Track this against your own hives - free, on the web and the App Store.
Do I need to record treatments if I do not sell my honey? Yes. This is the one that causes arguments, so here it is straight from the official GOV.UK bee-medicines guidance. Bees are a food-producing animal. So you must keep records of the medicines you buy and use, for five years, whether or not you ever sell a jar. 1 The VMD tests animal products for residues, honey among them 3, which is the reason it applies to everyone. Do not take our word for it. Read the GOV.UK page linked above.
It is an easy mix-up. Registering as a food business is only for people who sell, and most hobbyists do not need to. Selling honey in the UK covers that side. The medicine record is separate, and it applies to everyone who treats their bees.
Who does this apply to?
Anyone who gives a veterinary medicine to a food-producing animal. Honey bees count.
Varroa treatments are veterinary medicines. That covers thymol trays, amitraz strips and oxalic acid products. So the moment you treat a colony, the record-keeping duty in the Veterinary Medicines Regulations applies to you.
It applies at any size. Two hives in the garden is enough. And it makes no difference whether the honey is for sale or just for your own toast: the general rules for food-producing animals have no exemption for animals kept for your own use. 2
What you must record
When you buy a medicine
- The product name
- The batch number (on the packet)
- The quantity you bought
- The date and the supplier
When you treat
- The product name and the date you administered it
- The quantity used (the dose)
- The withdrawal period, if there is one. This is how long you must wait before taking honey to eat or sell
- Which colonies you treated. Name the hives and the apiary
When you dispose of leftovers
- The date, how much you got rid of, and how you did it. Follow the disposal instructions on the product label 1
Keep it for five years from the date of the treatment, and be able to show it if asked. A bee inspector or the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) can ask for it. This is the law, under the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013. In practice an inspector just wants to see a tidy, honest record. The last word is on GOV.UK’s bee-medicines guidance.
What an inspection looks like
An inspector who visits is usually there about foulbrood or exotic pests rather than paperwork. They may still ask what you have treated with, and when. A tidy record showing product, batch, dates, doses and which colonies were treated answers that in seconds. A shoebox of receipts does not.
Common questions
My treatment says “zero-day withdrawal” - do I still record it?
Yes. A zero-day withdrawal period is common on varroa products, and it is still a fact to record. Write “0 days” or “none” rather than leaving it blank, so the record shows you checked.
Do icing sugar dusting or drone brood removal count?
No. Physical and husbandry methods are not veterinary medicines, so they do not go in the VMR. They are still worth keeping in your ordinary hive records.
What does the record need to look like?
There is no set form. A notebook page, a spreadsheet or an app all meet the law, as long as the details above are there and you can find them for five years. The official guidance publishes a simple record card layout, and matching those columns makes the job easier for an inspector and for you. See bee medicines guidance on GOV.UK.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change - always check the current guidance on GOV.UK before relying on it.