Editorial
Seasons Greetings
This is the last issue of Herts Bees until the February 2009 edition. If you have planned any winter meetings then please email me the details and I will place them in the Herts Bees Calendar. Don't miss our annual get-together on the 28th March 2009 - details below.
Finally please accept my apologies for the absence of a November issue; unusual work and home pressures meant that I had no time to produce the newsletter. This means that some news items below will be too late — sorry! This December issue is a bumper issue and much longer than normal so hopefully this will make-up for missing last month's.
I wish you all a very happy Christmas and will see you in the new year.
November by Christine Phillips
During the summer we've had quite a few enquiries from people interested in finding out more about beekeeping and feel we should be able to offer more than merely pointing them in the direction of other districts who run beginners' courses. The feeling seems to be that we need an association apiary with perhaps two hives dedicated to teaching. Possible sites for an apiary will be explored with Letchworth Heritage Foundation although there is also the thought that maybe, since Nortonbury is near one end of our "patch" we need an alternative apiary towards the Stevenage end.
The other need of course, is for experienced beekeepers to look after and to open up the hives weekly in the active beekeeping season.
There will be plenty to discuss during the winter!
John and Miriam Hill have again very kindly offered to host our Christmas party at Boxwood (December 6th). If you can't get to the November meeting please let John or Graham know if you will be coming.
Looking ahead to next year, we don't have a meeting in January and then in February Drs. Juliet Osborne and Judy Pell will be telling us about some of their current bee projects at Rothampsted and bringing us up to date on the state of varoa research. They also hope to bring along their PhD student whose project is about the impact of varroa on foraging by honeybees.
And since this is now late going to Paul Cooper I can comment on our October meeting last Tuesday which was an excellent talk by Brian Sawford whose wonderful slides made me realise what a beautiful county we live in. Our new meeting room's not bad either; plenty of space, lots of wood with carvings by Eric Gill, and a minstrel's gallery. Hope to see you there.
December by Graham Beesley
I can’t believe where the time has gone. Already it’s mid November and we’ve had the second of our indoor meetings. The venuewas, as always , the Friends Meeting House, Letchworth, although we’ve moved into the larger main hall and changed the meeting time to the third Tuesday in the month now instead of the second. We changed the evening to give us a more spacious room as the number of members attending meetings seemed to have grown and we were getting a bit cramped. Since we moved our attendance has been a bit thin.
Last month, October, we were treated to a slide show by Brian Sawford, President of the Letchworth Naturalists Society, this month members had to make do with a slide show on colony composition led by me. Fortunately this generated a good deal of learned discussion which benefitted relatively new bee keepers, like myself and was also appreciated by the two interested members of the public who came. Once again we were splendidly provided for by Rosemary Fairey whose delicious cake went down a treat.
We have decided not to have our usual party before Christmas this year. John Hill has very kindly offered Boxwood as a venue for a gathering at some time next year. My suggestion is a barbecue at some point when we have emerged from our semi dormant state and spring has sprung.
Christine Phillips, her Son, Andy , Husband Colin and I had a stall on Hitchin Market as part of Apple Day a celebration of English Apples and all things local. There was a brisk trade in honey and a good deal of interest shown in bee keeping by the public. Hopefully this will bear fruit in the form of new people taking up beekeeping.
Our next meeting is on February ,17th. Our speakers will be Juliet Osborne and Judy Pell from Rothhamstead who will be updating us on bee research projects. I would like to extend an invitation to all interested beekeepers across the County to attend.
May I also take this opportunity to wish all members of North Herts Beekeeping Association a very happy Christmas and a fruitful new year.
St Albans news by Richard Peterson
Speaker addressed a bumper crowd at St Albans
At the first of their winter meetings St Albans Beekeepers were joined by members of the Welwyn, Bedfordshire, and Barnet Associations to hear Howard Roberts give a talk about organic farming.
