SUNDAY 26 MARCH EQUIPMENT AUCTION RUISHTON VILLAGE HALL USEFUL LINKS DEVON BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION www.devonbeekeepers.org.uk BRITISH BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION www.bbka.org.uk FEBRUARY 2017 DEVON APICULTURAL RESEARCH GROUP www.dargbees.org.uk MEET OUR NEW BRANCH SECRETARY Hello, my name is Zara Svensson and I am the newly-appointed secretary of the North Devon Branch. Two years ago my only brush with the world of bees was the odd jar of honey in my cupboard. I had never been stung in my life and intended to keep it that way. Asked to draw a bee I would have produced a picture of a bumblebee. In short, I knew nothing. However, I came across information for the NDB beekeeping beginners course and got chatting to my friend, Adam. We egged each other on until we found ourselves signing up for the 2016 course. In a leap of faith (some would say foolhardiness) we also pre-ordered two hives complete with bees for delivery at the end of the course the following May. We were hooked. Course completed and hives installed, I embarked on my first season as a new beekeeper. Regular readers may recall that my first season has not been uneventful. Both our hives swarmed and I spend a jolly afternoon collecting the swarms with the invaluable help of Chris Utting and Cathy Backway. I now have four hives, three of which are kept in a friend's field and one at the bottom of my garden. I survived my first sting... and my second, third and fourth... and I love my bees no less for it. I am lucky enough to have the time to visit the apiary at Horestone regularly. There I have not only gained hands-on experience in beekeeping but also made some good friends and eaten a lot of very good baking! Horestone is a wonderful resource and the experienced members of the branch are very generous with their time and advice. I believe that associations such as ours can only function if members contribute so I attended my first annual general meeting in November only to find myself unexpectedly voted on to the committee. While it was something of a surprise, I was delighted to be asked to represent particularly the interests of new beekeepers. After only my second committee meeting I was asked to succeed Martin Pollock as branch secretary. Martin, who has been branch secretary for many years, has been immensely helpful to me in effecting a smooth handover and I would like to publicly thank him for his support. Looking to the future I hope that I will be able to fulfill the role efficiently. I am sure it will take me some time to find my feet but I am looking forward to being a point of contact for any news, announcements or items of interest you would care to share with the membership. The fact that you are reading this means that I have at least achieved my first delivery of the newsletter! You can contact me via email at secretary@northdevonbees.org and I would very much welcome any feedback you have. I hope you have a great season with many stories to tell over tea and cake at Horestone. BRANCH EVENTS FOR YOUR DIARY (note a change) SUNDAY 12 FEBRUARY 1.00pm DARG THE BEEGYM UPLOWMAN VILLAGE HALL SATURDAY 18 FEBRUARY 9.30am SOMERSET LECTURE DAY WEDNESDAY 22 FEBRUARY 7.30pm ASIAN HORNET QUEEN TRAP WORKSHOP SATURDAY 25 FEBRUARY 9.30am HOLSWORTHY SPRING CONVENTION TUESDAY 28 FEBRUARY BEGINNERS COURSE STARTS SATURDAY 4 MARCH 9.00am STONELEIGH BEE TRADE EXHIBITION TUESDAY 7 MARCH HORESTONE APIARY WORKDAY
FEBRUARY FLOWER OF THE MONTH Invasive plants are always in the news these days so I thought that for this year it would be interesting to highlight each month one of these aliens that our bees work. One of the most conspicuous this month on damp banks including the one opposite the entrance to our teaching apiary is the WINTER HELIOTROPE, Petasites fragrans. Belonging to the family Asteraceae the perennial winter heliotrope was introduced from North Africa as a garden plant in 1805 and first recorded in the wild in the UK in 1835. It is now widespread throughout lowland Britain, Europe and Southern Ireland where it is described as the greatest single alien plant threat to wildlife habitats. The name Petasites comes from the Greek for felt hat as worn by shepherds as its leaves are large, up to 20cm across, and heart or kidney shaped; they shade out and prevent other vegetation growing around them. For most of the year it is conspicuous by these leaves but in February (often from December on) its upright flower spikes with pale pink/mauve short rays (petals) advertise its presence by a delicious vanilla scent. The plant is not totally hardy and surface growth can be killed off in hard winters but its large, deep, creeping rhizomes make it a rampaging invasive weed. Although it is dioecious we only have the male plants in the UK so it cannot set seed but it is impossible to eliminate by digging out as tiny fragments of rhizome will take root. An attractive plant for bees and other early pollinators with its abundant source of nectar and pollen beekeepers especially in Sweden (and the UK!) have planted it around their apiaries. Perhaps the colder winters in Sweden keep it in check. Its close relatives the Butterburs, three of them including our native Butterbur, P. hybridus which enjoys similar habitats to the Heliotrope and flowers in March/April are all attractive to pollinators. The alien White and Giant Butterbur are still planted in gardens but native or alien they are all thugs and certainly not wanted in the wild. The other close relative of Winter Heliotrope is the native Coltsfoot, Tusselago farfara whose bright yellow flowers appear in March but it is also a thug. Members of Petasities are reputed to have medicinal properties most notably decoctions of the roots being used to ward off plague and kill head lice but the only modern reference of any value was a mention of it being useful to treat migraine, perhaps better avoided. So never be tempted to plant any of this family, native or alien in your garden they are just too rampant. Julie Elkin
