National Bee Unit

This article is about Animal and Plant Health Agency's (APHA) National Bee Unit. For the online bioinformatics database, see BeeBase.

National Bee Unit and BeeBase
Established1950s
HeadMike Brown
FacultyFERA
Staff70+
Location
Sand Hutton
,
North Yorkshire
,
UK
WebsiteBeeBase

The National Bee Unit (NBU) runs Bee Health Programmes in England and Wales. The NBU consists of around 60 field-based Bee Inspectors and staff based in Sand Hutton, North Yorkshire.[1]

History

In the 1950s, Bee Health was the responsibility of the National Agricultural Advisory Service (NAAS), with units in Harpenden and Trawsgoed. These merged in 1979 to form the National Beekeeping Unit at Luddington, Warwickshire. The NBU joined the Central Science Laboratory in 1991 and relocated to Sand Hutton, North Yorkshire in 1996, changing its name to the National Bee Unit. In 2009 the Central Science Laboratory merged with other UK Government agencies to form The Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), which was established to support and develop a sustainable food chain and a healthy natural environment.[1] on 1 April 2014 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), formerly known as the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA), an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)was expanded by adding parts of the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA).This included the National Bee Unit.

Function

The unit functions on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (as part of Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the Welsh Government) It does not cover Scotland or Northern Ireland.[2] A programme of research and development underpins the National Bee Unit's work and feeds back through advice to the beekeeping industry and the policy divisions in England and Wales. It runs BeeBase, a website designed to help monitor and control the spread of serious honey bee pests and diseases.[3]

Role

The role of the National Bee Unit is to protect the honey bee, an essential pollinator of crops and wild plants, and to support the beekeeping industry through:

  • controlling serious endemic pests and diseases to minimise the economic and environmental impact.
  • advising beekeepers on the recognition and control of pests to make the industry more self-sufficient.
  • minimising the risk of importation of exotic pests and diseases and managing the risks should an incursion take place.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Clark, Matt (15 February 2010). "York scientists from The National Bee Unit working for the survival of bees". York Press. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  2. ^ NAO 2009, p. 36.
  3. ^ NAO 2009, p. 30.

Sources

Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs : the health of livestock and honeybees in England (Report). London: National Audit Office. 2009. ISBN 978-0-10-295465-4.