Attendees and apologies

Attendees:

• Scottish Government (SG), SASA, Senior Entomologist and Vice-Chair
• SG, Animal Health and Welfare (AHW), Veterinary Advisor (Bee Health)  
• SGAHW, Bee Health Policy Lead
• SGAHW, Bee Health Policy Officer 
• SGRPID, Bee Health Delivery Lead
• SGSASA, Laboratory Manager
• NatureScot representative
• Scottish Beekeepers’ Association (SBA), President and Bee Health Convener
• SBA, Development Officer and Magazine Editor
• Bee Farmers’ Association, Membership Services
• Bee Farmers’ Association, Scottish Representative
• SRUC, Bee Health Advisor
• Scottish Native Honey Bee Society (SNHBS) representative
• David Evans

Observers:

• Welsh Government (WG) representative
• Defra Policy Team representative

Apologies:

• SGAHW, Head of Animal Welfare and Bee Health and Chair
• National Bee Unit (NBU) representative
• Rest of the Defra Policy Team

Items and actions

Welcome, introductions and apologies

The chair welcomed everyone to the meeting noting attendees/apologies as above.

 

Previous minutes, review of actions and questions over reports sent by group members

The minutes of the previous quarterly meeting held on 12 November 2024 were agreed and accepted as an accurate record after the last meeting and subsequently published on the SG bee health web pages.

Actions are recorded in the Implementation Plan and are updated with the information provided in members reports.

There were no questions raised over those quarterly reports which were submitted.

 

Update on Activity

 

Updates relevant to the group from invited administrations

The Defra representative informed the group that Defra have been preparing for the upcoming beekeeping season. There are plans to conduct a risk assessment on Tropilaelaps. After the completion of the nest analysis for the Yellow-legged Hornet over the winter, an update is set to be published and shared with stakeholders.

The WG representative mentioned the Implementation Plan for the Healthy Bees Plan in England and Wales is currently being reviewed.

 

Policy update

Policy wrote to the Minister for Agriculture to let him know that the National Diploma in Beekeeping representative was stepping down from the Group. The team were pleased that the Minister wrote to the representative expressing appreciation, on behalf of the SG, for all that she has contributed over the years and extending best wishes for the future.

The Honey Bee Health Team held a wash-up meeting in late November to reflect on the 2024 season and set priorities for 2025. The Bee Health Delivery Lead will provide more details on this later in the meeting.

The team are collating data and information on EFB as part of the plans to review the approach to EFB and the Control Strategy. Any new approach will be informed by the various pieces of research. There will be no changes to the approach/Plan in 2025.

Finally, the team have had meetings with Defra regarding imports of bees where policy continue to raise the issue of diversion of imports through NI into GB. Defra are listening to our concerns and SG, UK and NI Governments will continue to engage with each other on the point. The Veterinary Advisor noted that SG are often asked about banning imports. SG’s focus is bee health not on banning imports.

 

SBA update

Tickets are on sale for ApiScotia which is due to take place in May at Dumfries House and is aimed at intermediate beekeepers. A Microscopy Workshop is planned in March for advanced beekeepers and a Wax Workshop is planned for April. The SBA AGM will take place at the SRUC Barony Campus where a guest speaker will be presenting on the topic of Tropilaelaps.

 

BFA update

The BFA Board meeting took place in January at Sand Hutton where the board met with Defra and APHA. Recruitment has started for English and Welsh members for the DASH Scheme. There is a meeting in Perth in March for Scottish members and representatives from SG were welcomed to attend. More activities in Scotland are planned now a Regional Rep has been appointed.

Action: Bee Health Delivery Lead to approach the Regional Rep to agree attendance at the Scottish meeting.

 

NatureScot

The Scottish Biodiversity Strategy launched late 2024 which has good coverage on invasive species. Colleagues in NatureScot participated in the exercise to test SG’s Yellow-legged hornet Contingency Plan. The Environmental Bill is making its way through Parliament. The current Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) budget will be fully committed in the coming weeks. There is however a likelihood of further budget for nature restoration, and some of this may be allocated to NRF. If that happens the NRF will reopen. The Species on the Edge programme focuses on the fringes of Scotland and looks to improve fortunes for priority species. Lastly, NatureScot continue to promote the Pollinator Strategy and are starting to think about the follow-up, as the current 10-year Strategy was launched in 2017.

 

Delivery update

The team are delivering talks in high disease risk areas. Recently delivered a presentation to East of Scotland, Fife and Perth and District Beekeepers Associations in preparation for the upcoming season. The EFB heat map produced by the team was well received.

