Hertfordshire Beekeepers Association

Editorial

'Tis the season of surveys.  You should all have received your HBKA survey in the post. Ignore the return date printed on the survey - it needs to be back by 10th September so please fill it and return it. The future of HBKA will be guided by your responses and the results of the survey will be published in a future newsletter.

The National Audit Office has been tasked with carrying out an audit of the Bee Health Inspection Service.  They are asking all beekeepers with access to the internet to complete a short on-line survey.  It has to be completed by early September so please go to www.nao.org.uk/survey/beekeepers.htm and follow the link that says Safeguarding the health of honeybees to complete the survey.

I hope you all had a productive summer (where did it go?) and are preparing your colonies for the long haul through the winter.

Finally I would like to thank John Hill for his contributions to this newsletter for the past 10 years.  The medium has changed but John's unique style, puzzles and poems have continued through and hopefully entertained you over the years.

Paul Cooper

North Herts news by John Hill

This contribution to the BKA Newsletter will be the last one  I shall make, having retired from the Secretary-ship at the last AGM. Like our previous Chairman, I feel that it is about time someone else should take over and inject some 'new thinking' into our lively membership. Christine Phillips has been doing the other secretarial work for a few months now, and  we agreed a changeover at the end of the Apiary meetings. So this it it! I have been sending contributions to the editor of the BKA Newsletter for over ten years and I have  enjoyed the experience immensely.

The meeting at Pat Veasey's at Gosmore was poorly attended, but those who went organised Pat's hives and put supers above clearers, and enjoyed the usual high standard of tea provided by Jennifer and Jane.

Graham Beesley, our Chairman, has kindly written up some notes of our last two Apiary meetings because I was away up North. and could not attend. I give his report below:-

We were lucky enough to have Peter Heath visit the association apiary at Standalone Farm, Letchworth on Saturday 28th of June. Three of our members keep their bees at this site, a very popular educational facility for local schools and the public, where North Herts maintain an observation hive for the benefit of visitors. The weather was, for a change, what it should be for a summers day, sunny and calm with the bees flying strongly. Peter, in his usual generous way, went through the hives taking the time to point out to the dozen of us who attended what we should look out for to keep our colonies healthy. Peter is so knowledgeable and free with his advice one always comes away having learned something new.  The three new comers who came were treated to the game of spot the Queen and witness them being marked. One poor queen got more of a whitewashing than was bargained for but seemed none the worse for it. A very generous tea was provided by Janet, Maria and David and a good time had by all. A venue that I hope will become a regular feature for apiary visits in the future. On the 19th of July we were welcomed by Robin Dartington to Buzzworks in Hitchin for our apiary day. Again three prospective beekeepers came and were treated to a very gentle introduction to the craft. This was my first visit to Buzzworks and I was very impressed with what Robin and his supporters have achieved. The site is tucked neatly and unobtrusively into a corner of the allotment site and plot holders seemed friendly and receptive to our visit.  A good deal of planning has gone into the site with a bee friendly garden laid out as an introduction and the bee garden itself laid out safely with Robins distinctive hives on show.  I have no doubt that Buzzworks is an asset that we in North Herts and the rest of the County, ought to be glad of and make good use of.

Members should please note that our FIRST MEETING of the new season is on the THIRD Tuesday of OCTOBER at 7.30 p.m. at the usual venue, viz Friends' Meeting House Sollershott East, Letchworth. I am told that the Committee are hoping to arrange for a speaker, and that there will be more information in the October issue of the newsletter about this. Incidentally, it is hoped that we will get different members reporting each month in future in order to get more folk engaged in helping run the association, as was suggested at the AGM.

Well I suppose you are all waiting with 'baited breath' for the answer to the puzzle about Ahmed Adziz etc... The answer is 20,.... Count the letters in each name and multiply by 2!  Sorry but it's easy when you know how!! Such is life!

And finally:---

To end my swansong, here is a verse from the early poet John Donne (1572-1631), who wrote a "Valediction of the Book", which I hope. you might find appropriate. (A Valediction is a "Bidding of Farewell").

Study our Manuscripts, those myriads
Of letters, which have past twixt thee and me,
Thence write our annals, and in them will be
To all whom love's subliming fire invades,
Rule and example found
There, the faith of any ground
No schismatic will dare to wound
That sees how Love this grace to us affords
To make, to keep, to use, to be these his records.

St Albans news by Anne Wingate

All our members have had a busy summer. The swarms appeared to be never ending even with weekly inspections and mating of virgin queens taking up to 4 weeks leaving colonies further depleted.

