Bee Brief Plymouth Branch Newsletter February 2015 Apiary Programme & Branch Meetings 2015 PLYMOUTH BEEKEEPERS APIARY PROGRAMME 2015 FEBRUARY FEBRUARY / MARCH / APRIL Thursday 12 th Winter Meeting: Talk on Propolis by Cornwall Honey (Gary) (Elburton Village Hall, starting at 7.30 pm.) Tuesday 24 th Winter Study Group Colebrook Community Centre 7.30pm Topics: "Queen rearing for beginners" and "Introduction to Microscopy for honey bee enthusiasts" This is a revised date MARCH Sunday 1 st 10 am Apiary Team Inspection (+ Education Team Meeting) Sunday 8 th 10 am General Meeting: Talk: more details to follow Sunday 15 th 10 am Novice Meeting (1) - Introduction + Film Sunday 22 nd 10 am Improvers Meeting Sunday 29 th 10 am Novice Meeting (2) APRIL (Easter: Good Friday 3rd April / Easter Sunday 5th April) Sunday 5th *No Meeting (Easter Sunday) Saturday 11th Joint Nosema Day with Totnes & Kingsbridge (more details to follow) Sunday 12th 10 am Novice Meeting (3) Sunday 19th 10 am Improvers Meeting Sunday 26th 10 am Novice Meeting (4) 1
Chairman s Blog February is, in my opinion, the most difficult month for honey bees, followed by March! This is due to the fact that February and March can be either relatively warm or freezing cold. The bees will want to build their numbers, but stores are dwindling and if the weather is cold or wet and windy, foraging is severely restricted. That is where the beekeeper can help. If you are in any doubt whether the bees have enough food, give them some. This should be in the form of fondant and not syrup, because for some reason the latter will encourage them to fly, which will be disastrous. Fondant can be made, bought from your friendly local baker or purchased from beekeeping suppliers. The winter bees differ physiologically from summer bees. This enables them to survive the winter and nurture the colony into spring. However, the more active they are at this time of the year, the shorter their life span will be. New brood needs to be nurtured and if the weather is mild, the queen will be encouraged to lay and the foragers will seek out nectar and, more importantly pollen from snowdrops, crocuses, camellias and many other early flowering plants but not daffodils. Pollen is vital in the spring and if we experience long periods of miserable weather, a pollen substitute may need to be given towards the end of the month or in March. This year has started tremendously with the Honey Show and thanks are due from all of us for the hard work put in by a number of individuals. In particular, I should like to mention Steve and Jean Russell, who organised it. There were a lot of excellent entries and I know that a good evening was had by all. Please don t forget the Bee Forum at the Southpark Community Centre, Buckfast on the 4 th February at 7.30pm. This is the first time that we have got together with other branches for a question and answer session and I have the honour of representing Plymouth on the panel! What else can you do this month? Make sure you have cleaned up all your equipment, make up frames and get yourself ready for the action packed summer ahead. Most of all, on a day like today as I write this it is snowing - read a book or two or, if you haven t had time to read them, dig out your recent copies of BBKA News. David Milford 2
BeeCraft Magazine Hangouts Wendy at BeeCraft Magazine has asked us to let members know about their BeeCraft Hangouts (Live Webinars). The Beekeeping magazine is available only by subscription. CLICK HERE for BeeCraft website Wendy says The December Hangout - 'Hive products other than honey' was well received with a large number of questions, particularly on the cosmetic products. CLICK HERE for December Hangout 'Hive products other than honey' CLICK HERE for November Hangout 'Managing small hive beetle' The next Hangouts are on:- February 18th March 18th and April 15th Picture from the Garden of Wales website 3
BipCo would like to invite beekeepers to the 4th Annual Bee Improvement Day A BIBBA-Southwest Event A one-day event organised by the Bee Improvement Programme for Cornwall (BIPCo) To be held at Dobwalls Memorial Hall, Higher Meadow, Dobwalls PL14 6LS Saturday 7 th February 2015 Commencing 9.00am (for 9.30) until 4.00pm Guest Speaker: Harry Owens from The Isle of Man plus local speakers A programme for all those interested in improving the quality of their bees through the assessment, selection and rearing of queens and drones. Trade Stands in attendance. Light lunches available. Tea/coffee provided Tickets are 15 at the door or 10 at the door for those who register their interest before the day by emailing info@bipco.co.uk or post to BIPCo, 4 West Street, Millbrook, TORPOINT PL10 1AA Register interest prior to event for discounted entrance. Pay on the day. Thank you. 4
