Bee health

Areas of Expertise: Grassland and Plant Science

Service: Specialist Advice

AFBI provides scientific and laboratory support to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) bee health inspectorate.

AFBI support

Support includes identification and diagnosis of a number of pests and diseases:

American and European foulbrood (Paenibacillus larvae and Melissococcus eplutonius) (notifiable diseases)
Varroa mite (Varroa destructor). This parasitic mite was first detected in the UK in 1992 and Northern Ireland in 2002. Varroa is no longer a statutory pest and therefore, no inspections are carried out specifically for it. Nevertheless due to its impact on the industry, this parasite’s prevalence and management remain an integral aspect of bee health strategies.
Acarine disease (Acarapsis woodi)
Nosema (Nosema apis)

Less common diseases include: viruses (sac brood, Acute Paralysis Virus, Chronic Paralysis Virus) and fungal diseases such as chalkbrood (Ascosphaera apis) and stonebrood (Aspergillus flavus).

Among the potential threats facing beekeeping in Northern Ireland are:

Small hive beetle (Aethina tumida), which is native to Africa but has spread to USA and Australia.
Tropilaelaps mites (T. clareae and T. mercedesae).

Both of the above are notifiable pests. In the case of imported queen bees, AFBI provides laboratory examinations of attendant bees and packaging to ensure imports are pest and disease free.
The statutory aspects of this work are carried out under The Bee Diseases and Pests Control Order (Northern Ireland) 2007.

Information on testing for honeybee pests and diseases with a bee sample submission form is available here:

Testing for Honeybee Pests and Diseases - Bee sample submission form

Yellow Legged Hornet, a potential threat to honey bees in NI

Asian Hornet, Vespa velutina (Photo: Charles J Sharp)

The Asian or yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina ) is primarily a predator of medium to large-sized insects such as flies, social wasps and in particular, honey bees. It is a widespread established species in Asia and was accidentally introduced to Europe where it was first recorded, in southern France, in 2004. Since then it has been found in Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, the Balearic Islands and the Channel Islands. There have been increasingly numerous incursions into Great Britain since 2016, with large-scale removal of nests annually.

In August 2025 the first Vespa velutina nest was found on the island of Ireland, in Cork city. A smaller nest was found nearby in Cobh in September.

The first Vespa velutina nest in Northern Ireland was found in October 2025. It is recommended that official precautionary trapping for new queens takes place in spring 2026 to prevent the establishment of any subsequent nests and to monitor the area closely for sightings of individuals.

The dissection of the October 2025 Belfast nest was carried out by AFBI and the report is available here:

Vespa velutina nest dissection report Belfast, October 2025 | Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute

You can download information about the Asian hornet from https://invasivespeciesni.co.uk/species-accounts/potential/terrestrial/asian-hornet

Any potential sightings of the Asian hornet in NI can be reported to the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) Invasive Non-Native Species team using the following links Asian Hornet Watch App, iRecord /CEDaR online, iRecord App or iNaturalist

Bee research

Within AFBI, our work on honeybees has mainly been statutory although we keep up-to-date with research developments through liaison with the National Bee Unit at the Central Science Laboratory York, Dr Rob Paxton’s bee research group at Queen’s University, Belfast, the Bee Research Unit at Teagasc and discussions with local beekeeping organisations.

National Insect Week

National Insect Week encourages people of all ages to learn more about insects. Every two years, the Royal Entomological Society organises the week, supported by a large number of partner organisations with interests in the science, natural history and conservation of insects.

National Insect Week Returns in 2025 and for more details you can visit the National Insect Week Website

Honeybee husbandry survey

The AFBI annual survey of Northern Ireland beekeeping practices has been taking place since 2009 to obtain information on current honeybee husbandry practices and to provide baseline data on bee health.

From 2014 the AFBI survey has included standardised questions from COLOSS which compares colony loss rates in over 40 countries worldwide. Its results, together with AFBI’s free of charge bee pests and diseases testing service, provide the Department of Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs (DAERA) with information that determines their policy on NI beekeeping and how much time and money will be spent on it.

The 2025-2026 Honey bee husbandry survey, in association with COLOSS (Prevention of Honey Bee COlony LOSSes), a European non-profit honey bee research organization, is now live and can be accessed using the following link:

2025-2026 Honeybee Husbandry Survey

Honeybee Husbandry survey Privacy Notice

Previous Honeybee Husbandry Survey Reports

All-island pollinator plan

AFBI was involved in the creation of an all-island pollinator plan, which can be viewed or downloaded: All-island pollinator plan

Contact

For more information contact AFBI Bee health