Bee Health Improvement Partnership (BHIP) Annual Report 2025

Communication, Engagement and Resources

Varroa map

In keeping with our commitment to provide up-to-date information, the Scottish Government’s Honey Bee Health Team completed a biannual update of the Varroa map. The update incorporated new data from BeeBase and reports from Scottish beekeepers to reflect:

• Areas where Varroa has been reported present
• Areas with mixed reports (i.e. some localised presence or absence)
• Areas with no reported cases of Varroa

Key changes include:

• No part of Skye and Raasay currently has a sufficient number of Varroa-free beekeepers to define the area as ‘free’; the entire island has therefore been reclassified as ‘mixed’
• A slight expansion has been recorded in the area of Mull
• On a positive note, all samples submitted from Orkney continue to show no reported cases of Varroa

Beekeepers in areas where varroa is not endemic are encouraged to update their Varroa status on BeeBase to help ensure that the map is as accurate as possible.

In response to an unconfirmed report of bees having been brought to Orkney from the mainland, potentially introducing Varroa to the Orkney Isles, SG/ SASA supported the local beekeepers by providing a free floor scrapings analysis service.

BeeBase

BeeBase is our best tool to monitor and control the spread of honey bee pests and diseases. The site supports Defra, Welsh Government and Scottish Government bee health programmes and provides a wealth of apiculture information. A dedicated Scottish section on BeeBase allows Scottish beekeepers to keep up to date with the latest news and publications.

As part of the 2025 annual BeeBase communications campaign, targeted messaging was developed for both email and social media and shared with the Scottish Beekeepers’ Association (SBA), British Beekeepers Association (BFA), and local associations. The campaign focused on reminding beekeepers to review and update the locations of their heather sites on BeeBase. Maintaining accurate and up-to-date records ensures that Bee Health Inspectors can effectively assess potential risks to apiaries and prioritise inspections where required, strengthening our ability to protect bee health across the region. By working collaboratively with national and local associations to amplify this messaging, the campaign reinforced the importance of timely registration and regular record updates as a core element of disease preparedness and response.

Each winter, the Bee Health Inspectors carry out a vital data cleansing exercise on BeeBase. This involves contacting beekeepers who have not logged in to BeeBase within the past seven years to confirm whether they are still actively keeping bees. If necessary, their records are updated to ensure the database accurately reflects current beekeeping activity. This exercise began in the winter of 2023/24 and will be conducted annually moving forward. Beekeepers who are contacted during this process are encouraged to engage with the bee health inspectors to ensure their records are up to date.

Any beekeepers who need help updating their BeeBase record or have forgotten their username or password, can get in touch with the SG’s Business Support Team by email at Bees_Mailbox@gov.scot All the information entered into BeeBase is confidential and secure, and is only used to help track and inform notifiable disease and pest outbreaks.

Communication reach

In 2025, the Scottish Beekeepers' Association (SBA) played a crucial role in spreading the Scottish Government Honey Bee Health Team's campaigns through all their communication channels. This collaboration highlights the strength of the partnership between the SG and the SBA. The tables below demonstrate how effectively the SBA is reaching key audiences with essential honey bee health messages.

Emails

No of people opening email

Social media - the followers on each of these platforms may not necessarily be SBA members, so these platforms have the potential for a much broader reach.

No of people opening email

The Honey Bee Health Team regularly contribute articles for the SBA’s Scottish Beekeeper Monthly Magazine.