GBKA Registered 
Charity Number : 1014600
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GBKA Registered
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If
they are not already on you should have your supers ready to put on. Make
certain that you have a nuc (or spare brood box) ready for splitting oversized
colonies or doing swarm control. You need to have one nuc for every two hives.
When this current spell of cold weather is over the bees will really motor. If
the weather is cold when the rape is over remove any sealed stores quickly
before it granulates. Beekeeping
was mentioned three times on one single day this week on the telly. First the
swarm that interfered with a parade attended by E II R. I suppose the middle of
April is fairly early, though with the hot springy days I expect the bees are
fairly forward. The Queens Beekeeper seemed to do a fairly competent job, though
it is unusual to use a floor with legs for this task. Still I suppose that a
simple cardboard box would be de trop at
such an august event, a skip would be more impressive. Really terrible picture
of the E II R in one of the papers, she was either creased up with laughter or
........ The second was a
documentary on the so called Killer bees. The participants seemed to be in
normal protective clothing and were able to handle the bees quite effectively.
It was felt that it was unlikely that these bees could survive in the cooler
conditions of the UK, and that inter mating with the native bees would gradually
dilute their more violent behaviour. Their "following" tendency was
particularly noted, talking about 800 meters, but I have seen bees in the UK
that will easily follow you for half that distance, not pleasant. Also a magic
figure was quoted of 800 stings to cause a fatality. One got the impression that
at 799 stings one lived and the extra one completed the job. The
third mention was in one of the late night programmes and the least said about
that the better! Also
seen on the another occasion was, I think a Frenchman, who actually stood inside
his hive and removed the frames around him, no kit and bare chested.
Interestingly his hives were fitted with proper metal grab handles, not a bad
idea unless one wanted to stack hives closely together. I hate to disillusion
Bridget but it is my view that rabbits will eat anything vaguely green if there
is a shortage of their normal foods, if they can get food elsewhere easily they
will dodge other plants. Does not apply to Lupins though. I suppose rabbits
really are browsers and grass suits them well. The common white wood anemone has
made a good show this year, the rabbits do not seem to touch them, but of course
there is plenty of other things to eat. Very choosy for its location, and the
cultivated coloured anemones are even more choosy. Early
one morning we heard a thump on one of our windows and from the impression made
clearly it was a bird, though there was no casualty apparent. It had hit the
window with outstretched wings and the mark was over 750 mm from the tip to tip,
and I suspect the furthest feathers made no mark, neatly aligned at 45 degrees
too. We
wonder what kind of bird it was, no real clues from my bird books, they do not
seem to quote wingspan. With flying birds it is very difficult to estimate the
span, no reference point. The only bird I can think of where you can
"fix" the wingspan is the old blackbird who basks in the summer sun
with wings outstretched. Much bigger than that though. The
next day there was a similar mark on the other side of the house, there is a
"see‑through" path between the two windows. So if you see a big
bird holding its head around this district, let us know what sort it is! Strange
picture in the paper in the week. A flat shallow transparent bowl of honey looks
like 2 meters across, the size may be a distortion with the camera angle though,
for a game at Kings College London to celebrate the discovery of DNA 50 years
ago. What game ? What is the relevance of honey to DNA or is it just a suitable
fluid ? Dick Sadler, 24/4/03
(Dick, do you mean that rabbits like
lupins or that they leave them alone?
Bridget) Apiary news
Eight people turned up to help make the new hives for the association apiary. Thank you to all. It was a good number and the work was carried out successfully. LOST At the meeting on
the 20th the weather wasn’t too brilliant but they did manage a peep in one
hive where they saw the queen and marked her. There were little iced cakes with
the tea, thanks to David John’s two daughters (now don’t you wish you had
been there?) Wonderful Things about BeesRobert Pickard kept a packed audience in Goytre village hall entranced while he talked about bees. He moved swiftly from one anecdote to another, dropping in curious facts as they appeared relevant and giving us all things to think about. It is an example of his skill as an entertaining speaker that different things appealed to different people. I was absolutely fascinated by his account of diploid drones which I had heard about but never really considered—they are of course ’bred’ in worker cells, but according to Winston the condition is invariably lethal as the workers eat them within 72 hours. When reared artificially they are found to be functionally infertile so the workers have saved themselves the trouble of rearing useless individuals. Gerald went home convinced that his bees were suffering from nosema and Steve has told everyone about how interesting it is that the queens mate with numerous drones and the semen is kept fairly discreet in the spermatheca which means that the offspring can vary enormously in appearance, temperament etc. from one season to another. Bridget Sue Verran is organising a one day Basic Food Hygiene course for the
Bridgend beekeepers. This is because some farmers’ markets are demanding that
people who sell honey must have the certificate, and it is thought that it will
not be long before everyone who sells honey will have to have one. It will cost
about £30 in Bridgend and if you do the same course with your local authority
it will be £52. If anyone is interested there are still some spaces so please
phone Sue on 01656 724249 as soon as possible. I am sorry about
having to send you this pamphlet about the small hive beetle with its ghastly
pictures that should give anyone nightmares. Those of us who were present at
John Verran’s talk in February have seen these sorts of things before and are
a bit prepared, but those of you who missed it are in for a shock. Don’t be
like the people who refused to admit that varroa existed until they lost all
their bees, if we are told that this creature is around start taking evasive
action! I was sent an extract from The Guardian the other day, I think it is
very sad but also a bit odd: “An elderly Cornish
beekeeper, who is too embarrassed to give his name, last week found that most of
his colonies were infested with a minute blood-sucking parasite and thousands of
his bees were irrevocably weakened, deformed or dying. Research and local
evidence suggests that most bee species are suffering after 50 years of
intensive farming and urban sprawl (Guardian Sat p11). The current copy of
Bee Craft is overflowing with advice about swarming. If anyone is worried
I suggest they read it. Who was told, as I was, when learning the craft
that bees tend NOT to swarm when there is a flow? The reason that this theory is
proved by the exception so often becomes apparent when you read Margaret
Thomas:. “swarming is usually timed to coincide with good weather and a nectar
flow.”
