Bee vigilant if buying nucs.

[Calluna4u]

Just a heads up, especially if you are in Tayside. Came across a set of plainly disturbed hives near Dundee today whilst doing heather prep.

These were double deep hives with brood in 12 to 15 bars, plenty food and pollen, but were being robbed.

Almost no bees, no queen, no q.cells, brood in all stages inc eggs, combs not back in correct order. Shook swarms plainly been removed from them.

The bad news for the thief is that this apiary has had EFB earlier in the summer and is still under a standstill order, and one of the hives shaken was the one next to the (removed and destroyed earlier) EFB case. This must be considered a super high risk bit of theft............. so if you are offered bees by an unknown source in the area be very very careful.

[gavin]

*sigh*

One of these days we'll get the b******s who do this. Maybe that time is coming closer as things like DNA fingerprinting of pathogens allows the tracking of stocks like never before. Perhaps social media will help too. To help that effort I've copied this to the East of Scotland Beekeepers Facebook group. Posts there are read by well over 100 folk, mostly local, with an interest in beekeeping. Members and non-members of the local association.

G.

[Calluna4u]

I am not the only one Gavin. Someone is 'at it'. My chargehand had his hives between Muirhead and Lundie raided too, a string of them had swarms shaken. The ones nearer Invergowrie (mines) have had a number of 'visits' this season.


and while you are at it................there are some pretty heavy varroa issues rearing up too........modest levels of mites yet associated viruses (I have sent in sample comb to SASA) causing colonies to decline. Thus a warning to really get on top of treating before widespread collapses start would be appropriate.

By 'modest' I mean between 1 and 2 varroa per 10 purple eyed drone cells opened, not per cell. Yet PMS is apparent. Sacbrood very widespread in the Carse area.