Bee health is a prime concern for any bee keeper. A sick colony is unlikely to survive for long and in the case of some diseases bee keepers are legally obliged to notify the authorities as they can to the surrounding area and infect other colonies too.
Bee’s are incredibly resilient at surviving predictors and threats and have adapted over millions of years to survive and thrive but modern travel habits, global shipping and intentional movement of different bee’s species has denied our native European bees the time necessary to adapt and cope with the changes presented to them.
As a result, bees in the UK are often under pressure to survive.
A significant part of being a successful bee keeper is being able to recognise diseases, understand threats both new and existing and know how to tackle them effectively. Whilst not exhaustive, this section contains many of the diseases and parasitise commonly found in UK colonies along with information about threats bee keepers need to be ever vigilant for.
Commonly found diseases and parasites
Sacbrood
Chronic Bee Paralysis
Deformed Wing Virus
Notifyable diseases and parasites
American Foul Brood (AFB)
European Foul Brood (EFB)
Emerging and future threats
Yellow Legged Asian Hornet (YLAH)