Cindy Taylor organised 9 members to take the BBKA Basic examination with some of them joining Barnet Beekeepers in the pre-exam tutorial with Oonagh Gabriel. Congratulations to the candidates who all passed. Thanks to Oonagh for her marathon 2 days at the Apiary.

The two events supported by members gave us an opportunity to meet the public and answer their many questions. After the questions the public were encouraged to sign the Research petition provided by BBKA. Our participation at Larks in the Park, part of St Albans Festival, was a new venture and very successful selling honey and filling 4 forms of signatures! Earthworks the following week was rather poorly attended as it rained much of the day but we were pleased to attend, supporting their valuable work with less able people. Thanks to all who helped.

The preparations for winter are well underway with Varroa treatments and feeding. Please try to finish all feeding before the end of September so the bees can 'ripen' and cap the stores before it gets even damper than it has been this summer.

The next event we are supporting is 'Bee World' at Capel Manor on Saturday 20th September all day. Your committee would like many members to offer to man the stand. Newer beekeepers would be most welcome as one day older beekeepers want to retire! Offers of help to Christine Aitken tel: 01582 792316. Thank you.

I hope you have put aside a jar of your best honey to enter the St Albans Honey Tasting evening on Friday 28th November. Our winter meeting is on Friday 24th October at 8pm at United Reformed Church, Chiswell Green, when the speaker will be a local farmer, Howard Roberts, who will speak on 'Organic Farming in Hertfordshire - A Farmer's view'. All members of HBKA are invited. Please ring: 01727 874626 after 18th September.

New facility officially opened at St Albans Apiary

This year, for the comfort of beekeepers and the visiting examiner, the committee had purchased a shed and porta-loo. No more running off into the woods!  It seemed appropriate to ask Oonagh to declare the facility open, and so she did, cutting the ribbon with style.

Bishops Stortford news by Paul Cooper

We again visited the Widford apiary, this time to focus on Pat's colony. It had been a swarm earlier this year so it had grown well. Varroa treatment & feeding were about to commence.  The other colonies at the site were busy preparing for winter with many drones being evicted from the hives. Most people had not seen this behaviour before so it was good to see that sometimes bees do follow what it says in the book!

We later retired to Pat's house where, as you can see, we were extremely well fed with honey cake, strawberries and other delectables.

The Bishops Stortford group is going to actively encourage potential new members to attend the summer apiary meetings and ad hoc winter meetings. Notices will be distributed around the area inviting people who might be interested in beekeeping to come along.

The next meeting will be at John Dockerill's house at the Snuff Box, Bentfield Road, Stansted on 13th September.  For a beginner, John has had a very interesting few months and he has a lot to tell so please come along.

Welwyn news by Peter Mathews

I hope you all have had a successful summer. Am hearing of established beekeepers having good honey crops - better than for many years. And, new members building up colonies for a flying start next. Our event at Mill Green also went well and is something we would like to repeat. Honey sales weren't spectacular, but we did get much interest from prospective members, most came along specially. We also got paid for being there - can't be bad!

Apart from honey crops the summer was marked by a huge number of swarms - we haven't seen anything like this since pre- varroa. Would be good to understand why. As many were clustered in a small area of the garden city, we might suspect abandoned colonies. I have only heard rumours of beekeepers from Eastern Europe being involved although the pattern is greater. 

Many factors have combined to increase the publicity of beekeeping. And, interest this summer has been prolific. I have had more inquires about membership than we have members. Meetings at Raffin Green continue to attract a good attendance, with often too many to see quite what is going on. But, a good problem to have.

West Herts news by Robin Brown

No news this month.

Barnet news

No news this month.

South East Herts news by John Mumford

The July meeting at Malcolm High's apiary was well attended, It was pleasing to see a couple of our beginners who were eager to learn more as they now have their own bees. Only one Bishop Stortford member came which is a shame because Malcolm's Honey Processing and Bottling Room is quite something. Malcolm had laid on a splendid buffet and Val who was not very well on the day had taken to her bed was helped out by a few lady members.  We send our best wishes for her  complete recovery, and thanks to Malcolm for a smashing afternoon.

Now that Summer is well and truly over it is time to get the bees prepared for whatever Winter might bring - and you have just FOUR week to do it. Do it right and next Spring you will be Proud. Get it wrong and you have a big mess to clear up. Dead bees don't get honey, and their replacement can be quite expensive. A Young Queen - Dry, Sound, and Secure Hive - 30,000 Healthy, Disease free young worker bees which will live till next Spring. Sufficient of the Right stores in the Right place - it's easy, but essential. If you don't know what you're doing then find out from someone that does, and do it now!!!!

The  next outdoor meeting is on Sunday 6th September at Bayford - meet at Bayford Church at 2.50pm. Our next Committee Meeting is on Thursday 11th September at 49 Graham Avenue. The Topic for the Winter Meeting on Thursday 13th November has not yet been decided upon - have you any ideas?

