Bee Health Improvement Partnership (BHIP) Annual Report 2024
This second annual report of the Bee Health Improvement Partnership (BHIP) provides an overview of its activities and progress during the second year of Scotland's second 10-year Honey Bee Health Strategy, which was published in 2022.
Executive summary
The 2024 beekeeping season was difficult for beekeepers due to cold, wet spring and late summer weather. These conditions led to slow brood development, starvation, queen failure, and increased chalkbrood and sacbrood in colonies. Late swarming, poor mating conditions, and failed queen introductions further stressed colonies. Additionally, irregular brood stages complicated inspections and disease identification, making it a challenging year overall.
In 2024, Bee Health Inspectors identified fewer colonies with European Foulbrood (EFB) compared to the record high numbers in 2023. However, the figures were still higher than in previous years, indicating that EFB remains a significant issue. Efforts are underway to gather evidence for the development of a long-term EFB disease management strategy.
In 2024, in line with the UK Government, the Scottish Government began referring to the “Asian hornet” as the “Yellow-legged hornet” in order to more correctly identify the insect. The Scottish Government published its Yellow Legged (formerly Asian) hornet Contingency Plan which outlines the response to any suspected or confirmed incursions of the hornet in Scotland, ensuring that action is prompt and effective in preventing the hornet from establishing and threatening honey bees and other pollinators in the region. In England, there had been fears that given the record 72 Yellow-legged hornet nests identified in 56 locations in 2023, 2024 would be just as bad, however, this was not the case and there were only 24 nests found.
Throughout 2024, the BHIP remained committed to prioritising the education of the Scottish beekeeping community, particularly around the recognition and management of notifiable diseases and pests. The programme maintained strong engagement with beekeepers through its communication channels and developed a variety of resources to inform and educate on these important issues. The next section summarises the BHIP’s key achievements and progress made during the year.
Contact
Email: bees_mailbox@gov.scot