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FEBRUARY
Thursday 9th
Branch Meeting ~ Elburton Village Hall. Speaker: David Packham “Living with Varroa or Integrated Pest Management”
7.30pm
Wednesday 22nd Winter Study Group~ Kathy Lovegrove, Colebrook Community Centre TOPIC: ‘Increasing your stock – when, why and how’ 7pm
MARCH
Sunday 5th
Improvers Meeting
10am
Thursday 9th Branch Meeting ~ Elburton Village Hall. Speaker: Chris Boughton talking about his inventions when confronted with various bee keeping challenges
7.30pm
Saturday 11th DBKA AGM at Isca Centre, Exeter
Sunday 12th Novice Meeting 10am
Sunday 19th General Meeting – Grand Opening of the new Portacabin 10am
Sunday 26th Novice Meeting 10am
APRIL (Easter Sunday 16th – NO MEETING)
Sunday 2nd
Improvers Meeting
10am
Sunday 9th
Novice Meeting
10am
Tuesday 11th
Committee Meeting ~ Scout Centre, Blindman’s Wood
7pm
Sunday 23rd
General Meeting – Queen Introduction
10am
Sunday 30th
Novice Meeting
10am
PLYMOUTH BEEKEEPERS’ Apiary Programme 2017
Plymouth Branch Newsletter
February 2017
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Directions to Branch Apiary at Lee Mill, Ivybridge:
Turn left off the A38 at Lee Mill and follow the signs for Tesco
Drive past the Tesco entrance, take next right for Central Avenue on the industrial estate
Drive down the hill of Central Avenue, looking for East Way on your right
Drive along East Way, looking for Cadleigh Close on your left
Drive into Cadleigh Close; the apiary site is behind the big iron gates of the tyre factory
Park inside the gates, walk up the concrete path & the portacabin is on your right
Contact Details – Plymouth Branch
Meetings will be held at the Branch Apiary Site unless advised otherwise.
Chairman
Terry McAuliffe
219573
Vice Chair Claude Pool 787212 [email protected]
Secretary Jean French 338279 [email protected]
Treasurer Bernie Talling 709470 [email protected]
Editor Dawn Clarke 309483 [email protected]
Branch Librarian
Liz Wallis 698384 [email protected]
Apiary Manager
Patrick Mansfield
07887 997764
DBKA Website - Members Area Password:
If you have forgotten the password, contact Terry McAuliffe or Jean French.
Member Advert
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CHAIRMAN’S BLOG
Hello Plymouth (and district) beekeepers. I’ll make the blog shorter this
month as I’ve heard one or two comments to the effect that I’m giving you all too much to read! So this month, I’ll omit any reference to issues over
which beekeepers disagree.
As I write this I’m listening to the northerly wind howling outside. We do
now appear to be in the grip of winter and we hope that our bees are in a
nice tight cluster and keeping each other warm. This warmth is, of course,
just a form of energy generated by the bees’ muscular movement. To
create this, the bees need chemical energy (fuel) in the form of sugar
(carbohydrate). As they “burn” this fuel it gets depleted, so we should all
make sure that our bees have sufficient food to get them through to the
spring. Remember, if a top-up is needed at this time of the year, do feed fondant, do NOT feed sugar syrup.
As a beekeeper, I often think about the long history of our fascinating hobby; a study in itself. In the course of such study (and much to my
amusement), I came across Saint Ambrose, a fourth century bishop of Milan. Ambrose saw in the bees a model for purity, chastity and industrious
behaviour. He ‘knew’ from Virgil and other ancient scholars that “sex played
no part in the bees’ lives” and he encouraged Christian monks to think of
the bees and their chaste, hard-working lives as a model for their own. In
the view of the early church, sex = sin, and the bees (by observation)
seemed to manage their reproduction without committing any ‘sin.’ Well of
course we all know that Ambrose and his monks were completely deluded
by the notion of totally parthenogenic (non sexual) reproduction in bees, but
as I mentioned earlier, I found it amusing that the church regarded honey bees as paragons of chastity when the reality is so far removed from their
notion. Had the church elders observed any drone congregation area on a
sunny summer day they would have witnessed nothing other than unbridled
aerial promiscuity! The queen bees are not chaste at all; what they are - is
chased: chased by dozens of eager drones looking for sex on the wing. Only the fastest ones will catch the queens and they will die soon after
mating, but that does not seem to be a consideration! All this had been
going on for centuries, possibly millennia, but it was not until towards the
end of the 18th century that the mystery (and it really was a mystery) of
exactly how queen bees became fertilised was solved.
