Newsletter November 2022
Dear
beekeeper,
Thanks to
all of you who entered exhibits in the recent Honey Show, also to those who
came along to see what we could offer. We are grateful to Chris Holdstock for
providing his experience in organising the entries. A lot of preparation went
into readying the hall; we are already booked in for October 21st
2023!
The list of
awards is attached, & next year we plan to be more specific in identifying
reasons why various honey entries didn’t make the grade. Most were due to
granulation beginning. The judge was impressed with the quality of the novice
entries – hope for the future!
Time moves along, time for our AGM. This
is your current committee, anyone wishing to stand in one of the posts will be
welcome, please let me know as we might need an election.
Office |
Current
holder |
Remarks |
Chair |
Peter Crow |
willing to stand again |
Vice Chair |
Paula Gardner |
willing to stand again |
Secretary & Membership Secretary |
Maggie Harrowell |
willing to stand again |
Treasurer # |
Philip Nicholson |
willing to stand again |
Show Secretary |
Sue Court |
willing to stand again |
Equipment Secretary |
Eric Cattell |
Willing to stand again |
Exam Secretary |
Dick Bunting |
Post vacant |
Delegate |
Peter Crow |
willing to stand again |
Jackie is currently
resting from the committee, until we have the necessary Health & Safety
agreements in place; but still training & teaching we hope. Could you
assist her as Exam Secretary?
# Philip
would very much welcome a member who could assist/shadow his activities with a
view to taking over at a later date. Have a think as to whether you could offer
support.
I have also
attached a membership form for you to renew
your membership. BBKA fees remain the same, so we will keep the same fees as
last year, Associate membership remains the same. *Please sign the back to
confirm you understand your responsibilities when dealing with bees.
We hope the
bulk of you will renew online when prompted in your inbox. But members who prefer cheques will
certainly need to fill one in & give or post to Philip asap please.
Consider also if you might like to:
# Become a
mentor to a beginner, # Loan a hive as a beginner for your first beekeeping year,
# Host a summer meeting, [be optimistic!], # Go on
the 2023 swarm collectors list,
# Offer to join the catering rota
Winter comes soon, even though it is exceptionally
mild now; your hard-working bees should now be well-fed & tucked up in
their hives with a mouseguard or low entrance at the front & protection from
woodpeckers around the exposed woodwork [or polystyrene, it’s vulnerable too!]
Queen excluders removed so that the cluster can move freely with the queen. Check every so often that your
hives are safe from strong winds, animals, vandalism etc. They should be left
alone till you decide whether to do a varroa treatment in December/ January. If the bees are clustering near the feed hole,
they may need fondant.
Even though it may be chilly/ foggy/damp, this is
the time to check your equipment is in good shape ready for next season, coming
sooner than you think!
HONEY
JARS *
Now at Unit 12, AB
Crush panel beaters, opposite the Shepherdswell turning on the A2 to
Five Oaks, Geddinge CT4 6RY. The procedure remains the same, order
to me, payment to Philip, collection on a Friday from 11 to 12,
it is a really busy site with vehicles, deliveries etc.
PRICES: 1lb jars, including lids, in boxes of 72 £23.50 12oz jars & lids remain at £29
for 72 8oz
round jars & lids are £34.50 for 128 8oz
hexagonal jars & lids are £34.50 for 108. SOLD OUT
Spare lids available for all sizes.
*A new order
will be placed before Christmas
From BBKA: I am writing to ask all
Associations and their members to support our new honey petition
which calls on the Government to change the Honey labelling rules so
consumers can easily recognise all countries of origin of the honey contained
in a jar sold here in the UK .https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/624402/
There are
increasing cases of shop honey being blended from many unknown sources, as well
as maybe being bulked out by corn syrup
& rice syrup.
This
month’s meeting, last of the year!
Saturday 26th November 2:30 pm Alkham Village Hall CT15 7BU
- Please don’t forget your 2023
subscription form if you are not paying online. Use a sealed
envelope with your name on it for your form & money, it can get
confusing! Please remember to fill in the back of the form.
- Your
subscription pays for the monthly magazine, insurances, newsletter &
speakers, loans of equipment. Remember that a £10 refundable
deposit must now be paid for borrowing honey extractors to ensure they are
returned in as clean a condition as they were loaned.
·
Any
outstanding library books to be returned please.
·
Tea [£2] and raffle as usual. Note the new
price, it has remained the same since 2016.
·
At
the meeting, you will be asked to play a part in choosing some topics for the
indoor meetings, think about what you’d like to hear more about from a list of
subjects.
Best wishes, please
come along, car share if possible, Maggie