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Interested in Bee health? get involved and become a member by clicking below.

Bee health

Discover common bee ailments and how to treat them.

BBVA events

Keep up to date with all the BBVA events past and present.

Welcome to the British Bee Veterinary Association!

Within these pages you will find general information on bees, beekeeping, honey and other hive products as well as more veterinary-specific topics including bee diseases, diagnosis and treatment. There is also a directory of resources for further information.

Many thanks to our sponsors Agria Pet Insurance, Vita Bee Health and Shire Insurance for their generous support of the British Bee Veterinary Association. This support is much appreciated and will enable the BBVA to carry out its work in spreading knowledge of bees and showing the positive impact they have on our lives.

BBVA Webinars

More Information

Royal Jelly

What is Royal jelly?

What is Royal Jelly? Royal Jelly is a milky secretion produced by glands of the worker bees and used to feed all larvae in the colony regardless of sex. After the first three days of life, the male larvae (drones) and female larvae (worker bees) stop being fed royal jelly. However, fascinatingly, when a colony [...]

Membership

We warmly welcome both veterinary and non-veterinary members to the Association. Ordinary Membership is open to Members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), or those holding an equivalent veterinary qualification which is registrable with the RCVS. Associate Membership is open to anyone who does not hold a veterinary qualification registrable with the RCVS. Bee Friendly Practice Membership covers all staff [...]

Previous meetings

The BBVA aims to host two meetings a year in the Spring and Autumn at universities and other bee related organisation venues in the UK. For more information about previous meetings…

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About the BBVA

The British Bee Veterinary Association (BBVA) was launched on 1st April 2015 in response to an increased demand for bee expertise from the veterinary profession. Full Membership is open to anyone holding a veterinary qualification registerable with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. We also warmly welcome student and non-veterinary Associate Members as well as ‘Bee Friendly Practice’ Membership. For information [...]

Common diseases

Foulbrood

American foulbrood (AFB) and European foulbrood (EFB), despite their names, both occur in the UK and both can lead to the death of infected colonies. Both foulbroods are statutory notifiable diseases and therefore, beekeepers are legally obligated to report any suspected diseased colonies under the Bee Diseases and Pests Control Order 2006 (as amended). Causes AFB [...]

Verroa mites

Varroa destructor (Anderson and Truman) previously described as Varroa jacobsoni (Oud) is a parasitic mite of adult bees and brood. In the past hundred years or so it has become the most serious pest of Western honeybees across the globe, particularly for the European honey bee Apis mellifera which lacks natural defences to be able to deal with the mite [...]

Nosema

There are no outward symptoms of the disease. Dysentery is often seen in association with N. apis infections; this may be seen as ‘spotting’ at the hive entrance or across the frames. The dysentery is not caused by the pathogen, but as a consequence of infection and can be exacerbated during periods of prolonged confinement during inclement [...]

Chronic Bee Paralysis virus

Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus (CBPV)-infected bees are characteristically ‘shiny and black’. These bees in infected hives are often found isolated, motionless and/or shaking on the top bars. When the colony is smoked they do not tend to move down between the frames as the other ‘normal’ bees do. Abdomens may also be distended and the wings [...]

Hello bee-enthusiast friends! You may be interested to see these annotated photographs taken by BBVA member Chris Palgrave at a recent 'bee anatomy and dissection' NBD short course run by Dan and Ken Basterfield in East Devon.

British Bee Veterinary Association

Quick Bee facts

250

Species of Bee in the UK

45,000

Bees in the average hive

20-70lb

honey harvested per year by a hive

BBVA News and Events

BBVA May 2021 Webinars

More Information […]

Read More…
Rare Australian bee found after 100 years

Rare bee found after 100 years by Flinders University Pharohylaeus lactiferus (Colletidae: Hylaeinae). Credit: James Dorey Photography A widespread field search for a rare Australian native bee not recorded for almost a century has found it’s been there all along—but is probably under increasing pressure to survive. Only six individual were ever found, with the last […]

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A Buzzworthy Human-Animal Bond