 

SASA update

SASA provided an overview of the results of the nation-wide survey to establish the distribution of EFB across Scotland. In total, 107 beekeepers out of 150 who originally agreed to take part sent in samples for analysis to the lab at SASA, which is a 71% return rate. The results support previous studies that EFB is not widespread in Scotland. A report will form part of a package of evidence to inform future polices. Participants will be contacted before the report is shared with the wider community.

The test detects the pathogen which causes EFB, and the data collected shows it is more sensitive than a visual inspection. A positive test result can be used to trigger an inspection but is not currently used to confirm diagnosis of disease. More method development work is required to make it suitable for higher volume routine work. The Policy team are also considering its potential use as an alternative diagnostic test.

 

SNHBS:

Preparation underway to hold a queen rearing workshop this summer.

 

Implementation Plan 

Summaries of key actions under the pillars of the Plan delivered recently were highlighted and included:

Under education, planning has begun for the 2025 Bee Health Day, which will be held in Ayrshire. The association-led Bee Health Days continue to generate interest, with one organised by the South of Scotland Beekeepers scheduled for February. The Bee Health Advisor shared an Education Plan for the year ahead with members. The 2025 plan will focus on swarming, EFB and Yellow-legged hornet and requires sign-off from members. Members of the group were also encouraged to promote SRUC’s podcasts with their respective members and encourage beekeepers to feedback on what they want to hear, how they are received by the community and whether this is an effective communication tool.

Action: members to provide feedback/comments to the Bee Health Advisor on the Education Plan for 2025 to ensure the right areas are being targeted.

 

For communication, SG Policy worked with the NBU to develop and agree a Way of Working and Service Level Agreement to ensure that Scotland's honey bee health interests are represented on BeeBase. This formalises service agreements, sets out review cycles, and fosters good working relationships to ensure effective communication and cooperation. It was confirmed that existing resources on BeeBase will not be altered. However, all new guidance and leaflets will meet the needs of beekeepers across GB, including those in Scotland.

 

In terms of Pest and Disease Surveillance, a table-top exercise, Exercise Melliseus, was held on 6 December to test the governance and communication aspects of the Yellow-legged Hornet Contingency Plan. The exercise confirmed preparedness for a potential incursion, with all participants agreeing that a sighting would be managed effectively due to the collaboration among all parties and the clarification of roles. However, it also highlighted areas that require attention, such as ensuring appropriate powers of entry and track-and-trace authority, as well as developing robust standard messaging for updating the media, stakeholders, and the general public. Work is now underway to develop and implement part two of the exercise, which will test the operational delivery of the Contingency Plan to ensure the team is fully equipped to manage an incursion on the ground. It is hoped this will be completed by April.

 

Research and Development: As part of efforts to explore options for an EFB strategy for Scotland moving forward, SG officials previously agreed to consult with RESAS colleagues regarding an update to the 2009 report on the value of the honey bee industry in Scotland and the impact of EFB management. SRUC was commissioned to analyse the economic impact of EFB to assess whether the current control measures are sustainable. SG has received an initial draft of the report, and after a series of internal discussions and meetings with SRUC, areas requiring clarification or additional data have been identified. SG officials are now working to provide SRUC with the necessary data and expect a final version of the report by early April.

Action: Bee Health Delivery Lead to request/remind SBA and BFA to provide realistic costings to feed into this report.

 

The SNHBS representative requested that social impacts be included in the research. The Bee Health Policy Lead noted that this is outside the scope of the current report. However, if a decision is made to expand the report, this aspect can be explored further.

 

The group discussed new issues/challenges relating to honey bee health in Scotland to be added to the Implementation Plan. One key topic was the need for pest-specific contingency plans for Tropilaelaps and Small Hive Beetle (SHB). Given the new information currently coming out about Tropilaelaps, the group agreed SHB should be prioritised.

 

Both the SBA and BFA confirmed that they submitted evidence to the Parliamentary Committee’s call for evidence on biosecurity at the border. The group agreed to keep a watchful eye for the published report.

 

A review of the Implementation Plan will be tabled for the next BHIP meeting.

 

Varroa Working Group (VWG) update

The SBA President provided the group with an update on the work of the VWG, highlighting the group’s achievements. Notably, the publication of the Scottish-specific Varroa Learning Package which has received positive feedback from SBA members. Additionally, issues concerning the disposal of medicines and the use of Varroa treatments were raised with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). As a result, the VMD and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) are now more aware of the practical challenges faced on the ground. Strong communication links have been established, which increases the likelihood of these organisations reaching out during their analysis of new products and when addressing confusing guidance from manufacturers.

