SHB petition

[gavin]

Eric has asked me to put this up. A petition requesting action to prevent small hive beetle being imported.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have started a National Campaign in the form of the petition which accompanies this mail. I write to express the hope that the SBAi forum will put its support behind this move to raise public awareness of the very real danger to Scotland's honeybees.

Please take a moment and append your name - thank you. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/462/920/171/

[Jon]

I agree with the sentiment but petitions like this should really avoid the sensationalist 'end of the world' type language if they are going to be taken seriously.

[Rosie]

I just tried to sign the petition but the system insists on a street name and house number. I don't have either!

[Rosie]

Just tried again with an invented number and street - it was accepted this time.

[HJBee]

Agree with Jon re wording & sensationalism, but signed.

[Adam]

I don't have a house number so had to invent one.....
Signed.

[EK.Bee]

Signed
The SBA must take a lead on this
A voluntary ban is inadequate
Clandestine imports can be discouraged by punitive sanctions
If you tried to import cows infected with foot & mouth & were caught you'd be in the jail
I can't see any fundamental difference here
Although the wording of the petition is emotive it is a fact that SHB results in the loss of tens of thousands of bees in the US

[crabbitdave]

Hi all, I agree and support the banning of these imports from the eu, but as with all things to do with the eu, it will probably be near impossible to do because of the trade agreements, and what's to stop them being shipped into France and sold from their to uk its a worrying time, as a local keeper has now started selling packages of bees from France, all in the name of profit.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Duncan]

a local keeper has now started selling packages of bees from France, all in the name of profit.
Obviously not a charity then.

[gavin]

..... as a local keeper has now started selling packages of bees from France, all in the name of profit.


That rings so many alarm bells. I mentioned in another thread of the known trade from Italy (including the south where SHB occurs) into France. It is time we started putting pressure on the greyer side of such bee dealings.

[crabbitdave]

[After agreement, I've removed posts of two members in this thread. It leaves some of Prakel's questions out of context, sorry about that.]

[prakel]

Hi crabbitdave, would this happen to be the same vendor who's sourcing his imported packages from a larger consignment that's being brought in by a Scottish member of the bee-farmers club?

[crabbitdave]

Parkel am not a 100% sure on that one and I know there's nothing wrong in doing that and everything their doing is above board, it just gos against what I believe in.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[prakel]

Parkel am not a 100% sure on that one and I know there's nothing wrong in doing that and everything their doing is above board, it just gos against what I believe in.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi, just trying to get a fix on whether it's who I initially thought it was, as we've since had mention of the 'greyer' side of imports.

[prakel]

Think we're referring to two different individuals so there appear to be at least two Scottish sources already advertising 2015 French packages to the general market.

[gavin]

[snip] ...... we might talk more about imports from France given that the SBA members on Saturday voted to call for a ban of all continental imports for 2015.

[mbc]

....talk more about imports from France given that the SBA members on Saturday voted to call for a ban of all continental imports for 2015.
.

It does make grim reading just how interconnected European beekeeping is, seems an awful lot of areas in various countries have received bees from the Calabria region, it makes sense to have a ban on imports from all suspect countries, of course, that includes us, we may have it already!

[fatshark]

It does make grim reading just how interconnected European beekeeping is, seems an awful lot of areas in various countries have received bees from the Calabria region, it makes sense to have a ban on imports from all suspect countries, of course, that includes us, we may have it already!

I think the SBI's have been looking closely at known Italian-sourced imports … quoting from the NBU website "Since the beetles discovery, urgent measures are now underway to measure the extent of the outbreak, complete tracings (sales and movements of bees from the area), with the intention to eradicate and control spread in line with EU legislation and safeguards. [snip] Since 2011, there has been a substantial level of imports of package bees and queens from Italy into the UK. The NBU is arranging for further inspection of colonies belonging to these beekeepers."

Anyone have an update on how these inspections have/are progressing? Presumably no beetles have been found here.

And since many of the posts on here are directed to Gavin and he raised the French imports … do we know which of the large-scale bee importers sources bees from France/Italy/Greece etc? I discussed this at our association meeting this evening (surprisingly how little many knew, presumably relying on BBKA pronouncements only) and we discussed Bickerstaffes, Maisies, EasyBees, big T and a couple I can't remember. Some of these used to sell overwintered stocks, but several/most/all now import, either the complete box or the queen to make up a nuc. Is it time that purchased bees had a certificate of origin … ideally one that doesn't say "Produce of EU and non-EU countries"!

