West Dorset Beekeepers

29/07 :  West Dorset Beekeepers Convention - Sunday 21st November

   WDBKA Convention Sunday 21st November 2010

Please try and keep this day free in your diary you will not be disappointed – book a place now!!

Loders Village Hall  10:00 – 16:00

Speakers include:

• Celia Davis B.sc.NDB  ‘Nuc it’ - The Use & Production of Nucleus Hives & Beekeeper v Bee
• Dr James Creswell—University of Exeter Neonictinoids - latest Research
• Nigel Semmence - Southern Region Bee Inspector— Working with Blue Mason Bees in the US  & Season’s Activities in the Southern Region

Admission strictly by programme obtainable from Carole Brown 11 North Hill Way Bridport Dorset DT6 4JX Tel 01308 456210

£3 for WDBKA members £12 Non members (includes am/pm refreshments and a light lunch).

Please send a Stamped Addressed Envelope and cheque made payable to WDBKA . Each programme will be numbered - the numbers of those will be entered into a draw for a lucky dip prize so make sure you bring it with you and hold onto it.

15/07 :  MELPLASH AGRICULTURAL SHOW 26TH AUGUST 2010

   It’s Melplash Show time again for a lot of us and it would be great if we there are more  honey/products and bee related entries from our own members and from outside our WDBKA  on Thursday 26th August – Schedules can be obtained from the Show Office by ringing 01308 423337 or going on their Website www.melplashshow.co.uk   Our WDBKA Show rules have slightly changed this year to come in line with all the other Dorset Shows –  they can be found on our website www.westdorsetbees.org.uk  and a copy will be sent with your class entries.   So please make an effort to join in the fun on Show Day and talk bees all day!! There will be Live Bee demonstrations - equipment for sale and much more. The Bee Marquee can be found in the Countryside Area.   If you have not been to the show before it has so much to offer as an excellent one day agricultural show.

15/07 :  Saturday 3rd July 2010 Apiary Report

   How to get Good Brood CombsWe replace brood combs in our colonies to help to keep our bees healthy.  We try to do this annually, but invariably some frames go longer.  Combs that are more than three years old are really too old.Many beekeepers don’t go about this in the best way and consequently the combs in their hives are often warped, have holes and gaps along the wires and the bottom bars and a high proportion of drone cells (bad for varroa control).  Fit the foundation in the frames carefully.  If it is just a bit too wide, trim it with a pair of scissors.  Wax expands with heat and it is all too easy for it to bow.The Best Brood Frames are Not Drawn in the Brood Box.  To draw out foundation well, bees need heat, lots of young bees and an incoming source of food (stored food doesn’t count).  These conditions are best fulfilled in July or early August.  The warmest place in a hive is just above the brood nest.  Outside frames are the coldest and may need to be turned or moved in.  Varroa mesh floors don’t help.  If you absolutely have to get frames drawn in the brood box, put in the varroa tray for the duration.  Those running double brood boxes will get better combs drawn in the upper box.There are two suggested methods for getting good comb drawn out –1)  Use a brood box as a super.  This is only really a good idea for small hives and even then a small brood box of honey could weigh 50lbs.  Extract the honey (check that your extractor will take brood frames).  Some colonies will still be producing drones in July, so this may mean some drone cells in the frames.2)  The very best method is to wait until you have removed the supers, you will then have a large population of bees a bit tight for space.  Treat with Apiguard and put on your eke, then your queen excluder and a brood box of foundation.  Feed with quite a thin syrup; say 1½ lbs of sugar to a pint of water.  The flow is likely to have stopped by late July.  The aim is to get combs drawn out but not filled with syrup.  You may need to move sides to middle, but a good colony should draw out the combs in about a week.  Remove this upper brood box quickly before they fill it with ivy honey and store it safely.  You will then have perfect brood combs, drawn right to the bottom bars ready to use for your artificial or shook swarms next year.Ref:  NBU FAQ Sheet 32 “Replacing Brood Comb”. 

21/06 :  Apiary report Saturday 5th June 2010

   Apiary report Saturday 5th June 2010.


21 members and friends attended the June apiary meeting.