I will be supplying an Observation Hive and Roy Cropley will run a Candle Rolling table for the HBKA Bee World Event on Saturday 20th September. A little help would be appreciated.

It is time to start thinking about the Harvest Supper - time for a little light relief from the rigors of practical beekeeping. Put Saturday 11th October in your diary and ring a committee member to let them know you are coming NOW!

BuzzWorks by Robin Dartington

No news this month.

Thymol Treatment Recipe

For those that may have run out of the proprietary Thymol treatment, here is a tried and tested recipe if you wish to make it yourself.

Ingredients

• 100 grams Thymol crystals (handle with care - avoid skin contact)
• 200 grams PURA or other pure vegetable fat (no additives, preservatives or emulsifiers)
• 700 grams Castor Sugar

(sufficient for about 12 colonies)

Instructions

Melt the PURA in a saucepan and allow it to cool until warm to the touch. Put the castor sugar into a plastic container and thoroughly mix in the Thymol crystals until all lumps are broken down. Add the sugar/Thymol mixture to the melted Pura and mix thoroughly until the mixture is the consistency of a paste. If well sealed the mixture may be stored in the bottom of a refrigerator for up to 12 months.

Usage

On a piece of grease-proof paper about 10cm x 15cm spread the mixture so that it is about 5mm thick and place on top of the brood frames. The Crown board should allow a bee space above the paste. All ventilation should be closed except a 10cm wide entrance. Refresh the mixture very two weeks until the drop falls below 2-3 mites per week.

The ambient temperature needs to be above about 15°C unless the hive is insulated. Expanded polystyrene works well (about 25mm thick) and can be left on all winter.

Note: do not apply the Thymol treatement when supers are still on. It is also advisable to remove excess winter stores in the spring before the bees transfer it into the supers.

St Albans' Basic Beekeeping Exam

by Cindy Taylor

Last year I was one of three beekeepers at St Albans who took and passed the Basic. Fired up by my sense of achievement I took on the role of promoting this route to the new beekeeper. Personally I felt it was a form of consolidating my learning to date. Also a recognition of the time, effort and patient teaching invested by the committee, especially my main mentor Richard “no records” Peterson.

So, during the last weekend of June, Oonagh Gabriel took up residence at St Albans apiary. This was her “home” as our nine students prepared to take the Basic Beekeeping Exam.  As always, a heartfelt thanks to Oonagh for her time and encouragement.

Comments by some of the students are below. I am sure you will agree there is something for everyone in the preparation and taking of the basic. Anyone for the beekeeping modules next year?

I was lucky enough to take my Basic Beekeeping Exam on Saturday, June 28th, with Oonagh Gabriel, at the St Albans apiary. We used one of Eric Margrave’s hives, known locally as The Twin Towers on account of the number of supers – so lots of lifting! At the base – oh horror! – a double brood chamber! Would we find the Queen? We did and all was well. Luckily Eric’s bees are perfect pussy-cats and put up cheerfully with my awkward efforts. Many thanks to him and them.

A question and answer session followed and Oonagh was encouraging and helpful – but no, she didn’t tell me the answers! Then making a frame, which I must admit I had to practice beforehand as my son makes up most of my kit for me and I’ve been lazy about learning the details.

That brings me to the main value of the exam for me. It’s not the doing of it, or the piece of paper, it’s the fact that me it made me really learn so much that I’d previously been vaguely aware of. I actually sat down and read Hooper cover to cover rather than struggling to find the right section as a crisis looms. In other words I brought my level of knowledge up to where it should be.

Don’t know the results yet but I must say I’m fired with enthusiasm. I hear that Module 1 is based mostly on the same sort of knowledge as the Basic exam so hey, why waste all that reading?
Marian

I enjoyed the experience. The examiner certainly tested my knowledge and was very encouraging in our discussions. I was delighted that I spotted one point that I had not seen before - drone laying workers - but that meant that we had to go to a different hive! All in all very worthwhile.
Peter Buckley

It would have been easy not to have taken the exam but it compelled me to cover the ground required by the syllabus. This required a fair amount of reading which then helped bring together those areas covered on the beginner’s course last year. For people like me with an aversion to textbooks this was a most useful discipline.