Howard who was brought up on the farm that he now runs took over from his father in the late 1980s. He had previously pursued a career in banking only to return to his roots as his father was becoming too frail to manage the family farm. The farm which was originally a mixed one had over the years gradually concentrated on cereal growing and by the time Howard took over was almost completely arable.
Howard, realising that the farm needed to be financially self-sustaining from the business point of view and mindful of the rising cost of agrochemicals, took the brave decision to gradually convert to a fully-organic farm.
Converting a farm to organic food production and then to be registered by the soil association takes a period of about three seasons to prepare the land and so he set about this on a piecemeal basis as being without an income for that period all in one go would have been financially difficult and for Howard it was to be a very steep learning curve. In order to clean the land of all artificial fertilizers and pesticides it is necessary to grow crops like clover or, in Howard’s case, tares to add sufficient nitrogen to the soil and also at the same time absorbing the remaining chemical additives in the soil. He went on to tell of how he rotated his crops with wheat—which is the most profitable, for possibly two seasons if the condition of the soil will allow it, followed by beans and finally rye and spelt and then back to the tares to replace the nitrogen depleted by the crops. It was fascinating to learn how he controlled the weeds by mechanical spring tines that in effect hoe the young weeds
out of the soil leaving the main crop still standing and then by under-sowing with vetch which has the effect of almost completely smothering them. He also told of the backbreaking hand weeding of the pernicious weeds like docks and thistles.
A member of the audience asked about organic rape and Howard explained that this crop was out of the question as, like any of the brassica family, they were a far too greedy crop that takes a tremendous amount of nutrients out of the land and could not possibly put it back without resorting to artificial feeds that is not possible on an organic farm.
After a lively question and answer session Howard was asked to present the certificates to the beginners who had passed the basic beekeeping examination early in the year. (See photo).
Finally Anne Wingate introduced to the meeting the new chairman of the Hertfordshire Beekeepers Association, Peter Folge, its new secretary Luke Adams, and treasurer David Brown and ended by reminding members to pay their subs early and so take advantage of the early payment discount of £10.
Howard Roberts—back row right pictured amongst the newly-qualified beekeepers of St Albans.
Bishops Stortford news
No news this month.
Welwyn news by Peter Mathews
November news
Everyone should have received their membership renewal forms with the last newsletter. Please contact me if you didn't receive one.
These must be returned by the middle of the month if you wish to receive 'Bee Craft' at the discount rate.
You bees should now be tucked up for the winter with mouse guards on the entrance, and woodpecker protection in place. The only varroa treatment still possible is oxalic acid applied on a sunny day.
December news
The only thing in the diary at this time of year is our Christmas Party on Friday, 5th December at my house, from about 7 o/c.
Call for details if you didn't get the e-mail, RSVP etc Suggesting everyone brings along 'little something' to eat. Hope to see you.
Happy Christmas!
West Herts news by Robin Brown
No news this month.
Barnet news
No news this month.
South East Herts news
News from John Mumford
The Harvest Supper was a great success despite a number of late cancellations. It was good to see Val and Malcolm High present with Val back in good health. Our thanks go to all those who helped with the Organisation, the Food, the Washing -Up and the Raffle. Oonagh kept everyone on their toes with her Quiz, and the Skillman Shield judged by Roy Cropley was won by Phil Amer.
I have extracted 137lbs of Association Honey and have some for Sale! The Committee have set the following prices, (buyers collect):
- Divisional Members - £2.00/ lb. in returnable Tubs - £2.50/ lb. in 1lb. Jars with Association labels.
- All others - £2.50/lb. in returnable Tubs - £3.00/lb. in 1lb Jars with Association labels.
My bees have not been so healthy for many years, I have a couple of colonies that are so strong that if I take the crownboard off, I have difficulty in putting it back on again without crushing a lot of bees . They took down their winter feeds (2 gallons) in in early September in less than a week, and then made a killing from the Ivy, I can now hardly lift the hives. Varroa Mite Counts have been very low after the Spring Varroa Treatment. My Autumn Treatment went on in the middle of September and gave a maximum mite drop of just 75 per day, now six weeks later they mite drops are all down into single figures per day which indicates a total mite population of less that 200. I’ll leave it on until the middle of November before cleaning it out, and closing up for winter - Mouse Guards can now go on!