The man who solved the mystery was a Swiss
naturalist named Francois Huber and his notes have
been comprehensively translated by M Charles Dadant.
Many of you will have heard of M Dadant as
the inventor of the Dadant Hive.
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Anyway, to return to M Huber; his painstaking, patient scientific work is all
the more amazing when you consider that he was totally blind and had been
since he was a very young man. However, he did have an assistant; a
young man named Francois Bernens who lived with M Huber’s family and was absolutely committed to Huber’s work. Together they spent many
years trying to solve the queen fecundation mystery and many others
besides. They thought it must have something to do with the queen leaving
the hive, but that was conjecture; it wasn’t scientific proof, so they decided
to prevent a number of queens from flying for some weeks to test their
theory. They subsequently discovered that those ‘grounded’ queens only laid
drones, which as you all know, come only from unfertilized eggs. Huber and
Bernens had already discerned by observation that no sexual activity took
place within the hive so they deduced that fertilization must take place
outside. By the process of elimination they discovered that the key
condition was when their marked queens flew out in fine weather and each one returned to the hive on the same day with a small object lodged at the
rear of her abdomen. This was in fact the endophallus (male reproductive
appendage) of the drone who had been the last one of many to mate with her. The owner of the detached endophallus was by this time lying dead in
a field with the insect equivalent of a smile on his face! In fact he will have
up to twenty colleagues who are all in the same situation. As each drone
successfully mates, his lower abdomen splits apart as he leaves his
endophallus stuck inside the queen. He then falls to the ground and quickly
dies. Each successive drone mounts the queen (while both are airborne)
after first tearing out his predecessor’s ‘equipment.’ When the last drone to
mate with the queen has died, she returns to the hive and the workers then
remove the last endophallus from her lower abdomen. This task reassures
the workers that their queen has been fertilized and is now ready to begin
her egg-laying task. The mated queen will go on to lay tens and possibly
hundreds of thousands of fertile worker eggs in her colony and a few
hundred, infertile drone eggs.
With the exception of a few names, there’s nothing I’ve written here that
will be new to any of our experienced beekeepers, but hopefully, newer
members may have learned something. And Ambrose? Well I’m sorry
Ambrose, but apart from the workers, the bees are irredeemable sinners
after all!
Until next month,
All the best
Terry PS Many congratulations from the branch to Phil Aitken who has
passed Module 3 of the BBKA Modules. Well done Phil.
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PLYMOUTH BEEKEEPERS LIBRARY
If you have never borrowed a book from our library I urge you to
do so. Borrowing has diminished in the last year and I suspect this
is because it’s all too easy to access information on the internet and
get the answer to a particular beekeeping question that way.
But there’s no substitute for settling down with a book and a cuppa and enjoying a good read.
It’s always surprising what crops up in the pages of our library books which are there for every
member to borrow and enjoy. So, come on members, give it a try.
The books will be at every winter study meeting with recommendations from the speaker for
follow-up reading. During the summer the books will be available at the Apiary Site where
there are meetings most Sunday mornings.
At the latest winter study meeting a few suggestions were made concerning the club library,
and as a result the complete list of the books is now on the website, so please try and spare
a few minutes to look at the available titles. The library also has a small quantity of DVDs.
Books and DVDs can be borrowed for one calendar month, after which they should be
returned or renewed. Renewal can be done by telephoning me, or by e-mailing me. Books
can be returned either to the library directly, or to me or anyone on the education team (see
website for details). Failure to return or renew results in a small fine.
