The Challenge of European Foulbrood for London's Bees

Beekeepers Battling an Outbreak in the Midst of Lockdown

“It’s like seeing SWAT squads getting tooled up going in to storm a hostile building,” says beekeeper Dale Gibson, describing the moment when bee inspectors prepare to enter an apiary suspected of infection. If the hives are found to be compromised, they will be placed on lockdown for a number of weeks, with their entrances shrunk – making it easier for guard bees to police who enters the hive and thus prevent the disease from spreading.