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.

Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA)

SASA is bringing a day of lectures from leading researchers as well as a tour of their workshops and demonstrations of any recent cases brought in their labs.

Wednesday 2nd October 2019, 1 Roddinglaw Rd, Edinburgh

See full details

Cost: £40 for members, £50 for non-members

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

How bees live with bacteria

A solitary bee leaves an artificial nest. The individual breeding chambers are separated and each contains only one larva. This prevents direct contact with sisters or mothers. Credit: Alexander Keller / University of Wuerzburg More than 90 percent of all bee species are not organized in colonies, but fight their way through life alone. They […]

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British Bee Veterinary Association Autumn Meeting

Wednesday 2nd October 2019 Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) 1 Roddinglaw Rd, Edinburgh, EH12 9FJ 9.30am Registration & coffee 10.00-16.00 – Lectures from leading researchers – notifiable diseases & pesticide investigations with Fiona Highet the Senior Entomologist at SASA – recent cases from lead Bee Inspector – discussion with Graeme Sharpe the […]

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First UK sighting of Asian Hornet in 2019

The National Bee Unit has today (Wednesday 3 July 2019) confirmed a sighting of an individual, female Asian hornet in New Milton, Hampshire, after it was reported by a member of the public. Based upon visual examination, the hornet is likely to be a queen. Monitoring is underway to detect any other Asian hornets in the vicinity […]

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Saving bees with sugar: Connecting with nature or ‘a last resort’?

If you see a bee crawling on the ground in the summer, there’s a good chance that little guy is in trouble. Bumblebees have such a high metabolism and are usually so busy, even one with a stomach full of nectar can be just 40 minutes away from starvation, according to Professor Dave Goulson. Which […]

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When Beekeeping clashes with Soy Farming in Mexico

An article with superb pictures by Nadia Shira Cohen which can be found via: https://wepresent.wetransfer.com/story/nadia-shira-cohen-world-press-photo-2019/ For centuries, the Mayan beekeepers of the Yucatan Peninsula have been one of the largest producers of honey in the world. But in 2011, the Mexican government started encouraging farmers to grow soy beans, offering generous subsidies to those who did. […]

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The value of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Bees’s stomachs and honey for human medicine

Picture: Lactic Acid Bacteria For centuries honey has been used as a folk medicine for the treatment of upper respiratory tract and wound infections, and even in modern hospitals, where honey is used on wound dressings. Many of its antimicrobial characteristics have been recognised but there are still unknown substances that contribute to this activity. […]

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Stronger pesticide regulations likely needed to protect all bee species, say studies

Picture: Wild Bee (Credit: Nigel Raine) esticide regulations designed to protect honeybees fail to account for potential health threats posed by agrochemicals to the full diversity of bee species that are even more important pollinators of food crops and other plants, say three new international papers co-authored by University of Guelph biologists. As the global […]

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A new class of insecticide—’can have a negative impact on the reproductive output of bumblebee colonies’

A new class of pesticides positioned to replace neonicotinoids may be just as harmful to crop-pollinating bees, researchers cautioned Wednesday. In experiments, the ability of bumblebees to reproduce, and the rate at which their colonies grow, were both compromised by the new sulfoximine-based insecticides, they reported in the journal Nature. Colonies exposed to low doses of […]

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The more pesticides bees eat, the more they like them

Picture: Lilla Frerichs Bumblebees acquire a taste for pesticide-laced food as they become more exposed to it, a behaviour showing possible symptoms of addiction. This study of bumblebee behaviour indicates that the risk of pesticide-contaminated food entering bee colonies may be higher than previously thought, which can have impacts on colony reproductive success. In research published today […]

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Study uncovers new link between neonicotinoid pesticide exposure and bumblebee decline

PhD student Melissa Mobley and Robert Gegear, assistant professor of biology and biotechnology at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), examine bumblebees that have been fed small doses of a neonicotinoid pesticide as part of a study of the effects of the compounds on the long-term stability and survival of bee populations. Credit: Worcester Polytechnic Institute Read […]

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