Having completed the practical beekeeping course, the only part not yet already familiar was the mystery of extraction! Previously holding books at various angles at home trying to understand how it all works, I was perusing the calendar and saw a ‘honey extraction’ demonstration. I decided it was definitely a date not to be missed!

Dave showed us three frames dripping with honey and he then used a heated knife to de-cap the frames. The frames were put into the tangential extractor; the handle spun furiously and out came the ‘nectar of the gods’!

Chris then showed us lots of plastic buckets for straining and storing and we learned not to be too impatient to put the rewards of our efforts into jars without extracting the air bubbles and that if honey is bottled immediately after extraction, it may set hard, and finally that it is really is best to have a honey gate set into the side of the bucket as ladling honey with a soup ladle is probably left to the unwary or unwise!

We learned a lot of useful tips (only use cold water to wash the utensils covered with honey/use a warm box to keep the honey at a good consistency/close the doors to keep out unwanted bees who will want your honey!).

Thanks for your lovely scones Rosie and thanks to Suzanne for the fairy cakes decorated by Lois

Robbie and I decided we would like to keep bees, therefore a course on how to look after them seemed a good idea!

Dave and June were running a beginners course so we decided to sign up. Upon arrival we were given the syllabus and almost changed our minds – such a lot to learn and we were going to have to learn quickly.

However, the course was so enjoyable; we found both the practical and the theory totally absorbing. Gradually the syllabus made sense, and Dave gave us the knowledge we needed in a clear and unique way which gave us all the opportunity to ask questions and feel part of the group.

Many thanks too to Chris for his splendid notes (which are now well thumbed) which itemised all the important points in the syllabus.

We are very happy we completed the course and are now awaiting our results with slight trepidation; but even if we did not pass we now feel confident that we can make sure our bees are happy!

Just as an afterthought; the tea and biscuits at the end of each day were something we all looked forward to. Thank you June.

Mrs Betty Harford who was a life member of Wye Valley BKA died on 4^th July 2009.Betty and her late husband Fred were founder members of our BKA . Betty had

been housebound during the past few years but remained cheerful and loved entertaining visitors with her home-made cakes. She always enquired after other members of the Association who were known to her. She will be sadly missed by her friends in WVBKA.

Jane, Dave, myself and Wallace Knowles went to Betty’s funeral service at the Crematorium and after to Belmont Abbey where the monks had laid on tea and refreshments. They were all very good to Betty at the Abbey where Fred had been a groundsman for many years until his death.

As a project manager for Herefordshire Council, I sometime get asked to do some unusual jobs, but standing one night outside Hereford Crematorium with bolt-cutters and a crowbar has to be the most bizarre so far!　 Staff at the Crematorium had noticed that a swarm of bees appeared to have settled inside a wooden box covering a water tap.* Keen to move the bees out of the area, but not to have them killed, I was asked if it would be possible to take them away.　 A colleague, Paul,　who had never handled bees before, offered to help and he did a fantastic job of overcoming the anti-vandal screws on the box by prising it open. The inside of the box was amazing. The bees must have been settled for at least a couple of months, as they had drawn wild comb filling the whole box. The weight of brood and honey was starting to make the comb split and several combs had fallen to the floor of the box.　 We carefully cut the hanging lengths of comb and secured them into empty frames, ready to be lowered into a waiting empty hive.　We scooped the remaining bees in the hive and I brought them home, where they have settled really well.　 It was a wonderful experience to see how effectively the bees had taken over the box, completely burying the tap in the midst of their comb.　 I have to thank Paul for his help and　although it was quite an initiation, he has now got the beekeeping bug!

Judging by what I see, it seems that the main flow is over; bearing in mind that some of you will be near heather. It would be prudent for you to remove your flower crop straight away. Usually heather starts to flower about the first week in August, in any case it would be prudent to commence your end of season tasks which could include things like making sure your bees are Queenright and commencing integrated pest management for the control of varroa. Remember to mark your supers - this will help you keep control and in the unlikely event that you come into contact with disease you will know which they are. Okay you must not lose sight of the enjoyment which having produced honey and keeping bees in general gives us. There will be ups and downs but that is the nature of of beekeeping. Judging by what I see the bees are in much better fettle this year; however we must not be complacent and assume everything is okay. In general we do have beekeepers around us that are more informed and we have seen over the years that bees do fluctuate up and down. This has been going on years - my father always used to say you look after the bees and the bees will look after you. Yes, it has got progressively more difficult to keep bees because of the varroa situation; however I have to say that in my lifetime bees do seem to be poorer generally speaking. In most animal species if you keep them on a low plane of nutrition eventually the cracks will appear; bees are no different in my opinion. It is on the back of modern agricultural practices and large conglomerates which we have no control over. However as in all things I believe they are beginning to realise they have made many mistakes over the years. Let us hope and pray that the balance will be brought back and we do not go on destroying our habitat and the countryside in the process. Now what about those winter months? I know most beekeepers are happy to keep three or four hives at the bottom the garden and as long as they are healthy and produce a bit of honey for the table they are not really worried about anything else. However there are those who are constantly beavering away trying to improve their knowledge; why not do a bit of reading this winter? There are many aspects of beekeeping which could be followed. Microscopy is one such area which will give you a greater understanding of the bees anatomy. We know from talking to other beekeepers that there are many ways of achieving the same ends; be open minded and try new ideas. Try to think outside the tram lines, you may well be surprised at the results. Bees are very adaptable and can be kept in many different ways. You may find yourself thinking I would like to try that idea. Always introduce new ideas carefully, balancing the previous system and weighing up the pros and cons. This in turn will stimulate the thought process.

Contributions by 20th month, please to June and Dave Williams, Golden Valley Apiaries, Long Lane, Peterchurch, Hereford HR2 0TF

Tel 01981 550320