Bee Health Improvement Partnership (BHIP) Annual Report 2024

Notifiable disease inspections

This year’s first finding of American foulbrood (AFB) in Scotland was confirmed on 5 April 2024 in a single hive in the Stanley area of Perthshire. Ministers were informed and a news release was issued to raise awareness. Alerts are also sent through BeeBase to registered beekeepers within a 3km radius, underscoring the importance of keeping apiary locations up to date. This enables the Scottish Government Bee Health Team to assess potential risks of disease spread to local bee populations, which is especially crucial for beekeepers in areas where disease has been confirmed. Additionally, disease notification alerts are distributed to MSPs and MPs in the affected regions and BHIP members, who also share with their organisations and other relevant stakeholders.

The inspection figures for the 2024 season are shown below.

In addition to carrying out all confirmatory diagnoses on samples with suspected disease, SASA analysed a minimum of one sample from each apiary with confirmed foulbrood infection to determine the ‘strain type’ (relatedness) of the bacteria present. This allows SASA to monitor the epidemiology of the foulbrood infection in Scotland, identify likely sources of spread, and to detect any potentially new introductions.