Bridget I
am really pleased to tell you that John Verran has been officially given the
post of RBI that he was roped in to do when Pam retired last year, but was only
given the title ‘acting’. We
welcome him and hope he looks after us for many years. The first of his
newsletters follows. RBI’s Newsletter Spring
2003
My
apologies for a small delay in sending out this Spring Newsletter. Mainly this
has been because of the time taken by the SBI recruitment. At last however, the
full Welsh team is enclosed with this letter. As you will see there are some
changes. Doug Jones, who is already a well known SBI in Cheshire is once again
joining us for the season to help with inspections on the eastern edge of Wales
where we have been experiencing some unresolved disease problems. Frank
Gellately is now confirmed in post in East Carmarthen and West Glamorgan. Mike
Pett has been taken on to cover the Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff and this has
released John Holden to concentrate on Gwent. There are already several areas
where the SBIs have found disease outbreaks, with 3 cases of AFB and 2 cases of
EFB already confirmed. This includes areas that have been historically
relatively free of disease as well as the usual problem areas. Beekeepers should
always be vigilant and keep an eye on their colonies especially whilst doing
Spring inspections. Beekeepers throughout Wales should ensure their disease
insurance is up to date and that they have insured for enough colonies otherwise
the insurance may not be valid. Bee Diseases Insurance (BDI) is a valuable
institution but it can't survive without your support and patronage. It only
costs a few pounds per year to protect your hives. Insurance may not stop the
upset of getting disease but it certainly helps when it comes to the cost of
replacing colonies. Don't forget ‑ if in doubt give the Bee Inspector a
call. The service is free, expert and is there to help you. Pyrethroid Resistant Varroa
Mites The SBIs will be testing
colonies where they find significant numbers of varroa during the season. The
NBU is also giving out testing kits and instructions to Beekeeper's Associations
throughout Wales to follow up the demonstrations and talks already done with
many associations. If you wish further training or more kits contact John Verran.
There are three kits per association, enough initially for 30 tests. Beekeeper's
Associations would be well advised to encourage their members to learn how to do
the testing themselves and so be forewarned of any problems. The best time to
test colonies is in the summer months ‑ June, July and August before
applying treatments. Small Hive Beetle Another
problem on the horizon for long suffering beekeepers and the bees is the small
hive beetle, it is essential that beekeepers are aware of this pest and know how
to react if they find a suspicious beetle. The NBU has produced a pamphlet that
is in the process of being distributed to all Associations. It is important to
catch any beetle found in a hive and send it to the Bee Unit for identification
and inform your Seasonal Bee Inspector. If the beetles are found early enough it
may be possible to eradicate them. It’s up to us all. Bee Inspectors will also
be carrying out a systematic search of those areas thought to be most at risk.
Well with all that said let’s hope it turns out to be a bumper season and all
the problems pass us by for one more year. Good beekeeping. John John Verran Regional
Bee Inspector (Wales) 4
The Moulders Aberkenfig CF32
9AH 01656 724249 2003 Midland
and South Western Counties Beekeepers’ Convention Host Association Swansea and District Beekeepers’ Society To
be held at The North Gower Hotel, Llanrhidian, Gower September
20th & 21st September 2003 The North Gower Hotel, Llanrhidian is situated on the Gower Peninsula, Britain’s first designated ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’. It is conveniently located about 20 minutes drive from Junction 47 of the M4 and is set in an acre of gardens overlooking the Loughor Estuary. All rooms are en suite with tea/coffee facilities, phone and TV. All activities are on site. We suggest you book as soon as possible as we expect a good response to our programme. Enquiries to: Mrs J. Salkilld, 256 Gower Road, Sketty, Swansea SA2 9JL Tel. 01792 205822 Speakers and
Activities Saturday Clive de Bruyn , Prof. Robert Pickard, John Verran Afternoon workshop session: Encaustic Painting, Mair Cairns. Skep Making, Karl Showler. Making and Tasting Mead, Tom Davies. Making Cosmetics, Sue Verran. Love Spoon Carving, Mike Cram. Honey Tasting, members of S & D BKA Evening Sherry Reception, Convention Dinner & Evening Entertainment Sunday Clive de Bruyn Robert Jones Dinah Sweet Afternoon
Beekeepers’ Question Time—with a panel drawn from our speakers. Inter-County
Honey Competition Prices Whole convention, residential with one overnight accommodation. £120.00 Sat. 9.30—17.30 inclusive of lectures, workshops, coffee, lunch and tea. £16.00 Sat. evening sherry reception and Convention Dinner . £12.50 Sun. 9.00-15.30 inclusive of lectures, Beekeepers’ Question time, coffee, lunch and tea. £28.00 |
Whilst the domains gbka.co.uk & gbka .org .uk are owned by G Cole. The web pages under these domains are published for the Gwent Beekeepers association and its members , in order to publicise our association's news, aims, activities, and the art of beekeeping.
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