Pest & Disease Control

Bee Aware

  1. Make sure you are familiar with the signs and causes of foulbrood and other brood disorders.
  2. Inspect your colonies at the very least every spring and autumn, specifically to check for brood disease. If you are unsure, seek expert advice.
  3. Never transfer combs between colonies, or divide colonies, without first checking for signs of brood disease.
  4. Never bring colonies, combs or beekeeping equipment into the apiary unless you are sure that they come from a disease-free source.
  5. Never buy old combs. Always sterilise second-hand hives by thoroughly scorching them with a blow lamp before use.
  6. Control robbing in the apiary. Never leave combs or honey exposed to robbing bees. Never feed honey from another source to your bees.
  7. If a colony of bees dies out at any time, seal the hive to prevent the remaining stores being robbed out, pending examination of the brood combs for signs of disease.
  8. If any colony appears not to be thriving and the reason why is unknown, examine the brood for signs of disease.
  9. Be suspicious of stray swarms. Hive them on foundation rather than drawn comb, keep them ‘isolated’ from the rest of the apiary as the colony expands and inspect them for disease once they have become established.
  10. Regularly and systematically replace old brood combs in the apiary by melting them down and replacing them with frames fitted with foundation.