Islay initiative shows island free of parasite
After tests were carried out by beekeepers on seven of the 12 bee colonies on Islay, there was no presence of Varroa destructor, a parasitic mite that attaches itself to the bee which weakens and kills it.
This means Islay could be one of the only places in the world to have no presence of Varroa in its bee colonies, if this is officially confirmed.
The Islay Pollinator Initiative has been giving beginners’ beekeeping courses to anyone who is interested in becoming a beekeeper and improving habitats for all pollinating insects on the island. The initiative has highlighted the importance of sourcing the bees to make sure they do not carry the parasite and are at risk of infecting the island.
The initiative is also aiming to set up a social enterprise for Islay through selling bee products such as wax, jam and honey, and has recently had a trial of products at the Islay show.
It is also working towards improving employability and is giving young people an opportunity to gain beekeeping skills and participate in the selling of products as this could be a new source of income on the island.
The habitats of many pollinating insects are declining in other parts of the world but on Islay they are encouraging forage and improving the natural surroundings so that the future of many species will continue.
Fiona MacGillivray, project coordinator for the Islay Pollinator Initiative, said: ‘It has been a steep learning experience with bees sourced from Andrew Abrahams on Colonsay’s Black Honeybee reserve with four nucleus colonies.
‘Our bee mentor Tony Miller, who has been keeping bees for more than 40 years and is also a retired craft and design teacher from Islay High School, taught the skills for building our own kit national hives as our first skills, making the hives before the arrival of the bees at the end of May.
‘Lisa Thomson and Jason Patton, our apprentices, colourfully decorated the hives with designs linked to the four primary school villages on the island, so our education element could link the schools and the children could take interest in the fortunes of their associated colonies.
‘Islay is believed to be Varroa free and it is important that we keep it that way as one of the few places in the world that can say this.
‘All the beekeepers from across the island have been asked to participate in testing for Varroa in their colonies. Seven of 12 locations have been tested so far, and three more are awaiting samples and other beekeepers are to be persuaded to participate. All samples so far have confirmed no Varroa in the colonies.
‘We have taken a small crop of honey off the bees in two batches. The first exclusive 120 small jars were sold at the Islay Show, where the project was shown off to the community, with the chance for them to taste the honey, trial the wax beauty products and give their feedback.
‘They had the chance to learn about the hives and beekeeping and be informed about the wider conservation value of honeybees and native pollinators in a joint display with the Islay Natural History Trust which is implementing the roadside verge survey and monitoring project.’