Friday 18 September 2015

Newsletter September 2015

Dear Beekeeper

Thanks to Penny & Mary for providing the venue for the August meeting, the tidiest farmyard I have ever seen! Also to those who kindly supplied refreshments.

This week I repeated my record for collecting the latest swarm of the year, September 13th!

APIARY NEWS


At the apiary 2 colonies ended up with laying workers, which are only able to lay drones as they have never mated. One has been closed up, and the other [hive 5] has had a nuc introduced after the bees were shaken out. The bees are not enjoying this unseasonal chilly weather, the ivy crop is just beginning, but being washed off the flowers. If they cannot get out, they will be hungry & need feeding.

Anti varroa treatments should be over by now and the emphasis shifts to feeding colonies to prepare them for winter before the temperature drops below 15 degrees, they need to face winter with 35-40 pounds of stored honey.

It is easy to make your own sugar solutions to boost your hive stores, [2 pounds of white sugar dissolved in 1 pint of hot water or 1kg sugar to 625ml of water]. Keep feeding till they will not take more.
Branches of Farm Foods, have white cane sugar for 39p per kilo.

I hope all of you have received the schedule for the DDBKA Honey Show on October 24th. Chris hopes the number of entries will be as high as usual with the new format, so don’t let him down!
If you fill in your entry form, you will be able to hand it to him at the September meeting.

GOOD NEWS FROM KSRC [Kent Science Research centre]

As you know the Sittingbourne venue for beekeeping courses for improvers has closed.

Bob Smith is pleased to say that there will be courses on November evenings [10th, 17th, 24th, 1st Dec] at Tyland Barn, Maidstone for Key Skills; reading the colony, swarming, bee health and the last one to be for participants to choose. Use this link to book. www.ksrcbees.org.uk

TRAINING

Have you done the BBKA Honey Survey?

VERY quick to do & do it by 9th October, vouchers offered as incentives!
Click here for HONEY SURVEY

Dougal recommends a YouTube lecture by Professor Dave Goulson on bees [mostly bumbles, but very interesting] http://youtu.be/WDkpVWzFnK0

Dave Rawling recommends this TED talk - Anand Varma: A thrilling look at the first 21 days of a bee’s life
http://on.ted.com/t0ZN5 Lots to look at over the autumn season, stunning photography.

SOCIETY NOTICES


Ambrosia bee syrup at a bargain rate 

12.5kg containers of Ambrosia bee syrup are available from DDBKA at £12 per container collectable from Jill Rolfe, OR, if pre-ordered from Philip by email or phone, at the September meeting at Eythorne.
Syrup will be available from Wednesday 23rd onwards from Jill.
NB Contact Jill in the same way as arranging purchase of jars, see below.

JARS After demand from members, we now stock via Jill:
1lb jars - £18 for 72, 12oz jars - £23 for 72, 8oz jars - £27 for 128 [all round jars, lids included]. If you want to split the large boxes of 8oz jars with a friend, you’ll do it yourselves!

Contact Jill Rolfe 01304 830263 [evenings] Upton Wood Farm, Shepherdswell CT15 7LE

DIARY DATES HERE

Best wishes
Maggie

3 comments:

  1. Thanks to your posts, I resolve some problems. The articles bring insight and knowledge. I are eager to read them. Hope that you will write more and more. Good luck.discount app on shopify , Discount master , 15 best free apps on shopify

    ReplyDelete
  2. This blog is very informative regarding many different perspectives. You have shared valuable information and I want to know if you guys have any shows this year. I will love to attend it and yes, I want to know one more thing. recently I am facing issues in my marketing task and I am searching marketing homework help so can you suggest me some best service provider?

    ReplyDelete
  3. This post truly draws in me as soon as I probably am aware it, share it widely so that more individuals know it, I think it is extremely essential for us all, gratitude for understanding it. this remark of mine.

    ReplyDelete