We have booked Martin Buckle for our November winter meeting at 8.00pm. on Thursday 13th November at the Hoddesdon Baptist Church Hall. Martin is a Senior National Honey Show Judge and an expert at Beeswax Model Making. Visitors, and members of other divisions get a warm welcome, a cup of tea, a biscuit, and NO charge ! [Candle Making for Christmas???]
News from Derek Driver
This year our harvest supper was attended by 26 people, there would have been a lot more but various bugs laid them low. Which was a pity, as there was so much food on the tables that there was no room for the various desserts! Let alone the plates and cutlery The fact that some of our new members helped in the planning and providing the food was greatly appreciated.
Our honey judge was Roy Croply and the winner of the Skillman Shield this year was Phill Amer. It was also nice to see Roy giving advice on how to present honey for shows to some of our new members, who seemed to listen avidly. Members rarely get feedback from judges, which made this instruction even more appreciated. The quiz on this occasion was provided by Oonagh Gabriel and if you had a sweet tooth then this quiz would have been easy.
All the ladies received a potted plant from our table decorations and with so many raffle prizes, every couple received one. So a big thank you to those people who contributed. The fact that members get up for the Buffet and move around for the quiz and to chat with each other adds to a most enjoyable evening and in case I missed anybody on the night, I would like to thank everyone for all their efforts in making our harvest supper such a great event!
For new members I'm sure our Harvest Supper is not only a surprise but a most enjoyable evening. So lets hope next year is a wonderful beekeeping year for all of us, and one in which we can gather once again for our next Harvest Supper.
BuzzWorks by Robin Dartington
News for November
The bees are hunkering down, all hives heavy with ivy honey. There seems to have been an ivy flow all over the south but sizable quantities of ivy honey stored only in areas with enough old ivy covered trees. North Herts is lucky here.
The garden is now stripped and bare, ready for the £25k winter construction programme. WREN has just issued the Funding Contract to the council, so we have only the council’s procedures to overcome before we can start.
The local sponsor has now agreed at board level to provide £10,000 for the BuzzWorks exhibition. We still have to agree details of the working relationship, to satisfy the sponsor that they will get sufficient exposure and the BuzzWorks team that we will not be swallowed whole by the ‘experiential marketing consultants‘ the sponsor wishes to use. £10k is only half what we asked for but, as we had only grabbed a number out of the air and then doubled it, it is a start. And if we can get the structure of the exhibition in place, we can go for extra grants for special exhibits, such perhaps as a projection microscope and a cat-sized detailed anatomical model of the ‘Beautiful Bee’.
The project will be displayed at the National Honey Show, 30 Oct to 1 Nov., where we hope to pick up links to other bee demonstration sites and advice on our own. The members of BuzzWorks Association cannot be the only people around who enjoy introducing the public to bees and beekeeping – there must be a mine of experience and advice out there if we can dig it out...
The BuzzWorks project has received its second Award - Winner in the ‘Great and the Green’ category of The Comet’s Community Awards, 2008. Four members of the team were wined and dined by The Comet and our prize, an engraved glass block, was sponsored by Sainsbury’s. Another door to knock on!
News for December
The bees are settled down, the ivy honey all off, hives treated with oxalic acid against varroa. The mite falls were large – mid November was too late for an autumn treatment as viruses will have affected the winter bees born in September/October but the honey flow from ivy was so strong that supers had to be left on. Mid-November was also too early for treatment with oxalic as the advice is to wait until there is a broodless period in late December – but it seemed too risky to leave treatment any longer, and it was then too late for using Apiguard or other way to apply thymol. We must now wait and see how many colonies survive to spring.
