The sweet world of honey—a product synonymous with purity, nature, and hard work—is under threat. Recent revelations have highlighted a serious issue in the UK market: honey adulteration. This involves the dilution or substitution of genuine honey with cheaper sugar syrups and other substances. For British beekeepers and honey lovers,…
We are currently making improvements to our inbound correspondence system, messages sent to may not be received during this time. We endeavour to be back online as soon possible, please accept our apologies for any disruption caused. If you would like to contact us during this time, please call…
Small hive beetle found in Sicily The small hive beetle (SHB), Aethina tumida, is a bee hive pest native to sub-Saharan Africa. The SHB has been accidentally introduced into many countries across the globe, including the USA, Canada, Australia, China and many countries in Latin America. SHB was found in Calabria…
Our ‘Foulbrood disease of honey bees’ advisory leaflet has been updated. European foulbrood and American foulbrood are the main focus of this leaflet, as they are statutory notifiable diseases in the UK, and must be reported to the NBU. Recognising the signs of these diseases is particularly important for all…
To view location of destroyed nests please visit the map page and choose the Asian Hornet map layer As of 24/05/2024: 18 Asian hornets have been reported in the UK 2024. 1 Asian hornet nest has been killed. Sighting Photo Grid Ref: Date initial sighting Date confirmed by…
Book III of Geoffrey Chaucer’s epic Medieval poem, Troilus and Crisedye, contains the line:And after winter folweth grene MayEven with only a cursory understanding of Middle English, it’s pretty obvious that Chaucer is commenting on May being the first month of the year when everything is verdant.Winter is over, the…
On 10th May, a further hornet was found near Four Oaks, East Sussex, in traps that the NBU has been monitoring in the area. This makes a total of five queens caught in this area. Two further hornets have been captured and killed in Kent. On 15th May, a hornet…
The qualities of the queen – her fecundity, longevity, genetics etc. – are the most important influence on colony ‘success’.You could measure that success in terms of reproduction (if free-living, does the colony swarm successfully?) or – of more relevance to a beekeeper – by the weight of the honey…
A confirmed case of American Foulbrood (AFB) detected within the 10 km square SE20.
Swarm Season is here!