It came to my attention that people may not be aware that in the UK not sure about other countries if you are registered then you will get bee inspections to make sure you don’t have foul brood AFB, EFB, Sack Brood, Verroa etc
When I joined my club for the grand total of £38 Stirling, I got membership of my club, SBKA (Solihull Bee Keepers Association), WBKA (Warwickshire Bee Keepers Association) membership , the newsletter, BBKA (British Bee Keepers Association) membership and insurance for destruction if hives have disease and need to be destroyed
The insurance is SCHEME A - CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE For Bees, Education, Protection and Research. Bee Diseases Insurance Ltd. Registered Number 12065R (England and Wales)
Registered Office, c/o BBKA Office, NAC, Stoneleigh, Warwickshire CV8 2LG. This is a government group - apparently the inspections are free!! Bonus
There is scheme B for commercial and larger hive owners.
The Bees I’m buying are being inspected before I collect them - I can be there for the inspection if I choose - For me out of pure curiosity and because I was watching a bee inspection at my club on Wednesday and it was very informative.
I was worried about paying for Bees and felt a little ambivalent but now it will be worth the cost, risk and travel.
On the other hand I was contacted last night off Gum Tree where I had been looking and the guy seemed nice enough but may not be registered, has not had any official inspections I can determine and for the same cost the risk is much higher - I’m not prepared to take that risk.