The treatment method that I forgot was of course lactic acid – which has just been written up in BeeCraft (December 2008). It involves spraying both sides of every comb, so is time-consuming and needs a warm day, but can be used even when supers are on if the honey is not eaten for 2 months. We may try it in spring, if natural mite drops are high.
The winter construction programme is well advanced. The tall trees that overhung both hives and the garden have been reduced to 40%, the w3ater supply run in to the four future taps and the log cabin will be erected on 10 December.
Our Christmas get-together will be on Saturday morning, 13 December – when we will paint the new log cabin while munching mince pies and quaffing mulled wine. Christmas does have its compensations. It will also be a first chance to discuss the brief for the exhibition while looking at the actual space.
The exhibition sponsor can now be revealed as Jordans Cereals of Biggleswade following exchange of a signed Memorandum of Understanding. Jordans require the 69 farmers from whom they buy grains to manage some land for wildlife, part of which is sown with Jordans Nectar and Pollen Mix for bees. Jordans wish to be associated with BuzzWorks as a further expression of their concern for the environment. They will sponsor the exhibition within the Discovery Centre but not any part of the site development already funded by WREN.
Jordans are also linked to Pensthorpe Nature Reserve and Gardens in Norfolk (www.pensthorpe.com). Pensthorpe is building a new BBC Springwatch Garden, designed to interpret the role that insects play in pollination and intend to replicate the BuzzWorks exhibition in the Old School Room. This will both raise the profile of BuzzWorks and spread the message about bees to a further and larger audience.
Display of information about BuzzWorks at the National Honey Show successfully created opportunity for visitors to make comments and to recommend sources of ideas. We shall do what we can to build on the experience of others.
Winter Tips
By Derek Driver
The bees may have settled down for the winter but there are lots of jobs you can do.
All boxes not occupied by bees can now be emptied of frames and all the propolis scraped off. Some people flame gun the insides plus the top and bottom edges, and even give the outsides a coat of sealant.
Frames can be sorted into those which need new foundation and those which are o.k. (Also check for wax moth grubs.) The old comb can be cut out and stored for melting down in the spring. If you haven’t got a Solar wax extractor then now’s the time to make one. They are easy to make and a wonderful piece of equipment. The clean rendered wax can be exchanged for foundation, and then you can. replace the foundation in the empty frames in early spring, well before you need it.
Most hives will have new queens this summer but which hives contain your best bees? Check your records and breed from these.
In early January start to regularly check the weight of stores and feed if required.
It’s not worth loosing a colony for the sake of a few pounds of sugar.
This year one of our new members arrived at his apiary to set up his first empty hive, only to find not 20 yards away a prime swarm! So spend time this winter making a swarm box, and make it at least as big as a brood box. There’s no point in making one that can only accommodate casts! Use it to carry your gear to your apiary, that way if you find a swarm you will have your box with you.
If your new, seek information and advice from old hands, they will have years of experience. Always have a list of members phone numbers because you never know when you may need assistance, On site! Above all think of how you can improve your beekeeping such as producing some comb honey or making a nuc box, or buying your jars before you extract. etc. There are lots to do so put on your thinking caps.
Antique Smoker - update
In the October edition of the newsletter there was an article and photographs of antique smoker being auctioned on eBay. I am pleased to tell you that Peter Folge won the auction. Peter says: "Just thought I would let you know that I now have Blow's Bee Puffer in my possession. Back to Welwyn at long last well over 100 years. When the bellows are pressed the smell of smoke still remains. It was shipped from Cumbria. The lady who owned it purchased it at an antiques auction in Lancashire. It has now travelled back via air travel from Carlisle."
Honey Recipes for Christmas
"Knightsbridge Cocktail" (from Robin Dartington)
½ spoon runny honey
1 shot whisky
½ shot pressed apple juice
Champagne or sparkling wine to top up
'Whim-Wham' by John Hill
Being as it is almost Christmas, and at the request of our noble editor, here is a recipe which includes, some, but not much honey. This is taken from "The Complete Confectioner" ca 1790, given by Hannah Glass, and is called 'Whim-Wham', you will soon see why.