I've just realised that this is almost certainly on the wrong SHB thread … sorry

[prakel]

I think the SBI's have been looking closely at known Italian-sourced imports … quoting from the NBU website "Since the beetles discovery, urgent measures are now underway to measure the extent of the outbreak, complete tracings (sales and movements of bees from the area), with the intention to eradicate and control spread in line with EU legislation and safeguards. [snip] Since 2011, there has been a substantial level of imports of package bees and queens from Italy into the UK. The NBU is arranging for further inspection of colonies belonging to these beekeepers."

Anyone have an update on how these inspections have/are progressing? Presumably no beetles have been found here.

There have been various mentions of large scale illegal imports, along with the implication that there must be people who have information regarding the culprits (otherwise, how would they know that there are so many). That being the case, have they, as upstanding members of the bee-keeping community passed on the relevant details to make sure that the checks are as efficient as they can be?

[Jon]

Paynes sell hundreds of imported queens of several different subspecies and Buckfast.

[crabbitdave]

There is always black markets in any area where money can be made, Murry and John both said the imports to uk could be nearly double the registered ones very this very scary and it's before any ban, Murry did come up with a good idea to allow only queens on new cages to be brought in to uk, to help with stocking problems.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[prakel]

There is always black markets in any area where money can be made, Murry and John both said the imports to uk could be nearly double the registered ones very this very scary and it's before any ban, Murry did come up with a good idea to allow only queens on new cages to be brought in to uk, to help with stocking problems.

Yes, but we're repeatedly hearing that there are very high levels of illegal imports, no mention of 'could be'. If it is the truth and not a smoke screen to divert attention from the people bringing in legal imports then anyone who now claims to know the facts needs to report what they know. If they don't actually know anything beyond 'could be' then primary attention plainly needs to be swung back to the way in which the legal side of things is ran.

[EK.Bee]

First time someone receives a big fine or custodial sentence for illegal import would turn that tap to a drip only (if not completely off)

The rewards aren't comparable to the drug trade so the incentive to take the risk isn't there

I agree with Prakel it's a could be, maybe

[Duncan]

Well, we know for certain that illegal imports were made from other EU countries in to the UK. The importers even made their own "risk assessment". But it was OK because these were the right type of bee in the eyes of the importer.
Having knowledge of the details could also make one as guilty as the importers - but where should this imformation be passed to? FERA? NBU?

[Rosie]

Well, we know for certain that illegal imports were made from other EU countries in to the UK. The importers even made their own "risk assessment". But it was OK because these were the right type of bee in the eyes of the importer.
Having knowledge of the details could also make one as guilty as the importers - but where should this imformation be passed to? FERA? NBU?

Who is "we". This knowledge certainly bypassed me.

[busybeephilip]

I know of someone in the past who was caught accepting illegal imports - the authorities took little action apart from confiscating the queens and reciting the import regulations. As EK Bee said, a hefty fine would slow things down.

[Jon]

Those will be the queens from Georgia, US you are referring to Phil. There is still a reference to that incident on the FIBKA site.

[prakel]

So far as eu illegals are concerned:

I have speculated in the past that the drive to bring in bees illegally may be due to not wanting to risk focussing attention on an apiary with an existing, in-house, disease problem.

[Calum]

The easiest way to put a stop to imports is to produce enough decent, reasonably priced colonies in the UK.
Its not rocket science.

[mbc]

The easiest way to put a stop to imports is to produce enough decent, reasonably priced colonies in the UK.
Its not rocket science.

By the lively informed discussions on queen rearing on here, this forum is going some way to addressing this :)

[Duncan]

"The Small Hive Beetle is native to Africa. It has been discovered widespread in Europe recently."
Widespread in Europe - really- where other than southern Italy where all the infested apiaries have been burnt.

[drumgerry]

I think the wording of Eric's petition could do with some revision. "Widespread" is not a word I would have used as that is not proven. I have however signed it. I've been saying for some years that we need to stop imports. SHB is perhaps going to be the way to bring it about but it's only one among many reasons.

[EK.Bee]

"The Small Hive Beetle is native to Africa. It has been discovered widespread in Europe recently."
Widespread in Europe - really- where other than southern Italy where all the infested apiaries have been burnt.

Sicily since he wrote that
Problem is that it is widely believed to have been in Italy for some time before it was reported & may be elsewhere already
including the UK
It might be springtime before the full spread is revealed (Praying that it has been eliminated from Italy but the last Coloss
statement wasn't hopeful & seemed to suggest that it might be endemic)

Picking hairs isn't helpful in my humble opinion

An immediate cessation of trade is needed until the issue is resolved