Obscure Occupations: The Bee Inspector

 The Bee Inspector


The Bee Inspector, as you probably guessed, does indeed inspect bees.


Bee inspectors are employed, either permanently or seasonally, by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland, the National Bee Unit (NBU), a department of The Animal and Plant Agency in England and Wales, and in Scotland by the Directorate for Agriculture and Rural Economy. Their work is supported by law: The Bees Act 1980  and associated Orders must be adhered to by beekeepers.


Every Bee Inspector is an experienced practical beekeeper, with additional training in recognising and controlling bee pests and diseases. Bee Inspectors also deliver comprehensive advice and training on apiary management and bee husbandry. Alongside apiary inspections, Bee Inspectors assist with research projects and field trials concerning bee health. Bee Inspectors are not particularly well paid for the degree of responsibility and expertise that they possess. The salary for a permanent position is around £27,500 with Seasonal Inspectors earning a pro-rata salary of a little under half of that. This seems to be a rather meagre amount when you consider that Inspectors are on call seven days a week and have to drive large distances between apiaries where they may have to inspect up to 20 colonies. One inspector said that she tried to visit three apiaries each day during the ‘active bee season’.


With the upsurge in beekeeping over the past ten years or so, they are kept very busy.


Their main job is to identify problems, such as bee diseases of which there are many, and they are increasing as people unwittingly import disease with bees from abroad. There are several notifiable bee diseases which must, by law, be reported to the Bee Inspector. These include European Foul Brood and American Foul Brood, the American variety, caused by airborne bacterial spores is highly contagious and sadly, if your bees are infected, they must be destroyed. When notified, the Bee Inspector will ask for a description of the symptoms and photographs, tell you to seal off the suspect hives and arrange to visit the apiary to confirm (or not) the presence of the suspected disease. They will take samples and, if American or European Foul Brood is confirmed, will give you instructions on what your next actions will be.


There are other threats to honey bees in the UK that the inspectors have a responsibility to monitor and control. You have probably heard of at least one of them. The Asian Yellow-legged hornet is currently in the news for having over-wintered in the south of England, this is bad news for bees of all kinds. The Asian hornet is a voracious predator of bees, and as such is key in spreading disease from hive to hive (think “eat out to help out”). If its spread is not controlled, it will destroy bee colonies wherever it goes. When notified of the presence of an Asian hornet, the Bee Inspector will confirm that it is one from photos sent, then set to work to get rid of it.


Keep up the good work Inspectors, I never want to see one of those beasties near my hive!






Comments

  1. JeanieJuly 4, 2024 at 9:40 AM

    I absolutely don't want to see one of them anywhere. Ever!

    ReplyDelete
  2. BridgetAugust 28, 2025 at 5:14 AM

    I paid a fiver to bumblebee conservation last week. I wonder if the inspectors inspect them or just the ones in hives?

    ReplyDelete

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