If you have a request on a particular topic and would like help in choosing the right book then
please contact me and I’ll be happy to help, and particularly to advise you if the book is
available or if it might be out on loan. If you read one of the books and can particularly
recommend it (or otherwise) then please let me have your feedback.
Liz Wallis
Windlestraw
Penquit
Ivybridge
PL21 0LU
01752 698384
Link to PBKA Library:
http://www.plymouthbeekeepers.btik.com/LibraryBooks
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BRANCH PORTACABIN UPDATE
Thankfully, we were blessed with a crisp, sunny morning on Sunday 22nd January which saw eager volunteers appear to help give our new portacabin a good sweep, a good wash, help remove rubbish and re-locate equipment.
As promised, tea, coffee plus some delicious chocolate biscuits were provided and helped speed the process along. I think we finished around 11.30 am; as the saying goes “many hands, make light work” and they certainly did!
The biscuits were left behind at January’s meeting and remained unclaimed so rather than waste them, I took them along to feed the troops. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until said biscuits were opened and half consumed, I discovered they were the property of Roger Round …..oh
whoops!! Roger, I’ll see you okay on this – and thank you for your contribution.
Whilst I do appreciate some of our members were unable to assist due to prior family/work commitments…credit must go to our volunteers for their splendid efforts; Allen B., Pam/Neil D., Neil DW., Gareth E., Patrick M., Annette Q., Steve R., Terry & Valerie, Mark O. and Lizzie W. and myself (Chief Tea Maker!)
Concluding……… a word of thanks from our Chair, Terry, “Thank you all. It's been a really challenging task to procure the portacabin and get it into its current shape but the end result demonstrates the value of team work. I trust that it will last us many years”.
Jean French – Branch Secretary
“Liz gets to grips with the mop”
"Steve clearly knows his place."
“So what’s on Neil’s Bucket List?”
“What’s going on ‘ere then?”
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BRANCH WINTER MEETING – Thursday 12th January, 2017 Elburton Village Hall
Ken Basterfield - “Tools & Techniques to make Beekeeping easier”
We were very fortunate when our Social Secretaries contacted Ken Basterfield inviting him to give a talk to our membership. Ken decided on “Tools & Techniques to make Beekeeping easier” …… and I’m all for making beekeeping easier!! Our Chair, Terry, introduced Ken highlighting the fact that Ken was not only the Devon Education Officer but a BBKA Master Beekeeper and held the National Diploma in Beekeeping (the highest qualification that can be obtained in the UK) so had a great wealth of knowledge to offer. The talk was divided into several topics:
Migratory Beekeeping
Lifting & Shifting
Queen Raising
Honey Warming
Feeding
Wax Processing
Foundation Making
Mead & Vinegar Ken shared many ideas with us including the use of a honey spinner as a means to mix up sugar syrup, various home-made tools to make hive lifting/manoeuvring easier and the use of a luggage scale for hefting a hive. His final word of advice however was, ”Never pass a skip without looking in” – and I think that’s our Apiary Manager’s philosophy too! But rather than pen the whole article myself, I’ve contacted those members who were also at the meeting and here is some of their feedback: “We thought Ken's talk went well; he was very easy to listen to without being too technical, which the newer less experienced bee keepers might have found beneficial. He was certainly inventive, adapting every day equipment to suit his bee keeping needs. Hopefully, it will have given people food for thought to make things slightly easier, given how busy everyone is”. Jean & Steve R “I was most intrigued to see the video clip of a varroa mite jumping on to the back of a bee. Then to hear Ken talk about his preference for solid floors over mesh, as the mites are so agile. He asserted that the idea that mites can fall off and not climb back up again is false. As a result I will be buying a solid floor soon as this probably retains colony warmth better than open mesh”. Mark O
