Monday 19 August 2013

Newsletter August 2013




Dear Beekeeper


We had an excellent meeting at the Bee Barn at Bridge, a barn had been cleared for us to sit, but the anticipated bad weather never arrived and hives could be looked at in ideal conditions.
2 were united, the bees being very well-behaved.
Many thanks to Patrick for his hospitality.
Also thanks to Wendy for becoming the Laundry Volunteer.

There is a new arrival at the apiary, Roy Pearson and Dover District Council tree surgeons had to fell a tree which landed on a nursing home at Kearsney. The tree was home to honeybees! A section of trunk was cut and transported in the evening to Eythorne, bees last seen happily going in & out, now horizontal rather than vertical. Roy was his usual capable practical self, but well done DDC.

If you have any honey to extract, be careful not to leave any frames, syrup etc around. This time of year is when bees may rob other exposed or weaker colonies, I had a small nuc robbed out at Eythorne, horrible to watch and very difficult to deal with. Prevention is best.

Wasps are also in evidence, reduce the hive entrances to a few centimeters, easier for the bees to defend, check your boxes are bee-tight. Make wasp traps baited with jam & water, NOT honey.
 

This is the season for Honey Shows, both local and national. They are fun to enter and you can develop a specialty – maybe cakes, honey, wax, artistic effort.

Have a go!

A reminder that the Kent Festival of Bees at Bridge has a closing date for entries of 19th August.

Other diary dates are on our Notice Board.

Len, our Treasurer for the last few years, wishes to inform you that this will be his final year in the post and that we shall need someone to replace him in January.
Please do speak to him to find what the job entails.
He also wants to inform you that BBKA are raising the capitation payment from £15 to £17 in 2014. So your membership will be £2 more than this year.

SUGAR for feeding Your BBKA membership card can be shown at Booker Cash & Carry to buy at their low prices. Branches in Canterbury, Folkestone & Broadstairs.
The cheapest shop sugar I have seen is Iceland @ 85p per kg. You may know better.

August varroa treatment

DDBKA is going to trial the new MAQS treatment. Inserts will be put in 7 days before the meeting [see below]. If necessary, the newly approved MAQS (Mite Away Quick Strips), which only require a week on a colony, will be applied. We will need mite counters to assess the need. There will be MAQS and Apiguard to buy. Remember to keep records of all treatments used to assess their efficacy.

MAGGIE