Chair Chat All eleven colonies at Horestone are alive, so far, and all have fondant in situ in case their stores are getting low. Now we have to wait for mild weather before deciding which colony needs a new queen, how to restock the Beginners hives, etc.. The Beginners Course starts on 28 th February in Barnstaple and transfers to Horestone on Sunday, 12th March. There will be a workday on Tuesday 7 th March to ensure that the huts and the site are ready for the Beginners. Please come along to help if you can. Martin Pollock has been our Branch secretary since the AGM in November 2010. Martin is stepping down and Zara is taking over the role. ( Please see Zara s item included in this edition) Martin has been a loyal member of the committee for seven years, although he has not had his own bees for some time, and we shall miss him. He has been kept busy with messages, notices, reminders etc. coming in by email and then requiring action on his part. The Branch has been very fortunate to have had Martin s support and we wish him well with his many other interests. Now, are you saving your 2 litre plastic water/ soft drinks bottles for the Queen Hornet Trap workshop on 22 nd February. I understand that Chris and Peter are perfecting the design! Best wishes, Mave ASIAN HORNET QUEEN TRAP WORKSHOP The Hornet has arrived in Somerset and Gloucestershire. A handful of hornets can destroy an entire colony in a couple of hours. We will help you get ready to protect your bees. Come to the meeting on Wednesday 22nd February at the Castle Centre, Barnstaple 7.00 for 7.30pm when Peter Auger and Chris Utting will impress on you how important it is to put out your traps at the end of February. You will be able to monitor and control the queens emerging from hibernation before they get the chance to create a nest that will destroy your honeybees. We are going to show you how to make a trap As usual you will be asked for 2.00 towards the hire of the room, and light refreshments will be provided. But you will also be asked for a donation towards the cost of the hornet trap. Get yourself ready to declare war on the pest.
A REMINDER FROM BRIAN SHARP OUR MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY A big thank you to all those members who have already organised their renewal for 2017. This note is just a reminder for those who haven't yet sent in their renewal form and payment, and still wish to do so. Membership runs from 1 January to 31 December each year. This year Devon are being much more strict about payment on time and any members who have not renewed by 16 January will be deemed to be 'lapsed' so will automatically stop receiving 'Beekeeping' magazine as of the February issue. Receipt of BBKA News and insurance cover is also dependent on up-to-date membership, and this will also lapse if renewal is late. 'Lapsed' status can always be reversed upon subsequent renewal, but may result in you not receiving your full benefits for the year so it is strongly recommended that you renew as soon as possible.. If you wish to renew but have not received your form, or maybe it's been mislaid, please contact me and I will gladly send another one through, or you can download the form (and guidance notes) from our website www.northdevonbees.org To make things easier you can now pay by bank transfer if that is preferable, and I am happy to receive completed forms by email to speed up the process. Full details regarding all payment methods can be found on the membership form. Committee Summary January 23rd 2017 We have held our first committee meeting in 2017 at The Cedars as is usual during the winter months. Much of our deliberations were about planning for the start of the active beekeeping season. There are eleven colonies at Horestone. We are not confident that the queens are strong nor that the bees are well behaved. New queens are to be ordered as we need to improve our stock and to have mild bees for the beginners course. The library is to be re-organised so that the books are stored by author, alphabetically, as we have had problems finding books by topic. We need to review the Public Liability Insurance for visitor s at Horestone. A visit to Peter Little s apiary is being planned. Should you wish to read the minutes of the Devon County Executive meetings, they can be found on the DBKA website. Mave on behalf of the committee from THE TIMES January 2017
YOU WANT TO TAKE YOUR BASIC ASSESSMENT THIS SUMMER DON T YOU? If so, you will have kept (or managed), a colony for at least 12 months and you are a member of BBKA. You may have attended one of the Basic beekeeping courses organised by this or another branch. You will want to attend a MOCK assessment day at Horestone Apiary with Chris Utting who will put you through your paces so that you will know what to expect during the REAL assessment. Chris is an experienced BBKA Examiner but he is not allowed to assess members of his own branch. The aim is to provide new beekeepers with a goal that will give them a measure of their. achievement in the basic skills of the craft. Sometimes the certificate is required if you want to keep bees in an allotment or someone else s land or sell honey at a farmers market. Please contact Cathy Backway 01271 858 236 catherinebee@btinternet.com TAUNTON DIVISION OF SOMERSET BKA SPRING EQUIPMENT AUCTION RUISHTON VILLAGE HALL (just off Junction 25 /M5 TA3 5JD) Items from 10.00am sale starts 2.00pm