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“I enjoyed the talk by Ken, although I don't feel that I learned anything extra about bees, it demonstrated how resourceful & imaginative Ken is, & how hard they work”. Pam Dudley “I found it a very enjoyable talk- he has a very easy way of communicating with people. I was particularly interested in his methods of cleaning equipment and recycling wax - something I think many of us struggle with. He certainly gave me some ideas about using old boilers and wine chilling cabinets, getting hold of them seems to be a problem though. I think the whole subject of equipment cleaning would make good practical talk session for beginners”. Phil Griffin “I have to admit that when Ken outlined the size of his undertaking - 120 colonies, 5 honey crops per year and the amounts of honey he and Dan were producing - I did think it was interesting but was sceptical that it was relevant to me. I was wrong. There was a great deal, in the talk that was practical; I have microwaved a jar of honey with the lid on and the sparks didn't fly! Ken's ability to adapt kit for new uses like the old washing machine with its agitating action to mix syrup and the evolution of hive lifters from sack hook to lever. Despite years of beekeeping on a large scale, it struck me that Ken wasn't jaded and still got a great deal of pleasure from it. Also, although the scale is different, like Brexit meaning Brexit apparently, beekeeping is still beekeeping” Mike Nally “Just like to say that it was an interesting evening; most useful to those keeping bees on a larger scale I would say. I think the evening backed up the old adage, horses for courses, and that common sense can make beekeeping life a bit easier!” Neil Downing-Waite “I thought his talk was good. Some of his equipment is as I use and I thought it was excellent for the new beekeepers and older members. As they say “a bit for everyone”. Patrick M “It's always fascinating for a newbie like me to listen to an expert like Ken. I came away with several fresh insights and some great practical ideas. My holiday luggage scales are about to start earning their keep at last!” Roy Stephenson “Ken kept us interested for an hour, and that's it, I didn't feel I learnt much. I move my hives around a bit but all over rough ground where his equipment wouldn't work, so mine is a two-man job. Not many of us have a 150 hives to shift!.” Roger R “An evening with Ken is both entertaining and educational. He’s spent a lifetime studying the ergonomics of beekeeping and then found ingenious ways of making, adapting and modifying a variety of gadgets and tools to help take away some of the strain. Time well spent for any beekeeper, from novice to “old hands.” Anon “Very commercial; mostly inapplicable to the novice keeper of one domestic hive but interesting to see how the ‘big boys’ operate. However, I'm tempted to invest in a spring balance (luggage scale from Poundland), instigate a search for an old picture hook & a bit of bent wire, then monitor the mass of my hive”. Annette Q
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Hazel - Corylus avellana by Kathy Lovegrove
Hazel is so bendy in spring that it can be tied in a knot without breaking. Bees find it difficult to collect hazel pollen and can only gather it in small loads. This is because the wind pollinated hazel has pollen that is not sticky and one grain will actually repel another.
Hazel is monoecious, meaning that both male and female flowers are found on the same tree, although hazel flowers must be pollinated by pollen from other hazel trees. (Woodland Trust)
David Milford will be importing queens from Gozo (Malta) again this year for delivery in early May. In spite of the exchange rate, he hopes to be able to keep the price the same as last year - £25. All the queens, their workers and the packaging are examined on arrival by the seasonal bee inspector, so there should not be any risk of disease or pests. If you would like to order, you have a choice of Apis Mellifera Ligustica, the Italian bee renowned for its gentleness and brood production, or the (so called) Buckfast bee, which has many strengths and few weaknesses. If you would like to order any, email David - [email protected] - with details of the number and strain of queen that you would like. Payment will be on collection in May. The order book will close on 17th February.
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Devon County Show 2017
The 20th April 2017 will be the absolute cut-off date for exhibitors to enter the Bees & Honey competition at the Show. Entry forms and entry fees must be with Stephen Ide no later than
that date; details will be in the Show Schedule. There will be NO LATE ENTRIES, and there will be NO EXCEPTIONS.
DBKA County Honey Show - 18th to 20th May 2017
Wanted!! Your Exhibits for the Show at Westpoint, Exeter;
Classes for all aspects of beekeeping; something for everyone
Mead, Photography, Candles, Beeswax, Honey, Cookery,
Art & Craft, Cosmetics, and more
Reward, subject to judging - trophies, gift vouchers, certificates, cash!