As the key actions outlined for the VWG have either been completed or are being pursued outside the group, the SBA President recommended to the BHIP that the group be closed. Any ongoing work will continue to be reported to the BHIP. Whilst one member felt disposal of Varroa medicines should not be treated any differently to other over the counter medicines, it was highlighted that bees are food producing animals and there are potential unknown health issues for consumers caused by residues if they are misused. In terms of the environmental issues, for example if Amitraz goes into the water course, it is for the VMD to investigate.

It was noted that page 25 of the NBU’s Managing Varroa booklet has a useful table on how, when, efficacy etc for using Varroa treatments. The Varroa Learning Package also contains a similar useful table which is more attuned to Scottish needs.

The group agreed to close the VWG and agreed this was a good pilot for future working groups.

 

2025 priorities following SG’s wash-up meeting

The Bee Health Delivery Lead provided an update to the group regarding the Honey Bee Health Team's wash-up meeting, which took place at the end of November to discuss priorities for 2025.

As the team is still awaiting several pieces of critical evidence, there will be no changes to the EFB Control Strategy for 2025. However, it is hoped that the team will be able to implement a new strategy and EFB Control Plan in 2026. Members involved in the Control Plan will be visited over the next few months.

At the last BHIP meeting, the group discussed the possibility of implementing a whole shook swarm strategy. However, it was agreed that there is currently insufficient scientific evidence to enforce such a strategy. The team is awaiting the results of the Bee Diseases Insurance Ltd (BDI) Project, which is expected to provide usable data by the end of 2025. This, alongside other data, will be used to inform future policy and will be revisited with the BHIP once available. The current advice for hobbyist beekeepers is to euthanise the infected colony and shook swarm the rest of the apiary as the best method for ensuring eradication. However, some beekeepers are unwilling to follow this, and inspectors cannot enforce the recommendation. The Veterinary Advisor noted that tailored advice is given in each case, considering the specific situation and the financial needs of the individual beekeeper. Once scientific evidence is available to support a policy, a consistent approach can be applied across the board.

The Varroa map which shows the distribution of Varroa across Scotland will be updated this year and published in time for the Royal Highland Show. Bee Inspectors are working on updating records and data cleansing of BeeBase over the winter months to ensure records are accurate.

As the Bee Health Advisor mentioned earlier in the meeting, EFB will be a focus for education this year. There are plans to create a video on how to do a disease inspection and include a link to this is the 3km disease notification which goes out to beekeepers in affected areas. The WG representative shared a link with the group to an existing video from the Healthy Bees Academy.

Members of the team plan to attend the NBU’s Technical Conference in York to learn about any new updates or developments which they will cascade to the SG Bee Inspectors at their annual training, which is due to take place at the end of April. A member of the SBA is due to attend the training to talk to the Inspectors about the SBA Compensation Scheme.

 

Update on BHIP Annual Report and short-life working groups

 

The Bee Health Policy Officer informed the group that a draft of the annual report, highlighting the group's achievements and progress in 2024, will be circulated shortly for feedback. This will allow members to ensure that their respective organisations are appropriately represented.

During the November BHIP meeting, the group agreed to explore the possibility of establishing short-term working groups to address issues raised by SBA members. One group would focus on swarm management and responsibility, while another would concentrate on best practices and proactive control measures to tackle the threat of new pests. An email was sent inviting volunteers to participate in these groups, as well as to recommend individuals or organisations that could contribute. There has been strong engagement with the swarm management group; however, it was noted that only two BHIP members had volunteered so far. As a result, the SBA President agreed to represent the SBA in this group.

The group discussed whether a separate working group was necessary, or if a quarterly BHIP meeting could be dedicated to this topic. Some expressed concerns that a wide range of opinions might not all be relevant to the BHIP, while others felt it should be opened up, as outside input from individuals or organisations outside the BHIP was needed. SG Policy will review and decide how to take this forward.

Given that most of the questions raised by SBA members relate to international trade—an issue that falls under the reserved powers of the UK Government and is beyond the scope of the group's remit—it was agreed that a short-term working group focused on the threat of new pests would not be the most effective approach. Instead, the SG will continue to actively engage with the UK Government on these issues and consult with them to provide responses to the questions raised by SBA members. Additionally, the development of Contingency Plans for Tropilaelaps and SHB will help address some of these concerns.

 

Next BHIP meeting: date and format

The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 13th May. As this meeting falls during the beekeeping season, the group agreed to hold it online.

 

Any Other Business

There was no other business to address on this occasion.