Bee Health

If the Bee Diseases Inspector confirms that a beekeeper's bees have American Foul Brood (AFB) or European Foul Brood (EFB) then Bee Disease Insurance (BDI) will compensate them for the destruction of their equipment e.g. hives, frames etc. Membership of the Branch automatically includes cover for up to three colonies. For members with more than three colonies an additional payment to their annual Branch subscription must be made. BDI premiums and cover

40 hives or more?

For beekeepers owning 40 or more hives a different scheme, known as Scheme B, operates. This scheme is available to beekeepers that may or may not be members of a BDI member association. For further details contact the BDI Scheme B Manager. This scheme has higher levels of maximum compensation than the Scheme A.  These are for Scheme B, £3,500 for up to 50 colonies insured and £5,000 above 50 colonies insured

For the insurance to be valid, all colonies owned by the beekeeper must be declared. Therefore members must make allowances (when payment is made) for any unforeseen increases in colony size during the season (an additional swarm or nuclei also counts as an individual colony).

Forage for Bees

Here are a few ideas for what to plant to feed the bees at different times of the year.