INVITATION FROM TOTNES & KINGSBRIDGE BRANCH Joe McGuckin (Events Organiser) from Totnes & Kingsbridge has invited Plymouth members to come along to the following events: Wednesday 4 th February Bee Forum Distinguished representatives from Newton Abbot, Torquay, Plymouth and Totnes & Kingsbridge will be on top table ready to answer any of your questions on beekeeping for the forthcoming season. Refreshments will be available at the end of the session. David Milford will be flying the flag for Plymouth so please come along and support him. Anyone interested in going along; I am sure some car sharing could be organised. This meeting will be held at the Community Hall (next to the Carpet Mill) at Buckfastleigh, starting at 7.30 pm. Trip to Ireland Joe is making tentative enquiries as to anyone interested in taking part in a bee safari in the west coast of Ireland (end of June). There will be a visit to a castle where they have bees and a queen rearing programme plus some Irish hospitality. If anyone is interested please phone Joe (01803 863969) so he can arrange accommodation and flights from Bristol (at present costing around 60 and leaving 7.30 am. Fri morning) The Buzz Bees in the news Bumblebee brains impaired by low levels of pesticides New research shows low levels of nicotine-based pesticides in agriculture, equivalent to just one teaspoon in an Olympic swimming pool, are sufficient to impair bumblebees' brain cells. Read this article on the herald Scotland website CLICK HERE for Herald Scotland 5
D B K A (PLYMOUTH BRANCH) HONEY SHOW 8 th January 2015 No. Class Prize Winner Second V H C 1 2 3 4 5 6 2 x 1lb jars of light Run honey 2 x 1lb jars of medium Run honey 2 x 1lb jars of Dark run honey 2 x 1lb jars of Crystallized honey 2 x 1lb jars of Creamed honey 1 Pair of beeswax Candles 7 1 Bottle of Mead 8 9 10 1 Shallow frame For extraction 1 Jar of honey Labelled for sale 6 x 1oz blocks of Beeswax 11 Wax Open Class 12 Honey sandwich 13 14 12 Pieces of honey Fudge Novice class 15 Open class Slater Cup Edwards Cup Lee Oliver Roger Round Andy Lennon Brian Friend P Talling Tucker Cup Jean Russell Phil Aitken - Winnicot Cup B Talling - Bill Finnemore Perpetual Trophy B Talling - D Milford Prosser Tray - - Jean Russell Mansfield Tray B Talling - - Eric Goss Tray Steve Russell Danny Midgley - M Lawrence Interserve Tray Roger Round D Milford Peter Talling Poole Tray Bandvulc Tray Ward Cup Barton Cup Milford Cup Mayflower Marina Andy Lennon - - Jean French Steve Russell B Friend Jean Russell - - Jean Russell - Ian Dinnacombe Jean Russell Zoltan Lakatos Mark Ovenden - Terry McAuliffe Alicia Normand judged the honey show awarding the Perpetual Chrysanthemum cup to Jean Russell for total places awarded. 6
Alicia was assisted by Show Steward Margaret Talling. There were 23 entrants exhibiting 49 items to be judged from the 15 categories, as per honey show schedule. Whilst judging was taking place there was a honey tasting experience of 20 honeys; joint first place was won by Zoltan Lakatos and Steve Russell, and joint second place by Jean French and Andy Lennon. 7
Honey Show Winners Gallery Lee Oliver receiving the Slater Cup for his light run honey Andy Lennon receiving the Edwards Cup for his medium run honey Jean Russell, Perpetual Chrysanthemum cup winner for total places Phil Aitken, Tucker cup runner up for his for his dark run honey Bill Finnemore, Winnicot cup runner up for his crystallized honey 8
Brian Friend, winner of the Ward cup for his Honey Sandwich and runner up for the Edwards cup. Ian Dinnacombe wins the Milford Cup for the Novice class Jean French receiving the Bandvulc Tray for her entry in the Wax Open class Bernie Talling winner of the Perpetual Trophy for his Creamed honey Peter Talling Highly Commended for both his medium run honey and jar of honey labelled for sale Steve Russell receiving the Eric Goss Tray for his Shallow frame for extraction Roger Round receiving the Interserve Tray for his jar of honey labelled for sale Zoltan Lakatos, Novice Class runner up Terry McAuliffe, third in the Open class 9
Member Adverts FOR SALE Top Bar Hive 10 Contact: Bill Finnemore Tel: (01752) 404184 I have twelve colonies of bees in brood boxes for sale. 100 each Patrick Mansfield Apiary Manager I have 2 colonies for sale on national frame. Need to downsize as have to move. Cost at 80 each My bees are in Wembury, Plymouth but I can transport them for you. Contact: Sarah Rochester 07917276595 Contact Details Chairman David Milford 839751 m14drm@aol.com Secretary Jean French 338279 Jean French1957@yahoo.co.uk Treasurer Bernie Talling 709470 Bernie868@hotmail.com Editor Dawn Clarke 309483 oakwoman@gmail.com Assistant Editor Liz Wallis 10
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 12 Hembury Park Buckfast Devon TQ11 0SE Tel/Fax 01364 642517 \Mobile 07769878476 Email fire221@btinternet.com Please Phone before you make a visit 11