For each Person:--- Take One Boudoir Biscuit (Sponge Finger), One tablespoon of Sweet Sherry (or Muscatel Dessert wine) into which One Tablespoon of Runny Honey has been mixed, Two large Tablespoons of Double Cream, 1/2 teaspoon roasted Hazelnuts, and two small leaves cut from Angelica.....Break the biscuit into Four pieces, and place in a small custard cup. Pour over the sherry/wine/honey. Pile the whipped cream on top and decorate with nuts and angelica OR candied citron/orange. Avoid glace cherries, which would be from the wrong period!! Wait quietly for the Whim-Wham to take effect!
Honey Cookies by Julie Cooper
These honey cookies are light, wafery and crisp, and they melt in the mouth.
Makes 18-20. 25g (1oz) plain flour. 50g (2oz) margarine. Pinch of salt. 50g (2oz) demerara sugar. ½ teaspoon ground ginger. 50g (2oz) melted honey. A squeeze of lemon juice. 50g (2oz) wholemeal flour.
Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas 3. Put the margarine, sugar and honey into a pan and stir over a gentle heat until the margarine has melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the flours, salt and ginger. Then stir in the lemon juice. Place teaspoonfuls of the mixture on a well greased baking tray, allowing room for the biscuits to spread. Bake for 8-10 minutes until they are a light golden brown. Leave to cool for a minute or two, then carefully lift off and cool on a wire rack.
Honey Glaze for ham, turkey, etc.
To make a glaze, place 2 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp sherry vinegar, 3 tbsp dry sherry, 5 tbsp chicken stock and 5 slices of unpeeled root ginger in a small saucepan. Simmer until reduced by half, then leave to cool. Spoon the glaze over the top of the meat, discarding the ginger slices, and roast for a further 25 minutes.
Cranachan
Cranachan is a traditional Scottish dessert. Made from a mixture of whipped cream, whisky, honey, and fresh raspberries (or raspberry coulis) topped with toasted oatmeal.
A traditional way to serve Cranachan is to bring dishes of each ingredient to the table, so that each person can assemble their dessert to taste. What could be simpler!
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has produced some more honey recipes at:
www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/sep/13/foodanddrink.recipe
5th November 2008
What was being covered on the news the day that Barack Obama became president-elect Obama? Were you busy preparing for Bonfire night? No, it was the day to protest in Whitehall for more money for bee research. It got moderate coverage by the media but was somewhat overshadowed by world events. Robin Dartington went and reports below:
Beekeepers march on Downing Street by Robin Dartington
Four hundred bee-suited beekeepers marched to No, 10 on 5 November to deliver the petition with 140,000 names calling for increase in government spending on bee research to rise to £1.6m pa for the next five years. BBKA has identified a research program to tackle the increase in bee losses that is most likely the result of varroa induced viruses, nosema and poor nutrition due to bad summer weather.
Liisa Young of Barnet BKA was the only known representative of Hewrts BKA and marched in bee-top, black skirt and high heels on her way to a meeting in the City. The press made various interviews, resulting in mention of bee problems in several national dailies. Various beekeepers spoke on local radio north and south, Robin Dartington spoke for Herts on Three Counties Radio to follow up his apiarist views that were included (with picture) in The Independent on 4 November.
Let us hope the steady pressure on government will unlock the small funding increase required from DEFRA.
From The Independent article: ‘Beekeepers protest over hive deaths’
Robin Dartington has kept bees for 45 years and is used to losses in the winter but not on the scale he has experienced over the past year. He has lost nine of his 20 colonies in Hitchin, Hertfordshire (a colony is the swarm of bees in a hive). "You might expect losses of perhaps 10 per cent, but nothing like this," he said. "It's very depressing."The National Bee Unit found his bees had died from a combination of a virus associated with the varroa mite and a stomach disorder. "We need more research into what the diseases are, which are becoming endemic and in what combinations."
