Newsletter, November 2022

 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 21^st 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