The Background to BDI

Bee Diseases Insurance (BDI) was registered in its present form in 1937.  Almost certainly BDI would have been formed by an enthusiastic band of beekeepers who were keen to share their hobby with others and wanted to contribute to the health of bees and the enjoyment of beekeeping.  In other words they would have been people just like us. These first members formed themselves into a Society registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act. The oldest set of rules we have are dated 1955 and the original objects of the Society are described as:-

( i )   Provision of insurance against losses suffered by beekeepers through bee diseases.
( ii )   Promotion of other measures for mitigating the losses suffered by beekeepers through bee diseases.
( iii )   Promotion of research relating to bee diseases and of measures for their prevention, cure, control and eradication.
In the 1971 rules a fourth object appears;

(iv)   The carrying on of such other work as can be carried on appropriately with the foregoing to benefit beekeepers in England and Wales.

An independent company run by volunteers

BDI operates throughout England and Wales.  To cover such a large area is obviously quite an administrative problem.  Luckily BDI have an already established backbone for the organization in the form of the member beekeeping associations.  We still do not employ any staff but work through a network of hundreds of unpaid volunteers.  They are; the Treasurers of Beekeeping Associations who collect the subscriptions and forward the money to BDI’s Treasurer, the Officers and Management Committee Members who meet regularly to transact all the business of BDI, and many other unseen unnamed volunteers who give their time to BDI.  The contribution of the National Bee Unit Bee Diseases Inspectors who in addition to their Fera duties help us with the claim forms is vital to the operation of the whole scheme and we are grateful for their time and expertise.

A knowledgeable committee

The Committee members are chosen because of their interest in and knowledge of the work.  Some may be very knowledgeable of a particular aspect of beekeeping such as bee diseases.  Others may have professional knowledge of the Insurance business, banking, finance or company law - but they are all beekeepers.

Income and funding

Our total income from subscriptions and additional premiums is about £35,000 per year.  The payment of claims and expenses had for several years exceeded the total raised. Fortunately we had reserves to cover the deficit but they too were severely affected by the stock market collapse at the beginning of the Millennium and the current decade. Since 2005 we have been able to offer some modest sponsorship to the BBKA Spring Convention, The Welsh Convention and The National Honey Show.  Also we are now funding a research project looking at the bacteria associated with European Foul Brood and its interaction with other bacteria in the hive.  We hope to be able to carry on this support which gives benefit to all beekeepers including those who are unaffected by foul brood diseases who might otherwise feel there are no benefits to the scheme.

Our identity

Our logo, which was designed by our members with the tag line, “For Bees, Education, Protection and Research” reflects our identity.
The Bees Act 1980 & The Bee Diseases and Pests Control Orders of 2006 are the Statutory Instruments that impose the obligation to call in the Bee Diseases Inspector if we think we may have a Foul Brood Disease or the exotic bee pests Small Hive Beetle and Tropilaelaps.  It is the loss arising from the destruction of equipment following these diseases dealt with by the Bee Inspectors that is compensated by BDI.

Notes amended September 2010 by Richard Ball, BDI President