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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 species, so as a beekeeper you must keep records of the medicines you buy and use, for five years. 1
The duty in the regulations falls on the keeper of the animal. Nothing in it turns on whether you sell, and it lasts even if you no longer have the bees. 2 The VMD tests animal products for residues, honey among them 4, 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 a separate question, and most hobbyists selling a few jars 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. 1
Varroa treatments are veterinary medicines. That covers thymol trays, amitraz strips and the authorised oxalic acid products. So the moment you treat a colony, the record-keeping duty in the Veterinary Medicines Regulations applies to you. 2
On the shelf, that means products such as Apiguard and Thymovar (thymol), Apivar and Apitraz (amitraz), and Api-Bioxal and Oxybee (oxalic acid). Every one of them goes in the record. 6
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 duty is on the keeper of the animal, and the regulations say nothing about selling. 2
Only authorised products. Without a prescription from a vet it is an offence to treat bees with an unauthorised product. The National Bee Unit names the usual ones: raw oxalic acid crystals and home-made thymol solutions. It is also an offence to use an authorised product other than as its label says. Some products sold on beekeeping websites are not authorised medicines at all. 4
The authorised list is on the VMD’s product database; filter the species to honey bees.
What you must record
The regulations set the list, and it is short. 2
When you buy a medicine
- The product name and the batch number (on the packet)
- The date you got it
- The quantity you bought
- The name and address of the supplier
Keep the receipt as well. Proof of purchase is a separate duty in its own right, and if the medicine was given to you rather than bought, keep a note of how you came by it. 2
When you treat
- The product name and the date you administered it
- The quantity used (the dose)
- The withdrawal period. This is how long you must wait before taking honey to eat or sell
- Which colonies you treated. Name the hives and the apiary
If a vet treats them, which is rare for bees, the vet writes the entry in your record. Or the vet gives you the details in writing and you copy them in. 2
When you dispose of leftovers
- The date, how much you got rid of, and how and where you did it. Follow the disposal instructions on the product label 2 1
Keep it for five years from the date you used or disposed of the product, and be able to show it if asked. The records must be durable and available for inspection by an authorised person. The VMD enforces the regulations, and a bee inspector may ask on a visit. 2 3 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, though keep the receipts: they are the proof of purchase the law also asks for.
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. Electronic records are allowed. 3
The National Bee Unit publishes a one-page record card, and matching its columns makes the job easier for an inspector and for you. 5 The card has two columns the regulations do not demand, the duration of the treatment and the name of the person who applied it. Fill them in anyway; they cost nothing. One caution: the card’s footer still cites the 2011 regulations, which the 2013 ones replaced, so treat the columns as the useful part.
The rest of what is worth writing down at each visit is in What to record at an inspection.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change - always check the current guidance on GOV.UK before relying on it.