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Charity Number : 1014600
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GBKA Registered
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Bad newspyrethroid resistant varroa have been found in Durham and in Market Drayton. AGM Please
come to the AGM on Saturday 22nd November. It
gives you the chance to meet other beekeepers, hear what the Association has
been doing and its aims for the future, and to air your views if you feel you
have something to say. There
is also a talk from an expert to help you in your beekeeping and last but not
least tea and cakes. Check
your colonies to make sure they have been fed enough (practice hefting, make a
note of the ones that feel lighter.) Remember
to remove varroa strips after they have been in for 6 weeks. Make
sure the hives are well strapped down with straps or binder twine against the
winter gales. I have always wondered how bees found the source of
their necessities of life, pollen, nectar, propolis and water. There was an
interesting report about some work on insect damage prevention in Kenya where it
had been found that by interplanting maize with a napier grass and molasses
grass the ravages of a stem boring beetle could be greatly reduced. Two
scientists from Rothamsted, Lester Wadhams & John Pickett, have found that
certain plants give off volatile semio‑chemical substances which are
attractive to some insects and a mixture of different substances from different
plants could confuse or distract the insects. The beetles were found to lay
their eggs in the stem of the grasses rather than the maize, the larvae of the
beetle hatched, were swamped by the sap in the grass and were attacked by a
parasitic wasp attracted by one of the other grasses. The result was that the maize gave a substantially
larger return despite having fewer plants due to the interplanting. The grasses
also could be used to feed cattle which could then be introduced to the area. I
suppose that this is really a lesson in the diversity of nature, single crops
over large areas attract specific insects which can only be controlled by
chemical means which also kill off any beneficial iris. I seem to remember that a few years ago there was a
suggestion that African Marigolds were useful in the vegetable garden
interplanted with the carrots to control carrot fly, but I never saw a proper
explanation. If bees can sense queen substance, surely a volatile
chemical substance, then they might be able to sense another similar substance
given off by a particular plant and either home in on it or avoid it, provided
that they can recognise it as a possible plant for forage. How does one test
for this ability? Should we be careful with our garden planting plans? During the extraction of my small batch of frames, I
noticed that Manley type frames, that is those with wide top, side and bottom
bars, tended to have more of the whole frame filled to the level of the frames
than those where the frame members have a narrower width than the comb in the centre of the frame. These produced a frame where the centre was filled and the edges tapered away and were less
well filled. Now it may have been that these Manley combs was better drawn out
than the other combs, but they were all about the same age. How long should one keep on using super frames and
comb. I find that after 2 or 3 seasons the whole frame is looking distinctly
grubby and is virtually impossible to clean. I know one can improve the
appearance with a little judicious scraping, often done by those exhibiting a
filled frame for a show, but it is not really possible to do it properly with a
number of frames. Should we scrap super frames after 2 or 3 years? Dick Sadler Included with this newsletter is the very last edition of Beekeepers Newspublished by Thornes and supplied to us all for just the cost of the postage. It started life in 1978 as an in house magazine and has now been going for 25 years. So this is number 100. I wonder if anyone has all of them. We are grateful to Thornes for the time they have taken trying to keep beekeepers up to date with the latest news and legislation to do with beekeeping. It is a sad thing to see the demise of any journal so we are sorry that they no longer feel able to carry on but thank them for their past endeavours. The bees are still
bringing in pollen, so it would appear that they are still tending their young.
My bees seem to be reluctant to store anything in the brood box, maybe this cold
spell might give them the right idea. I had a thought the
other day about dealing with bad tempered bees in autumn. I have always
understood why they are so tetchy when people start stealing their summer work.
But this year they have been amazingly sweet tempered. It could be the long warm
September or it could be the absence of wasps. We had a few wasps here that
caused some aggravation at honey removal time although not as many as usual. But
when we went in later to put in the varroa strips there was no trouble at all,
and I thought the absence of wasps was due to a cold night and decided I would
in future leave my autumn beekeeping until after the first frost had killed all
the wasps. However on talking to other people Ive discovered that most of you
have noticed that there has been a shortage this summer. Why? Not enough
caterpillars? I have just read
The Beekeepers Pupil which Ann Miles enticed us to read in July. It is
a fascinating book and describes several discoveries by Francois Huber (who was
blind), eg the presence of wax secreting cells in the abdomen, the spiracles in
the thorax and the fact that the queen is mated outside the hive. The book is a
fictional account but I have looked F.
