Newsletter April 2022
We have been
seriously tried by the weather this spring; storms, then blissful early warmth
followed by heavy fog & cloud. Warm again now, just to confuse our poor
bees. Most beekeepers seem to have suffered some colony losses, the puzzling
kind where the hive has plenty of stores, but the population sadly dwindles.
Please will
you contribute to the BBKA Winter survival survey by April 30th so
that they can make comparison with earlier years. https://forms.gle/pknsaEZZXaTTZjkT7
I have a fascinating performance happening in
my garden hive: the old queen is desperate to be superseded, a beautiful queen
cell was created, a good-looking virgin emerged in due course, but it has since
been too cold & windy for her to go out & get mated. So, she & her
mother are trundling around together, always on the same frame, but time is
running out for a successful mating & of course neither of them is laying
any eggs!
2022 seems to
be the year of a revival in farming of the oil seed rape crop. I have not seen
so many dazzling yellow fields for a good few years. I hope your colonies are
taking advantage of the plentiful pollen & nectar the plants provide.
As we all have
high hopes of a good honey crop, here are 2 honey extractors which members are
selling: both are 4 frame tangential extractors, which involve turning the
super frames half way through extracting to empty both sides.
Alan Snook has
a plastic manual extractor for sale @ £200 ono, Contact him 01304 841964
Jill Rolfe has
a stainless-steel electric extractor for sale @ £380, only used for one
season Contact her
07500 723732
Can I remind you all that the swarm
collector list is being updated & if you wish to be on it, let me know
please? But you must be prepared to answer if a call comes to you; even if you
don’t need any more bees, a beginner might or someone who has lost bees.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
A
member from Wye, Kate Wilson, has a lot of polystyrene Langstroth bits
for sale, some unused as her late father purchased them. Please call her to
obtain more information:
5 Floors,
6 yellow doors, 6 brood frames, 3 yellow feeder frames, 11 Langstroth boxes
including frames, 5 roofs + 1 unpainted, 3 feeders, 1 eke (moth
damage), 3 plastic queen excluders, 5 plastic blue sheets, 6 clear
plastic sheets, 6 drone plastic frames (green)
01233 813878 Kate will
sell as a job lot
HONEY
JARS
We have had a delivery of honey jars, and
will be selling them now. BUT from a different site
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, slightly
later as it is a really busy site with deliveries etc.
PRICES: 1lb jars, incl 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.
Spare lids available for all sizes.
HIVE
LOANS
For
some years DDBKA has offered loans of complete National hives, including
frames, to beginners for their first season, to save on the expense of setting
up, which can be considerable. The
beginner would keep & use the hive for their first year, but by the
following spring would be expected to have obtained their own hive & be
able to return the DDBKA one, in its original condition, for another beginner
to use.
This month’s meeting
Saturday 30th April at the DDBKA Eythorne apiary
at 2:30 pm, the first outdoor meeting of this year at Eythorne Court CT14
4AD. It is along Shepherdswell Road,
near Eythorne travelling towards Shepherdswell, on the left, near a black
wooden building. We park in the next field; you will see cars and a gate to
enter. If you are a new member or visitor, please make yourself known, we get
busy!
Bear in
mind that the site includes an apiary & we urge you to take care in the
vicinity of bees, bring your beesuit & wellies if you have them, make sure
you have informed me of allergies & sting reactions if you are aware of
them.
It is very doubtful whether any hives will be opened
as the forecast is chilly again, the apiary hives have suffered losses too. Jackie
will be explaining some of the signs to look for if you suspect bees plan to
swarm. Q & A session also.
There
will be some redundant hive parts for sale:
National brood boxes for £12,
14X12
brood boxes for £20
super
boxes at £8,
roofs for
£14,
a
complete empty wooden Langstroth hive. £150
a hive
stand - offers
- Tea [£1] and raffle as usual. Bring your own mugs!!!!
·
I hope you will be able to come
along, & that it warms up! I look forward to putting faces to names on my
lists, and hoping to arrange some mentors for beginners.
Best wishes,
Maggie
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