July Newsletter

Dear Members

What a good turnout for the Bee Safari, many thanks to the members including several new ones who came and supported the event. It makes such a difference. The weather has been so good lately except for last Wednesday (17^th) when friends took me to Carlisle to spend a few days with my eldest son and daughter-in-law. It was the wettest journey up they’d had! It improved though and it was lovely going round the Lake District and southern Scotland. Back to earth with a bump now; it’s been such a busy season this year compared to the last two years- there seems to be honey around as well!

We have great pleasure in welcoming :-

Kevin Tobin from Wellington

Harry Ray from Ledgemoor Weobley

Gerald White from Stoke Lacy

Sue Bishop from Michaelchurch Escley

Jane Humby from Kingsthorn

We wish them lots of enjoyment in their beekeeping and hopefully will get to meet them soon. Kevin was on our course this year and Jane and her daughter Megan did the course a couple of years ago. Megan was the youngest pupil to pass the Basic and get her certificate at 14. (from Wye Valley BKA)

Dave and Chris Stephens will be showing you how to extract your honey, subject to us having any honey. Someone has told us they will bring a super or two. Hopefully there will be more honey around than the last two years!

Full details in next month’s newsletter. Please make a note of the date.

The weather was kind and a good number of us met up with Dave in Andrew Gilliat's garden in Shobden to start our Safari. Andrew gave us coffee and biscuits before we went to look at his very neat hives behind his vegetable patch. It was good to see so many new members, who had just taken their Basic Examination, because a day like this, where bees can be seen and watched, is extremely informative and encouraging.

Dave conducted our Safari and impressed upon us some very important things to put into practice when visiting other people's apiaries.

2. Avoid wearing the same gloves for each visit to minimise spreading diseases (you may be asked to handle frames). Latex gloves or rubber gloves are good because you can wear fresh ones each time.

Share Picnic in the garden, talking about bees while we ate.

Thank you, Dave, for all the information you so enthusiastically passed on to us, boosting our confidence and enriching our knowledge. Thank you, Andrew, Geoff, Dan and Suzanne for sharing your bees with us. And thank you, Suzanne for the extras you provided for the picnic, making it such a success.

This event was cancelled at very short notice by the organisers.

Sunday June 7^th.

Chris Stephens was our Examiner this year and did a sterling job getting through 8 Theory tests in the one day. To our amazement the weather was reasonable enough for Dave to carry out the Practical Tests outside. The candidates handled this remarkably well considering they were not expecting it.

No-one fails this test- it is purely a forerunner for the Basic Assessment in July. The most points were awarded to Janet Probyn of Welsh Newton and she will receive the Silver Dover Cup which she will keep for one year. Well done Janet! To those of you I failed to notify who had won I apologise but things are so manic at the moment.

I am very pleased to inform you that The National Bee Unit has appointed Charles Millar from Church Stretton as a Seasonal Bee Inspector.

Charles is a long-standing member of the Ludlow & District BKA. and joined the Western Region Team of Bee Inspectors in April.

Charles is looking after a section of our Region comprising the southern part of the county of Shropshire coupled with adjoining parts of North and South Herefordshire and part of North Gloucestershire including the Forest of Dean, an area in which most members of your Association will live and where they keep their bees.

I know that you will give him all the help and co-operation that he needs to carry out his work in your area, in the same way that you have always given these to my colleagues and me.

We in our turn will endeavour to continue to deliver to you all a comprehensive disease inspection and management service aligned with a wide range of educational events and information.

I very much welcome him into the Western Region Team of Bee Inspectors and I am looking forward to working with him and I wish him every success in the position.

Dave Sutton

Regional Bee Inspector Western Region National Bee Unit

The Food & Environment Research Agency

Sand Hutton

York YO41 1LZ

May 2009

Not much to say this month, hopefully the bees will be filling the supers for you. Remember drones are usually dispatched from the hives around the first to second week of August, just over a month or so away. It is prudent to repair or unite colonies which have failed to produce a laying Queen. Remember when carrying out this practice you do not unite unless you have checked possible disease. Of course this is more difficult if there is no brood; hopefully you will have checked beforehand. Uniting with the paper method is as good as any. It is not too late to produce a queen or two for replacement. I have written an article about swarming and its associated problems on a separate sheet. All the best for now.

If you are interested in a site near Ross please contact:-

They are in the Rudhall Valley close to J3 M50. They have 2 acres altogether with a mixture of habitats ranging from the brook itself and 2 ponds that drain into it in the front garden/ wild flower area, 40 odd metres of ‘wild’ hedgerow and a small orchard and field at the back of the property.

If you are looking for a swarm then please let me know as obviously we are the first people who are contacted when swarms appear.

Even if you do not really want a swarm would you be willing to help members of the public by removing one in your area. Would you be prepared to help a new beekeeper to collect a swarm? If so, again please let me know.

Association Extractor for hire.

Deposit of £40 plus a hiring fee of £10 for the first hire, but only £5 for subsequent hire in the same season. The Extractor is usually kept at Golden Valley Apiaries and is available to members. Give us a ring if you would like to hire it, likewise if you would like to borrow any books from our Library.

25 January - 4 February

24 July - 5 August

safari@beesfordevelopment.org

or phone 016007 13648