Keeping bees healthy in the UK means, above all else, managing varroa. The mite and its associated viruses — deformed wing virus in particular — remain the most common cause of colony loss for both hobbyists and professionals, and yet the advice on managing them continues to evolve as resistance patterns shift and new research emerges. This category covers varroa monitoring, treatment options, and the evidence behind them, alongside posts on other diseases and pests that affect honey bees in the UK.
The aim is not to repeat the official guidance — the National Bee Unit does that well — but to examine it critically, to look at what the research actually shows, and to consider how it applies at the scale most beekeepers are working at. Posts here tend to be analytical rather than prescriptive, because hive health rarely comes down to a single cause or a single fix. If you want to understand what is happening to your bees rather than just react to it, this is the right place.
Personally, I am becoming alarmed at the degree to which there is a shift in the way beekeepers view the rather drastic step of not treating their bees for varroa infestation. I feel similarly about the rapid rise of a certain new political party, but I can’t discuss that here. Have normal folks lost their … Read more
There is a good write-up in the October 2025 BBKA¹ News, by Clare McGettigan, giving some headlines from their survey, which was carried out in partnership with COLOSS². I understand that a much more in-depth analysis, incorporating results from other countries too, will become available in due course. For now, I will be passing on … Read more
A recently published article in Scientific Reports suggests yet another way in which varroa mites are bad for honey bees. Varroa reduces bees’ surface antimicrobial defences. Apparently, many social insects do something called “venom bathing”, which basically involves coating their bodies with venom from sting glands. The main component of bee venom is melittin, which … Read more
This detailed and highly relevant article by Kirsty Stainton is essential reading for all beekeepers. Kirsty Stainton is the Technical Manager for the National Bee Unit (NBU) and holds a PhD (DPhil) in Insect Molecular Genetics from Oxford University. She is the author of Varroa Management (Northern Bee Books, 2022) and a member of the Bee … Read more
I’m not sure if varroa mites are the thing I write about most, or if it’s queens, but they both feature heavily, and with good reason. If I have good queens in my colonies and varroa is under control, then the chances are that my bees will do well. Anyway, it was pointed out to … Read more
Audio (podcast) version is here or on my YouTube channel It is difficult to quantify what percentage of honey bee colonies die as a result of varroa mite infestation (and associated viruses) because multiple factors are often involved. From the information I have seen, it is the leading cause of colony losses worldwide. Probably 30 … Read more
The use of formic acid as a varroa treatment for honey bees has been practiced for many years, and it tends to divide opinion. I have been interested to watch Ian Steppler’s recent YouTube video content (@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog), in which he tries out Formic Pro on some of his colonies. In the end, he came to … Read more
This has been an unusual season, but I seem to say that every year. I also seem to never learn that, here in the UK, our weather really is pretty bad most of the time. The wet spring has run into a cool early summer. I hear myself saying: “this surely can’t go on for … Read more