Small Hive Beetle
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (the Department) in consultation with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Northern Ireland proposes to initiate a Small Hive Beetle (Aethina tumida) and Tropilaelaps Mite Sentinel Apiary Monitoring Programme on an all-island basis commencing this year. The programme will follow a similar format in the Republic of Ireland as well as Northern Ireland. In both jurisdictions the proposed programmes will rely heavily on volunteer beekeeper cooperation.
The programme still needs 25 experienced beekeepers, based in the Republic of Ireland, who would be willing to volunteer to use two of their hives as monitoring hives. Each volunteer will be provided with a kit to facilitate their monitoring. The kits will include training materials, Small Hive Beetle traps, sampling equipment and pre-paid envelopes for sample submission. The volunteers will be requested to maintain a simple Sentinel Apiary Log to record their activities and to submit samples to the Department as part of the monitoring programme.
Those who volunteer to participate for the current beekeeping season will be able to opt out at the end of the season if they wish however the Department’s aspiration is that those involved would also be willing to continue to monitor their hives as part of the programme over future years.
Contact Seamus Meade NIHBS Secretary for more details
