Alarm bells as honey bee disease found in Scotland

An OUTBREAK of a disease that affects honey bees has been confirmed in Scotland for the first time.

Three samples of bees sent to experts at Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (Sasa) for analysis have tested positive for Nosema ceranae, a micro- sporidial disease which can reduce numbers in a bee colony.

The disease is related to another microsporidial disease, Nosema apis, which causes dysentery in honey bees and is already linked to reducing bee numbers in Scotland in spring.

Although Nosema ceranae has been linked to colony collapse in Spain and some other Mediterranean countries, so far it has not caused as many problems in Northern Europe.

And while it is a serious disease, it is not a notifiable disease under the Bee Diseases and Pests Control (Scotland) Order 2007.

The cases identified are from three regions of Scotland, indicating that the disease is not confined to one area.

A total of fifty-seven samples of adult bees were submitted to the Sasa laboratory between March 2010 and July 2011.

Fourteen of these – 25 per cent – tested positive for Nosema and were subject to further molecular testing.

Of these, ten samples tested positive for Nosema apis, three tested positive for Nosema ceranae and one sample failed to produce a positive result for either disease.

The disease already appears to be widespread in Europe, with many cases recorded in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Sasa said.

A 2007 survey by the National Bee Unit identified Nosema ceranae in six counties of England and three in Wales.

A further report by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute laboratory in 2010 identified Nosema ceranae infections in hives from three counties in Northern Ireland.

The body said there are no risks to public health and no implications for the quality and safety of honey.

They said that their advice to beekeepers would be to replace and sterilise their frames to prevent the build-up of Nosema spores within the colonies.