HIVE ALERT

Deadly disease threatens Perthshire bees.

A deadly disease with the potential to wipe out whole colonies of bees has been found in Perthshire.

American foulbrood is a bacteria which kills honeybee larvae. The spores are highly resistant to extremes of temperature, chemical attack and other adverse conditions that kill most bacteria and remain viable for up to 40 years.

Yesterday the Scottish Government confirmed it had been discovered in an apiary near Alyth.

Three hives thought to contain a total of around 210,000 honeybees will be destroyed in the coming days as there is no permitted treatment for the disease in the UK.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said the bees would be “humanely destroyed” using effective measures to ensure the disease cannot spread.

Bee inspectors will pour petrol in to the hives in the evening when the bees are all present and the hives are then closed over.

The fumes from the petrol will kill the bees quickly, and the following morning a pit will be dug in which the hives containing the dead bees will be burned.

The measures are likely to be carried out on site.

A spokeswoman stressed that there are no risks to public health from the disease and no implications for the quality and safety of honey.

The movement of bees and related equipment into, or out of, the affected apiary are under specific controls supervised by Scottish Government Bee Inspectors and include enhanced biosecurity measures and increased vigilance in the area.

Bee farmers and beekeepers are being urged to be vigilant for signs of the disease, to maintain good husbandry practices and to notify any suspicion of disease to BeesMailbox@scotland.gsi. gov.uk.

Classic signs of the disease are sunken cappings on cells, which when uncapped reveal dead larvae in various stages of decomposition.

The larvae have a light to dark brown consistency and when drawn out, the decomposing material strings out rather than snapping off.