Saturday 20 November 2021

Newsletter, November 2021

 Hello All,

Please note that our next meeting is on  the 20th November rather than at the end of the month as normal - the  hall was already booked!

We will attempt good ventilation in the hall, space seats more widely & take a register of attendees.

Apart from that, things should be relatively normal, so I hope you will come along to Alkham Vllage Hall.

I have attached the results of October's Honey Show, a bit sparse, but all entries appreciated.

Also the subscription form for 2022 membership. Established members should receive an automated request in their computer inbox.

Kind regards,

Maggie

Newsletter, October 2021

 Hello All

Hope you are warm & safe, autumn & winter approaching fast!

The Honey Show is the main item this month, the week following the National Show at Sandown Park.

As  well as the newsletter, I have attached a timely prompt from Mary Hill  [judge] as to what honey judges are looking for when faced with rows of  similar looking jars. Surprisingly, the aroma comes last!

Also a firm note from Dick Bunting about hive ventilation in winter.

A churchwarden from St Nicholas Church in Barfrestone has a bee problem which I hope someone can solve. 

Bees  are not in the church, but behind a rain spout/guttering. It is 25 feet  up & she'd love an intrepid person to collect them before they move  in to the building.

Is that you [plus ladder?] Contact Jenny Hunt please. 

 jennyhunt1712@gmail.com

Looking forward to seeing you on the 30th,

Best regards,

Maggie

Newsletter, September 2021

 Hello All

Hoping to find you all well.

As well as the newsletter, you have 2 informative contacts from Jackie,  the 2021 Honey Show Schedule + a poster.

Best wishes,

Maggie

Newsletter, August 2021

 Hello All, 

Hoping you are still well & feeling a bit more relaxed about meeting & mixing.

 As long as we are careful, our principal enemy seems to be the weather, what a chilly wet August.

The invitation from Parsonage Farm came out of the blue, a real change of scene after months of talking to insects, which rarely respond!

So I hope you'll turn up & broaden your horizons, make new contacts.

Best wishes, 

Maggie

Newsletter, July 2021

Hello All,

Really looking forward to our first  meeting for 16 months, some of you are still understandably cautious,  but we'll welcome you when you feel ready.

Thanks for  all the contacts & support over this time, amazingly our membership  has grown by 20, a few new ones only contacted when collecting jars.

The bee season is coming to the peak of honey accumulation soon, good luck to us all.

Last week I went to 2 swarms in 2 days, a bit late, but 2021 has been a late season all round.

I hope it's been kind to you.

Please let me know if you are interested in the varroa offer on the second page.

Best wishes,

Maggie

Monday 18 January 2021

Newsletter January 2021

Happy New Year to all members and fellow beekeepers!

This winter is turning out to have a bit of a bite; dull, cold, freezing fog, which is keeping the bees inside in a cluster, consuming their stores slowly. 
Check the hives regularly from the outside to see they are secure & weatherproof, heft to check for stores; peek at any fondant you have fed them to see if they need more. 
No snow as yet, but a strong possibility. 
Tony F alerted me to a heavy mite drop straight after his oxalic acid treatment, don’t ignore a finding like that. Oxalic acid targets the mites on the bees’ bodies, more are on larvae in any capped brood cells.

Thanks for renewing your membership, a handful have lapsed, but we have 112 members so far & some enquirers already looking to start in the spring. 
Anyone interested in joining, please contact me. 

That's all for now, wishing you the very best for 2021, be careful & keep well,

Maggie