I feel more competent as a result and hope this is not misplaced optimism.
John Randall

Basic beekeeping - how hard can it be? The hint is in the title, Basic, and in my book basic equals easy. Once I heard it was not only going through a hive, but also being asked questions that still sounded fine. Then Cindy casually dropped "It is only an hour when the examiner talks to you". One hour! Have you any idea how deep you could dig into the deeps of my ignorance in an hour! I started to revise. Was it worth it? Yes. I have a much more solid understanding of bee keeping now and the examiner focused on what I did know rather than what I did not. Well worth it and I recommend the experience.
Peter Shepperd

I found the exam very useful to pull together and make complete sense of all the information I had learned over my first year of bee-keeping, but also to learn things I had not yet really got to grips with (particularly diseases and the anatomy of a bee). Despite some apprehension, the exam itself was actually very enjoyable and unlike my (dim and distant) recollection of the trauma of school exams, it was done at a leisurely pace and felt more like a conversation than a test. I am now keeping my fingers crossed for the results!
Andrew Copley

For those of you who are thinking of doing the basic bee exam but think they won't be able to, I'm here to say " do it". Especially for beginners, it is a really good reason the learn and consolidate information. 

Of course at this time I don't know whether I've passed or failed, but it hardly seems to matter now. The exam has left me better experience and better informed.

For the practical you have to open and manipulate a hive, but it can't be your own. So when I was offered the chance to use Robin's, a fellow beginner, I jumped at the chance. His bees behaviour is exemplary. When Robin opens his hive, a mass of gently humming bees look up from their work filling the super and smile at him. Even when one found it's way into my hood, it was more interested in leaving than stinging. Although he lights his smoker he rarely uses it. Robin himself is a calm and methodical gentleman who keeps immaculate notes which are the envy of all the newcomers; and his bees are a reflection of him. 

My bees on the other hand seem to have come from a more delinquent strain. My clipped New Zealand Queen, walked out of the hive two weeks after arriving and I seem to have been, replacing, waiting for virgin queens to come back and consolidating ever since. If it is true that Robins bees reflect him, I'm hoping the same is not true of mine. 

However, when we finally got into Robin's hive, despite the presence of large amounts of capped brood; all was not well. 

"Can you point out the nectar, pollen and honey?" the examiner asked. - "Yes" 

"Can you point out capped brood and larva?" - "Yes" 

"Can you find the queen?" - "No" 

"Can you see any eggs?" - "No" 

" Can you see any space for eggs?" - "No" 

"Can you tell me if there is any thing strange about the drone laying?" .... 

Soon the examiner and I were avidly looking through the hive trying to solve the riddle of the missing queen. 

So interesting was our search, that I completely forgot I was doing the exam. Isn't bee keeping great?! 

I learnt such a lot by watching the quiet confident examiner, that instead of the terrifying ordeal I was expecting, it turned into a master class. So go on, do it, you really have nothing to loose.
Andi

Summer Swarms

It has been a 'swarmy' summer with many members of the public contacting HBKA for advice.  As usual many turned out to be wasps or solitary bees.  One real honeybee swarm had set-up in an old water butt and was being beautifully photographed by Simon Biggs.  He sent the following email - We have honey bees which have set up shop in an old compost barrel in our garden. They are in a corner of the garden, out of the way and are no trouble at all. They are actually fascinating to watch and photograph.  The question is: should they be moved to a proper hive or are we OK just to leave them there?  When it rained the bees were getting wet so Simon decided to call in Anne Wingate to take them away.  Thanks to Simon for the following photographs.

  

  

Have you turned beekeeping into a business?

I write for a lifestyle magazine for the over-50s called Heyday (www.heyday.org.uk) and I'm writing an article about people turning a hobby into a business. I wondered if you knew of any bee-keepers over 50 who've done this and who would be happy to be interviewed?  Many thanks.

Joanne Finney
Deputy Editor, Heyday, 17-18 Britton Street, London EC1M 5TP, tel. 020 7324 2772

What to do if you are stung?

About 20% of beekeepers seem to have some allergic reaction to bee stings. This can range from slight swelling in the vicinity of the sting, to a generalized itching (urticaria) or anaphylaxis (generalized shock including difficulty in breathing).  Death from a sting from any sort of insect is an extremely rare event indeed. The BBKA provides general information in relation to stings on a leaflet provided to all new members of the association.  This information is also available to the public and can be found at www.britishbee.org.uk/files/stings_b2.pdf.

As HBKA we are not able to provide medical advice. However there are some precautions that you could take such as:

Take an over-the-counter antihistamine to your apiary - cream to apply externally or tablets/syrup to swallow. This will help alleviate minor swelling or irritation.

Immediately get help if any of the following occur:

• you are stung by many insects at the same time
• a rash or swelling gets worse instead of better
• if the site is red, tender and swollen
• headache
• dizziness
• nausea (feeling sick)
• pains in the chest
• choking or wheezing
• difficulty breathing

If you are at a remote apiary alone then make sure that you take a working mobile phone and call for help if you have any of the above symptoms.