Written question asked by Bill Etherington (Labour) on Monday, 17 November 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 19 November 2008. It was answered by Jane Kennedy (Labour) on Wednesday, 26 November 2008 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Bees

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent guidance his Department has provided to (a) hobbyist and (b) commercial bee-keepers on (i) management of healthy hives and (ii) detection and reporting of bee diseases.

Answer: The National Bee Unit (NBU) provides a free comprehensive training and education programme for all beekeepers to enable them to develop their skills and become more self-reliant in combating disease problems through improved bee husbandry. In 2008, beekeepers in England benefited from nearly 23,000 colony inspections and an extensive programme of training, including over 800 technical events to date, delivered by the NBU to help improve disease control through good apiary management.

Secondary information