THE ROSE HIVE METHOD - a talk by Julie Elkin Julie had a Eureka moment. She started keeping bees in 1974 in North Devon as a student of Bernard Pritchard. At this time very few chemicals were used to control diseases. Earlier, at agricultural college, Julie had been influenced as a student when she was asked to review a book for the class, Silent Spring by Rachel Carson (1962) that warned that the indiscriminate use of pesticides will threaten the delicate balance of nature. Julie hated using chemicals. Because she was moving house she had stopped beekeeping before 1992 when the dreaded Varroa mite was discovered. Resuming after 1992 she was shocked to learn of all the chemicals that were being used and was looking for other ways. Then one day Julie was handed another book, The Rose Hive Method by Tim Rowe (2010). She read the book three times in the same day. Eureka! It provided the answer that she had been looking for. A simple hive design using boxes all the same size with no queen excluder to free the colony to find its own brood size and promoting disease control without using pesticides. Julie is convinced that many of the increasing honeybee problems i.e. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in the USA, short lived queens, queen and drone fertility and stressed colonies are caused by the excessive and unnatural demands put on the bees by the beekeeper as well as other factors partly outside the beekeepers control. So she decided to order a Rose Hive from Thornes. CONTROLLED BROOD BELOW QUEEN EXCLUDER UNCONTROLLED BROOD WITH NO QUEEN EXCLUDER The Rose brood box is a little smaller than a National and two sides a little thinner. This allows space for 12 Rose frames so the box filled with brood will be heavy. With these thinner sides there is a tendency in Winter for the two outer frames to get mouldy, so they need to be removed in the spring. Of course the bees do not care about the box size. But it has the same external length and width dimensions as the National and Commercial hives so the floors, roofs etc. are interchangeable. photo by Chris Utting Julie referred to the Dave Cushman website (www.dave-cushmans) that includes a comprehensive list of disadvantages and advantages of the Rose Hive and discussed the disadvantages. Most of those are very minor e.g. you can only buy them from Thorne s and the resell value may be low. This is overcome by trying out the Rose principle by using National brood boxes. Julie has discussed the sale of the Rose Hive with Gill Smith, the owner of Thorne s and learnt that 1% of their hive sales are Rose Hives. Further information on management etc. will be found on www.rosebeehives.com The main difference with conventional beekeeping is the exclusion of the queen excluder that allows the natural development of a big brood area that will take more time if you want to find the queen or examine every brood frame weekly for queen cells. At the end of her talk Julie answered many questions from interested members and was thanked by Mave Dowling. Chris Utting from RHS magazine December 2016
BOOK REVIEW BY JULIE ELKIN FOLLOWING THE WILD BEES by Thomas D Seeley Professor Seeley is well known for his books detailing his lifetime s work studying bees and this little book is also a mine of information but highlights his enduring love of and respect for these amazing creatures. The earliest written references to bee hunting are by Columella, a Roman farmer and writer on all matters agricultural where he describes following bees back to their lurking place as humans have done for millennia. Seeley hopes that bee hunters now will get their greatest reward from the hunt and contemplation of the bees astonishing gifts of communication and navigation, not the capture. The would be bee hunter requires patience and perseverance, cunning and skill and while exercising both muscles and mind can enjoy places of great natural beauty in the company of the most intelligent insect in the world. Physical fitness to take you through swamps, over rough terrain, up and down mountains and trees is needed but the Author declares it is a delightful occupation anyone can enjoy. Inspired by the writings of earlier bee hunters Seeley has honed his skills over 40 years across the world but most of his research work has taken place in the Arnot Forest, a 4,500 acre forest 15 miles from and owned by Cornell university and surrounded by other forests and rugged landscape in New York State. He describes the simple equipment needed to practise the art of bee lining, the use of a compass and mathematical skills needed to track and record the beeline. The piece of syrup filled comb is scented very sparingly with anise to attract the foragers, not too much or it makes the bees drunk and a drunk bee can t find her way home. During the course of his academic studies of bee behaviour the author has had to fell 21 bee trees and despite being in the interests of science he has some regrets about this as he believes the wild colonies are essential as a gene pool of bees adapted to their surroundings. He concludes by looking at the problems that Varroa has brought and tells how the number of wild colonies in Arnot forest plummeted after Varroa arrived but that they regenerated from a small number that had resistance to the mite and the viruses it spread. He remains convinced that treating bees with pesticides is not the answer as it blunts the process of natural selection for bees with resistance to the mites and the viruses. If you love bees as the author does this book is a delightful read and it is in our library now. from THE TIMES January 2017 Edited by Chris Utting e-mail chrisutting@btinternet.com The views expressed in the articles are the author s and not necessarily those of the North Devon Branch of the Devon Beekeepers Association. Member s contributions are extremely welcome: by 23rd of the month prior to publication please