Dan Etheridge The Tropilaelaps mite

Dan's interest in beekeeping started around the turn of the century through an old bee farmer friend of the family. Around that same time, I moved to New Zealand and then on to the USA, finally returning to the UK in 2014 specifically to become a bee inspector. He completed 11 seasons with the National Bee Unit where I’ve covered several Inspection areas around the UK. He currently runs circa 50 colonies with capacity for 100, if necessary. He concentrates on honey production and queen rearing/breeding and has been involved in several research projects. This talk largely focuses on the findings of a recent stakeholder sponsored research trip to Thailand to find out how the UK can be best prepared in low level detection of the Tropilaelaps mite should an incursion take place. Would you know what to look for? He also looks at distribution, where the mite is now, where may it turn up next and possible routes of entry in the country. He includes anecdotal and observational findings, and what we know so far.