Huber up and he did indeed make all these discoveries. I think that because the whole story wasnt
known and put together until the 1900s we are unaware of all the little bits
that people knew in the 1700s. IBRA has translated all Hubers work (he was
Swiss) so I shall be interested to read it.
Bridget Saturday 13 September, at 8.00 in the morning saw myself and Kate driving into the Usk showground after a very short queue. Les had already arrived and we set about preparing the display for the day. With the beautiful weather it promised to be a very well attended show. It was decided by the committee that only Association honey would be sold, although individual members could sell other products such as candles or honey pots etcetera. Besides ourselves, Ken Key, Janet Jones, Ted Barrell, and Reg Griffiths were able to help throughout the day. Although we did not have an observation hive or a demonstration hive, we attracted a large number of visitors, some of whom were interested in the beginner's course that we will be running early next year. Over the day we sold 26 1lb jars of honey and 20 half pound honey for the association, and individual members contributed 15% of their total take to the association. A good day was had by all. Photos of the stand can be seen on our website. Graham Loveridge IBRA won gold medals for its recent publication Form and Function in the Honey Bee by Lesley Goodman and for its Journal of Apicultural Research. BeeCraft won the Bronze Medal for Journals on Bees and Beekeeping Apimondia 2003 in Ljubljana, Slovenia One
of our association members, Seth Perry, visited the Apiexpo at Apimondia and
gave me his impressions. He says it is a beautiful country and wonderful for
bees. He went mainly to make contact with other beekeepers around the world and
to look at the equipment so he hadnt been to any lectures. When he realised
how good it was he wished he could spend longer there. Everyone was very
friendly and he has lots of invitations to visit people. The exhibitors were
mainly European, only Manlake from the USA. The equipment is very much cheaper
than ours, the Greek in particular but even the German so he feels it might be
worth going back to purchase large items. There were a lot of alternative
treatments for varroa eg thymol and
essential oils. The Australians didnt think that the hive beetle is a great
problem and Manlake said it wasnt a problem in the USA they have it under
control !!! The
native bee is Carniolan and is very docile. All over the city they had
observation hives set up at street corners and no one was bothered. There was a
large honey market in a square where they were selling honey from all over
Slovenia. It seems the whole country had joined in to help the beekeepers put on
a good show. Seth is now a full time beekeeper so lets wish him and his family good luck and well done for trying and I hope every year is as bountiful as this one has been. Bees
Abroad was formed
on 18 April 1999 specifically to provide assistance to particular beekeeping
projects overseas. Which projects? Currently, projects are supported in Malawi, the Tibeti, Toba and
Kom Beekeeping Projects in the
Cameroon, Cross Rivers and Ugelli
in Nigeria, and the Kwe Danda
and Maiti Bee Projects in Nepal. Assistance
will be offered to other projects as future funds allow. Why support overseas beekeepers? Beekeeping
provides a sustainable way for those in developing countries to improve their
standard of living, at little initial cost.
Bees also help to increase crop yields and improve the general
environment. How will Bees Abroad help? Bees Abroad will provide financial
support where possible, together with appropriate advice and training, based on
improving traditional beekeeping methods. How can I help? By becoming a founder member
of Bees Abroad for just £10, you can
share your beekeeping interests with others, knowing that you are helping to
support overseas beekeepers and their families. Members will receive
occasional newsletters giving updated information on the different projects.
Beekeeping holidays are also planned, offering first hand experience of
beekeeping in different countries. How can I join? Complete the form below and
send it, together with a sterling cheque for £10, payable to Bees
Abroad, to: Mr
Rolf Ellis, 19 Whaddon Road, Cheltenham, Glos, GL52 5LZ, UK ----------------------------------------------------------------------
I wish to become a member of Bees
Abroad and enclose £10 as my subscription. (Cheque made payable to Bees
Abroad.) Name
Address
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Tel:
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Fax:
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E-mail:
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am a UK Tax Payer and wish for B/A to reclaim tax through gift aid. ٱ
I am happy to receive news by e-mail to reduce costs. LECTURE PROGRAMME FOR THE NATIONAL HONEY SHOW 2003 Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street, London THURSDAY 13TH NOVEMBER 1.45 Doors open 2.00 Opening ceremony Mr Kim Flottum Editor of Bee Culture 3.00
Use of GIS (Geographical Information Systems) by the National Bee Unit to
help us moni
tor, understand and control the spread of serious bee diseases.