Veterinary Consultant Josh Vaisman kind of fell into beekeeping. He couldn’t have anticipated how his relationship with his hives would evolve. Watch his story on NAVC’s Spark Community channel: https://navc.com/spark/2020/05/13/spark-community-story-a-buzzworthy-human-animal-bond/ […]

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ARS scientists probe pollinator survival strategies

ARS Scientists Probe Pollinator Survival Strategies 06/23/2020 View as a webpage ARS News Service ARS Scientists Probe Pollinator Survival Strategies For media inquiries contact: Dennis O’Brien, 301-504-1624 June 23, 2020 Fargo, North Dakota, June 23 — Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have shed new light this spring on strategies used to ensure the survival of two very […]

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Understanding Conservation and Protection of Precious Natural Resources – Bees

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Major Honey Bee Health Problem with Particular Emphasis to Anti-Varroa Investigation of Propolis in Toke-Kutaye District, Ethiopia

American-Eurasian Journal of Scientific Research 11 (5): 320-331, 2016 ISSN 1818-6785 © IDOSI Publications, 2016 DOI: 10.5829/idosi.aejsr.2016.11.5.10418 Corresponding Author: Shimelis Mengistu, Haramaya University, College of Veterinary Medicine, P.O.Box: 138 Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. 320 Major Honey Bee Health Problem with Particular Emphasis to Anti-Varroa Investigation of Propolis in Toke-Kutaye District, Ethiopia Shimelis Mengistu, Yared Kebede and […]

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Direct effect of acaricides on pathogen loads and gene expression levels in honey bees Apis mellifera

https://www.academia.edu/29988781/Direct_effect_of_acaricides_on_pathogen_loads_and_gene_expression_levels_in_honey_bees_Apis_mellifera?email_work_card=view-paper […]

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Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA)

SASA brought a day of lectures from leading researchers to Edinburgh on 2nd October 2019, as well as a tour of their workshops and demonstrations of recent cases brought to their labs. Bee vets have gathered in Edinburgh to meet the Scottish Bee Health Team and discuss its vital task of keeping the “national colony” healthy […]

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British Bee Veterinary Association – BSAVA Satellite Meeting

Wednesday 1st April 2020 ICC, Birmingham This will be the last pre-congress meeting in Birmingham, before the move to Manchester. The schedule outline is below; registration & coffee available from 9.30am, with the first speaker at 10am. Excellent speakers from several different backgrounds and topics that will interest everyone. Guest speakers include Nicolas Vidal-Naquet, the […]

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Vomiting bumblebees show that sweeter is not necessarily better

Animal pollinators support the production of three-quarters of the world’s food crops, and many flowers produce nectar to reward the pollinators. A new study using bumblebees has found that the sweetest nectar is not necessarily the best: too much sugar slows down the bees. The results will inform breeding efforts to make crops more attractive […]

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Join the BBVA

Bee health

BBVA events

Welcome to the British Bee Veterinary Association!

Within these pages you will find general information on bees, beekeeping, honey and other hive products as well as more veterinary-specific topics including bee diseases, diagnosis and treatment. There is also a directory of resources for further information.

BBVA Webinars

Royal Jelly

What is Royal jelly?

Membership

Previous meetings

About the BBVA

Common diseases

Foulbrood

Verroa mites

Nosema

Chronic Bee Paralysis virus

Quick Bee facts

250

45,000

20-70lb

BBVA News and Events

BBVA May 2021 Webinars

Rare Australian bee found after 100 years

A Buzzworthy Human-Animal Bond

ARS scientists probe pollinator survival strategies

Understanding Conservation and Protection of Precious Natural Resources – Bees

Major Honey Bee Health Problem with Particular Emphasis to Anti-Varroa Investigation of Propolis in Toke-Kutaye District, Ethiopia

Direct effect of acaricides on pathogen loads and gene expression levels in honey bees Apis mellifera

Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA)

British Bee Veterinary Association – BSAVA Satellite Meeting

Vomiting bumblebees show that sweeter is not necessarily better