. The NBU has continued to monitor for the hornet’s presence in both counties but to date, has found no Vespa velutina at either of these sites.

Many Beekeepers are monitoring for Asian hornets and BeeBase apiary records have been improved so beekeepers can record when traps are located in their apiaries. Please update your records to help us understand where traps have been placed across the UK in the ‘my apiary’ tab. Guidance on how to use the new recording feature, as well as additional information about how to log into your BeeBase account can be found in our Beekeeper Pages FAQ.

The NBU will continue to update you on Asian Hornet surveillance throughout the year.

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Swarms of honeybees

Tue, 15 May 2018 09:59:19 GMT

The National Bee Unit has been receiving a large amount of calls regarding honey bee swarms. Please note that we do not deal with swarms, however, you may find the following advice useful in re-directing your enquiry:

First of all it is important to establish what sort of insect it is. Usually, beekeepers are only willing to assist with honey bees. The British Beekeepers Association(BBKA) website holds list of volunteer Swarm Collectors and has a very useful identification and guidance page.

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Small Hive Beetle is not confirmed in France

Fri, 04 May 2018 09:59:19 GMT

The National Bee Unit (NBU) received news on 30/04/2018 of a suspected finding of Small hive beetle eggs in an imported consignment of bees (1000 queens) in France. The news has been widely shared across the UK’s beekeeping community.

A formal Communiqué de presse was issued by the Ministère de l’ Agriculture & ANSES on 4th May 2018 http://agriculture.gouv.fr/parasite-des-abeilles-aethina-tumida-suspicion-non-confirmee it explained how analyses carried out at the national reference of Sophia Antipolis laboratory is inconclusive and the available material will not allow further analysis.

The import was originally from Argentina and is said to have been widely distributed in France, further checks will be taking place during the season. There are currently no confirmed reports of Small hive beetle (Aethina tumida) in Argentina (source OIE) however the beetle has been found in other parts of South America.

The UK has received one import of 525 queens from Argentina this year. The NBU proactively took action to inspect the imported queens, Fera Science Ltd received the consignment samples for mandatory checks and no Aethina tumida were found to be present.

UK authorities remain active in preparing and monitoring for the Small hive beetle. Contingency training exercises have been run by the NBU to provide opportunities to test and improve protocols. Further information on Small hive beetle can be found in the NBU advisory leaflet.

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Asian hornet identified in Lancashire

Thu, 03 May 2018 09:59:19 GMT

The National Bee Unit has confirmed a sighting of a single Asian hornet in Lancashire. More information can be found in the Defra Press release:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/asian-hornet-identified-in-lancashire

Further guidance on the Asian hornet can be found on the Asian hornet pages of BeeBase including an Asian hornet ID sheet and Asian hornet poster .

We have written a monitoring trap for the Asian hornet fact sheet and an Asian hornet trap making video to help assist you in monitoring for the Asian hornet.

You can report sightings with your smart phone or tablet, by using the ‘Asian hornet Watch’ app for Androids and iOS. The app also uses GPS which allows the user to submit the exact location of their finding, allowing any confirmed sightings to be followed up quickly and efficiently.

Alternatively, you can submit your sighting by email. When doing so, please include as much information as possible, including where you saw the sighting, name, contact number/ address and if possible an image. Send your sightings to: alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk.

Finally you can also use the online recording form which can be found at:

http://www.brc.ac.uk/risc/alert.php?species=asian_hornet

Please could all media enquiries be directed to the Defra press Office: 0208 2257317

We thank you in advance for your co-operation.

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