James Morton 4.30 Beekeeping Literature in the United States and A.I. Roots Contribution Kim Flottum: Editor of Bee Culture.James Morton: South Eastern Regional bee Inspector 7.00 Show closes FRIDAY 14TH NOVEMBER 9.30 Show opens 10.30 Beeswax Modelling Martin Buckle 11.45 Novel research into pesticides at the NBU: what does it mean for honeybees? Selwyn Wilkins: Manager of NBU diagnostic laboratory and apiaries. 1.15 Judging a class in publicquestions and answers. Francis Capener 3.00
Swarms and Queen Finding
Peter Smith 4.15 Honey Farming in the Scottish Borders Willie Robson 5.30
Towards Chemical Free Beekeeping
Kim Flottum 7.00 Show closes SATURDAY 15TH NOVEMBER 9.30 Show opens 10.30 The marketing of Honey and Related Products Willie Robson 11.45 The largest beekeeping operation in the Universe: the Richard Adee Business Kim Flottum 1.15 Beekeeping amongst the rooftops of London Steve Benbow 2.30 National Honey Show AGM 4.00 Presentation of Trophies and Awards followed by the draw. Mr Malcolm Clarke 5.00 Show closes 5.30 Collect Exhibits The show is sponsored by The Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers. Admission is £10, children under 16 and members free. See www.honeyshow.co.uk Saturday 20th September saw 88 delegates arriving at the North Gower Hotel in Llanrhidian for the Midland and South Western Counties Beekeepers Convention. John Verran, the bees officer for Wales, opened the convention by giving a report on the use of a shook swarm to control the European foul brood. He noted that the swarm would rebuild foundation within a week with feeding in April. The results to date using this method to control European foul brood are impressive. Prof. Pickard presented his lecture entitled Wonderful Things about Bees, and many of the association members will have heard this at one of our meetings. Working in a nutrition centre he talked about the Atkins diet and suggested that it was not good, because the diet was using protein as an energy source. He said that many toxins were produced under these conditions. I asked Prof. Pickard if bees could feel pain, and he said that having worked with them for so long he was sure that they did. Clive de Bruyn looked at what influences bees, and he suggested that beekeepers should do what works, and to learn from doing it. Influences are: the bees themselves, the beekeeper, forage, equipment, and weather. He said look around and see what flowers are available for the bees. Wild flowers, known as weeds when they grow in our gardens, are a very good source for both nectar and pollen. Make sure that your hives are in a sheltered position. The colour of the bees is not important, the behaviour is. Finally keep changing the comb. The cells in old comb are smaller and the bees are consequently smaller. Dinah Sweet talked of the work she did with bee farmers and the experience she gained. Dinah looked at flowers and pollens producing excellent slides. I believe she will be talking to us at Goytre Village Hall in the near future, so there will be a chance for you to hear her then. Robert Jones amusingly talked about how he was introduced to beekeeping and how over the years has assessed his bees and adapted his methods to suit the bees. He uses a selection process for breeding, not only considering queens, but drones also. Colonies were judged on how well they adapted to local environment. In 1982 he stopped feeding all his bees over winter, and bred from those colonies that survived. He noted that one morning at about 6.00a.m. the black bees were already flying collecting water whereas the yellow Italian bees had not even stirred. Success of the colony was judged by the honey produced. He showed us an adapted cover board that would hold a brood frame full of eggs horizontally, and this could be used in a queenless of colony to produce queen cells. Being horizontal the cells are drawn downwards from the frame. Various workshops were available on Saturday afternoon including making cosmetics, skep making, encaustic art, mead making, and judging honey. The dinner on Saturday evening was very good, and we were entertained and amused with sea shanties sung by Baggyrinkle. The convention proved to be a great success, was thoroughly enjoyed by everybody. Graham Loveridge |
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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