Robin Dartington has lost nine of his 20 colonies
HBKA 2009 AGM & Seminar (28th March)
We are holding the AGM & Seminar on 28th March 2009 in Welwyn. Please put the date it in your diary.
We are responding to feedback from the survey and will ensure that the formal part of the meeting is as short as possible to allow time for the talks, informal discussion and the purchase of new equipment. The programme will be:
- 12:00 - 12:30 - AGM
- 12:30 - 13:45 - Lunch (bring your own or in a nearby pub)
- 14:00 - 14:50 - Bumblebee Ecology and Conservation by Juliet Osborne from Rothamsted Research
- 15:00 - 15:25 - Tea
- 15:30 - 16:30 - Speaker 2 (TBA)
- 17:30 - End
BeeCraft goes Digital
BeeCraft magazine is now available online. Furthermore it is free for the first three issues.
Simply click on the cover image below to access the first free issue via a secure external website.
In the first year, you can opt to receive the digital edition as well as your printed copy, completely free of charge! If you want to continue receiving the digital version, please e-mail secretary@bee-craft.com giving your full name and email address and you will be sent a password before the February edition is published. Please let them know whether you would like the digital copy only or both digital and printed versions. Your digital copy will stop if your subscription is not renewed.
Bee News from Brussels
The following email was received from Geoffrey Van Orden, Member of the European Parliament for the East of England. I have replied to him asking for more information on the initiatives and also whether he might be prepared to come and speak to us. More news in the next newsletter.
I understand you represent the Bishops Stortford branch of the Hertfordshire Beekeepers Associations.
As your local MEP, I have been aware for some time of the difficulties facing beekeepers after several seasons of sharp decline in hive populations. So little is known about the causes and possible solutions and it is clear more research is needed. This is very much a Europe-wide problem, and there have been steps in the European Parliament towards attaining additional EU funding for bee research. I would therefore like to inform you of recent events in the European Parliament which may be of interest to you.
On Thursday 20 November, a resolution on the situation in the beekeeping sector was adopted with a huge majority of MEPs. This resolution urges the European Commission to take action to address the problems of bee decline across Europe.
To accompany this act, a debate was held on the subject, in which Conservative MEPs formally asked the Commission what they proposed to do to improve the situation. We asked Janez Potočnik, the Commissioner for Science and Research the following questions:
What efforts is the Commission prepared to make in order to:
- develop research into the parasites and diseases which are devastating hives;
- set up ecological pollen- and nectar-rich recovery zones (like apicultural set-aside) and establish buffer zone, for example alongside roads;
- promote the necessary measures to combat the threat of inadequate pollination, i.e. a complete ban on pesticide treatment whilst crops are in flower and a reduction in the use of modified seed;
- monitor and control the quality of surface water, as bees react very swiftly to any environmental deterioration;
- provide financial aid to apiaries which are in difficulty?
For your information, allow me to summarise the answers given.
Research
The Commissioner first spoke of the study begun by the European Food Safety Authority on the mortality in bees and its causes in the European Union. He said: "The EFSA collected information from Member States and now intends to analyse it in order to provide the Commission with a clearer picture of the epidemiological situation of bee colony collapse, and this would provide the basis for further action in this area." The Commission is also currently funding several research projects such as a research project on food quality and safety priority was named ‘Bees in Europe and Sustainable Honey Production’ (BEE SHOP), the specific support action ‘Bee Research and Virology in Europe’ (BRAVE) and the integrated project ALARM, on assessing large-scale environmental risks for biodiversity. If you would like more information on these projects, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Recovery Zones
He spoke of some financial support already available "for the efficiency of moving of beehives" which could be put to the purpose of enriching apicultural flora in certain areas. This is provided for under directive 1234/2007. I have looked in to directive in more detail, and it states that beekeeping is one of the agricultural practices eligible for aid for the following measures:
- technical assistance to beekeepers and groupings of beekeepers;
- control of varroasis;
- rationalisation of transhumance;
- measures to support laboratories carrying out analyses of the physico-chemical properties of honey;
- measures to support the restocking of hives in the Community;
- cooperation with specialised bodies for the implementation of applied research programmes in the field of beekeeping and apiculture products.