Details & Show Schedule will be available on-line at:
www.devoncountyshow.co.uk/competitors
and also available from either:
Stephen Ide Ruth Neal
Entries Secretary Show Chairman & Secretary
2 Evran Drive Badgers Barn
Exmouth EX8 5RQ Withacott, Langtree
01395-270473 Torrington EX38 8NL
[email protected] 01805-601715
If you cannot get to the Show, but would like to enter your exhibits, please ask your
Branch Secretary if he/she can co-ordinate a transport link with members who are able to attend
DBKA County Honey Show - 18th to 20th May 2017
The highly-rated Bees & Honey Marquee at the 2017 Devon County Show will include Candle Rolling,
Honey Sales, Honey Tasting, and Equipment Sales stalls; Live Bee Handling and the Honey, Wax &
other exhibits’ Competition.
The DBKA Show Committee running the Marquee is always supported by an enthusiastic, large group
of volunteer Stewards, without whom it would not be possible to present the outstanding profile of
the DBKA properly to the public. We are always looking for new volunteers - particularly the younger
ones of you out there and those new to the Branches across the County. The commitment ranges from a single half-day to a full 3 days of help - the choice is yours - and there are opportunities to
help on a particular stall or section, or in a general role. An entry ticket to the Show is included,
which means you can enjoy the show as well - for free - in return for your help. Parking at the Show
is free.
Anyone interested in having a thoroughly rewarding and enjoyable day out, and joining a very friendly and enthusiastic team, please contact me on 01805-601715; 07789-435477;
or email: [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from as many of you as possible.
Barry Neal Chief Steward
DBKA County Honey Show - 18th to 20th May 2017
The 'Taste of Honey' Stall traditionally offers honey from around the county so that people may
taste and then, hopefully, buy from the Honey Sales Stall. We are asking for donations from all
Branches, from those members selling honey at the show, and as many members as can spare a couple of jars. Please let Liz Westcott know if you are able to donate any type of honey to help us
maintain our diversity of choice - [email protected]; 01803-855420.
Ruth Neal Show Chairman & Secretary
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Well, the daffodils, snowdrops, crocii and camellias have started to bloom in SW England. Hazel catkins are also in evidence so don't be lulled into a false sense of 'winter isn't over yet' as spring is definitely on the way - we all know what that means!
You will have been delighted to receive your new subscription for Christmas. No? Then treat yourself now. It's an essential addition to your preparations for the new beekeeping season before events overtake you!
Now is the time to buy your Apiary Guide Multipack for the new season, buy more Record Cards if you already have one, and maybe file away your 2016 copies of Bee Craft into one of our easy reference binders now that your 2017 copies are arriving.
Confused about the BBKA Exam structure? Check out the easy reference flowchart in our Bee Craft infographic to clarify.
Despite the forewarning of spring there is still time to study. Do you have the right Bee Craft book or Yates study notes for this year's module? Check out books available here - add one of our Bee Craft calendars for just £2 when you place your order. Hot off the press - our publication, 'Heather Honey - A Comprehensive Guide' by Michael Badger MBE, has been added to the BBKA's recommended reading list. This 384 page full colour reference volume is provides detailed advice for successful heather honey production from hive preparation through to honey exhibition. Take a look and order here.
BeeTradex and the BBKA Convention are not that far away so do you need to place an advance order for a Microbox to collect there, complemented by the Bee Craft publication 'Practical Microscopy' perhaps which can be ordered through the same link?
Would you like a weekly nudge on what you need to be doing each week? Sign up for our free, brief, Timely Reminder emails direct to your inbox.
