DEFRA and WAG aim to finalize a contingency plan for the honey bees Photo: Mateusz Atroszko

Agricultural authorities in England and Wales are consulting on protecting and improving the health of honey bees. The UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) have launched a draft strategy to sustain the health of honey bees and beekeeping in England and Wales over the next decade.

DEFRA and the WAG say that honey bees contribute directly to local food production in the UK, but are facing several threats from disease and pests. A major part of the strategy is to minimize pest and disease risks, with the idea that prevention is better than cure.

The agency has prioritized better enforcement of existing regulations on disease control and it hopes to finalize a contingency plan for exotic pests and diseases. This includes finding new options for the effective management of Varroa destructor. Uncontrolled populations of varroa mite infestations can cause serious economic harm, as they can lead to greater vectoring of secondary pathogens such as viruses and ultimately colony losses.

It is estimated that the varroa mite is likely to be present in all UK bee colonies and is the main management problem for beekeepers. However, the mites are increasingly difficult to control, owing to a lack of effective treatments. The National Bee Unit (NBU) will provide advice on current veterinary treatments, minimizing infestation levels and integrated pest management.

DEFRA, the WAG and the NBU will consider developing more user-friendly guidelines on varroa treatments and on minimizing the risk of varroa mites developing resistance to the treatments.

The contingency plan will also contain measures for monitoring and investigating the causes of significant colony losses, develop strategies for controlling foulbrood diseases and increase the numbers of beekeepers on the voluntary database BeeBase. The database is an important source of information and resource for disease control.

The UK and Welsh agencies will review national and local activities and will assign priorities as diseases and pests change over time. They plan to work with the UK's Veterinary Medicines Directorate to reclassify honey bees as a minor food-producing species in EU legislation on veterinary medicines. The aim is to remove obstacles to the development and production of treatments for honey bees.

As part of the consultation, the NBU will monitor high-risk areas and provide early warning of the arrival of exotic diseases and pests. The NBU will strengthen voluntary arrangements to reduce the risk of spreading disease and pests from selling honey bees and hive products, such as unrefined beeswax, within the UK.

Other measures include contingency planning to prepare for the possible arrival of exotic pests, diseases and undesirable species. The agencies aim to develop effective strategies for controlling American and European foulbrood diseases and new diagnostic methods for the identification of diseases.

Another key priority will be to work with funding bodies and national associations, through a Research Funders' Forum, to identify areas of research, explore collaborative joint research funding and improve communications with the research community. The Forum is expected to meet annually. Comments must be submitted by August 29th.

The British Beekeepers' Association welcomes the draft consultation, but says that more action is needed to understand more about the diseases that threaten honey bees. It has proposed a five-year £8m research program to the government.

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