He explained, "This measure ...is intended to assist the management of the movement of hives in the Community and provide locations where high concentrations of beekeepers can gather during the flowering season."
Pesticides
It is true that it is not at all known to what extent farmers' use of plant production products affects bees. However, according to current legislation, (currently under review) in the form of Council Directive 91/414/EEC, pesticides may only be used if it has been demonstrated that they pose no significant risk of unacceptable effects to human and animal health, and the environment. The Commissioner felt legislation was effective in protecting bees, stating "this assessment also covers the acute and long-term risks to honey bees and their larvae and the tests applied are based on standards developed by intergovernmental organisations such as, for example, the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation, in which 47 governments collaborate". He noted the importance of minimising risk of contamination and outlined some ways in which the risk of harm to bees could be reduced: "well adapted agronomic practices, appropriate rates and timing of the applications (for example in the evening after honeybee flight, or outside the flowering period of the crop and possibly other adjacent weeds), direct incorporation of the product in soil, uses in glasshouse inaccessible to bees or treatment of seeds in specialised facilities."
Surface Waters
Potočnik said there was already legislation in place to safeguard the quality of surface waters, and that all the necessary plans and programmes should be developed in Member States by 2009.
Financial Aid
Little was said about financial aid to apiaries in difficulty, apart from the encouraging fact that "the number of hives increased between 2004 and 2007 – and this not counting enlargement." As mentioned above, a measure on restocking of hives is on the list of eligible measures for aid in national beekeeping programmes. "Therefore it is now possible to compensate for losses of bees (and production) by funding activities to promote queen production, purchasing of bee colonies, or even purchases of hives."
Additional Comments
A European Research Area
In his additional comments, the Commissioner outlined the current research initiatives given in the first point above in more detail and went on to advocate a European Research Area, which would bring the vast expertise of European researchers together.
GMO Crops
He noted in response to a point raised in the debate that the only GMO crop currently cultivated in the European Union is Bt-maize MON 810 and that that has been extensively analysed with regard to the possible impact on bee health: "Forced feeding trials, where healthy bees are exposed to high doses of bt-toxin, have not shown any negative effect. Overall, the overwhelming majority of studies show that this bt-maize pollen diet has no impact on bees." He reassured us on the point that the "recently observed massive losses of bees, termed ‘colony collapse disorder’ (CCV), in North America and also in Europe do not appear to be related to the use of GMO crops."
Member States' responsibilities
The commissioner finished on a positive note, pledging the Commission's support for beekeepers in their difficulties. However, he raised an interesting point about the responsibility of Member States, and it is this point I have taken up with the Secretary of State for Defra. He said it was, in the first instance, "up to the Member States to spend their budgets in an appropriate way. Today we have EUR 26.3 million in European money each year. This is doubled by adding the money from the Member States – but we are not spending it. We are spending 80% of that money. Member States are not spending what is currently at their disposal."
Honey market
Finally, he concluded that "the best solution to guarantee a future for the sector is to encourage consumption of EU honey. Since 2004, honey has been added to the list of eligible products for promotion on the internal market and several programmes have been accepted." Again, I can provide more information about this funding stream on request.
---
Conscious of the concerns of beekeepers in the Eastern region of the UK and nationwide, and given the European dimension in terms of funding resources, I have written to the Rt Hon Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Food and Rural Affairs. I have asked him what his reaction is to the claim that Member States are not making sufficient use of their Research and Development budgets I also asked what more the British Government could do in order to promote research with direct practical relevance to the concerns of our nation's beekeepers. I am hopeful of a quick reply and will keep you up to date with developments. Perhaps you would be so kind as to circulate this message among members of your association?
Yours sincerely,
Geoffrey Van Orden MEP
(geoffrey.vanorden@europarl.europa.eu, www.geoffreyvanorden.com)