The February hangout will be on 15th at 8pm. This now has international appeal so tune in to watch and ask those nagging questions of our team. We often receive emailed answers too, so you really do receive a cross section of thoughts/advice/information. Just scroll down on the same link to watch earlier ones. Feel free to spread the word to all your beekeeping colleagues and friends. Happy preparations. Wendy and the Bee Craft team
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British Beekeepers' Association (BBKA)
Our future in Young People At the BBKA ADM on Saturday it was announced that a 'Just Giving' page has been set up for the International Meeting of Young Beekeepers (IMYB); the page is 'Our Future in Young People'. It is there for personal contributions to be made in support of IMYB. It does NOT replace the £1 per head levy on DBKA that will be collected by BBKA in the not too distant future.
Our International Meeting of Young Beekeepers will be held in July 2017 at Marlborough College, Wiltshire and the British Beekeepers Association will play host to this flagship event. This International Meeting of Young Beekeepers from around the world (IMYB) is our flagship event for 2017 and we are delighted to play host to this activity.
We are thankful to have the support of Lord Stern of Brentford and he has welcomed this innovative approach to securing a future for Beekeeping. He say's:
"Honeybees are highly dependent on beekeepers to ensure their survival especially when faced with lack of forage, pests and diseases.
It is vital then that we encourage young people to take up beekeeping and I am thus delighted to support the British Beekeepers Association and their innovative approach to working with and inspiring a new generation of Beekeepers.
I wish the event every success and I look forward to seeing more young people engage with Beekeeping as a result of this activity.
Thank you in advance of any donation you give to help secure our future.”
https://www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/bbka/ourfutureinyoungpeople
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The 40th BBKA Spring Convention is here again with 25 lecturers by leading speakers and over 50 Workshops & Courses; lots of new topics and old favourites to tempt and stimulate.
Add in the excellent facilities, good food and accommodation and all is set for a great weekend.
The website is now live to book tickets, accommodation etc.
Tickets for seminars and workshops sell really quickly. http://www.bbka.org.uk/news_and_events/spring_convention.php
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The Buzz – Honeybees & Beekeeping
Plymouth researchers helping safeguard precious bees Beekeepers in Cornwall are trying to conserve native honey bee diversity in the South West. Under the banner 'B4: bringing back black bees', they aim to protect the UK's native honey bee variety, Apis mellifera mellifera. They are working with researchers at Plymouth University to use genetic methods to establish how distinct black bees are in this region.
Read more on the Plymouth Herald website:
http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/plymouth-researchers-helping-safeguard-precious-bees/story-30082664-detail/story.html
January 20, 2017
Hive owner composes first bee opera from swarm vibrations
The first opera to fuse the rhythmic drone of a bee colony with human voices will be staged by Heloise Tunstall-Behrens, a beekeeping composer. A unique mix of choral work and apiary vibrations, The Swarm incorporates the sound of the hive tended by multi-instrumentalist Tunstall-Behrens, as the colony’s Queen Bee prepares to lead a swarm.
Read more on the iNews website:
https://inews.co.uk/essentials/culture/arts/hive-owner-composes-first-bee-opera-swarm-vibrations/
January 23, 2017
Scientists debunk 'misleading' neonicotinoid study on bee health
A study by global agrochemical company, Syngenta, concluded there was only a low risk to honey bees from pesticides. The study has since been described as 'misleading' in new research published by scientists at the University of St Andrews.
Read more on the Farming UK website:
https://www.farminguk.com/News/Scientists-debunk-misleading-neonicotinoid-study-on-bee-health_45416.htm
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FOR SALE
Double Hive Stand
Made out of
4” x 2” wood
£10
Contact:
Bill Finnemore
Tel: 01752 404184
2 x Beekeeping suits with fencing veils, beige, will fit medium to large: £40 each
Galvanised spinner: £40
3 x Smith hives: £50 each
5 X National super boxes: £10 each
Call Val Wright on: 07540-091220
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HEMBURY BEE SUPPLIES
Agents for the main
manufacturers.
We can supply all your Beekeeping needs.
Foundation – Hives – Frames -
Jars And many, many more
We can be found at:
John Harler
Outer Finches Hembury Cock Hill,
Buckfast TQ11 0HN
Tel/Fax: 01364 642517 Mobile: 07769878476 Email: [email protected]
Please phone before you visit