Paula Edwards gave the introductory talk to the meeting:

Paula talked about the ‘June gap’ with a temporary lack of forage, explaining why bees are not so good tempered at the moment, and the importance of never leaving any honey exposed as bees will try to rob any uncovered supers.
Any honey on hives near to oil seed rape will need to come off very soon as the honey will be granulating.

There are hornets around, they fly day and night and are attracted to light.  Their nests are ginger and of a less uniform shape than wasps nests.  They will take a few bees but are generally gentle giants that are not inclined to sting.

Tests have been completed at the apiary for nosema. 
If nosema is found the most important thing is to get the bees onto clean comb asap so that the nurse bees are not ingesting spores / infection.
Nosema is not usually a problem during the summer months when bees are flying and voiding outside the hive, but it can be a problem during the winter or when the bees are confined by a period of bad weather.
Fumidil B can be used during the autumn feed but should not be used as a prophylactic.
Paula is able to test for nosema if members send her a sample of 30 bees from each colony - examination made under a compound microscope (400 x magnification) when spores can be seen.  Bees should be put in a matchbox and into the freezer for a few hours: this kills the bees quickly.

Paula said that she has recently experienced the loss of two colonies through pesticide poisoning – extensive enquiries appear to indicate that this is likely to originate from a ‘cowboy’ pest control operator who has used poison and that the treated nest has been robbed and the pesticide taken back to other colonies.
Peter Gregson has written an article about this for the Bridport News and his parish magazine and will send it to the Western Gazette. 
A copy will also be included in the WDBKA newsletter.

Varroa:
One week before each monthly meeting the varroa trays are put under each hive at the apiary (by those on the apiary rota) so that a mite count be done.
A drop of 7 or more mites per day indicates ‘danger level’ and action needs to be taken or the bees in that colony will die.
At the apiary each hive is on a high stand and has a mesh floor – any mites that fall from the hive will drop down and not be able to get back in.
Drone comb trapping (using a super frame in the brood box) can also help.
Apiguard can be used as soon as the honey has been taken off and while the weather is still warm (as it needs heat to vaporise).
Oxalic acid can be used in December (during the broodless period).
A ‘shook swarm’ where all the bees are shaken onto new frames / foundation and fed can be effective.
Hive 2 at the apiary has been shook swarmed and so their varroa levels should be lower than the other hives.
Some strains of bee seem to cope better with varroa than others.
Paula then explained the mechanics of an artificial swarm.
Hives 7 and 4 at the apiary have been artificially swarmed.
On the 24th day after an artificial swarm there will be no brood in the hive and any varroa mites will be on the bees: This is the time to add a sacrificial frame of mature larvae from another hive.  Any varroa mites on the bees will go into the cells, these will then be capped and the mites will be trapped.The disadvantage is that the virgin queen in the AS will have hatched at 16 days and adding the sacrificial frame at 24 days, probably just before she is mated, will disturb her.    

11/06 :  Removing Bee Swarms from Houses

   Now is the time of year when bees tend to swarm, and mostly this is a quite harmless activity to the general public; but sometimes bees will swarm into houses or old buildings where they can pose a serious health risk and have to be disposed of professionally. If this is the case, and you have been unable to contact a beekeeper willing or able to take the swarm, then I would suggest you contact the District Council or a professional who knows the ropes – not a cowboy who is oblivious to the ways of bees.  Read the rest ...

03/05 :  Saturday 1st May 2010 Apiary Meeting

   Another cold afternoon for our meeting when over 20 keen beekeepers listened to Ian Homer - formerly the Regional Bee Inspector, now an Extension & Learning Officer - who kindly gave us a very interesting talk on ‘Bee Health’.

Firstly he brought the updated Fera (The Food & Environment Research Agency) versions of the booklets on ‘Managing Varroa and Foul Brood’.
Further copies can be obtained by contacting The National Bee Unit, tel 01904-462510 or visit the website at www.nationalbeeunit.com.

He gave us some very useful information on how to recognise disease.

A FEW FACTS1. Ian said that sadly Beekeepers are not very good identifying disease - the Bee Inspector picks up over 90% of bee diseases that are discovered 2. The Beekeeper must be able to recognise what is normal brood3. Varroa management should be incorporated at every inspection of a colony

4. Every effort should be made to avoid crushing bees for bee health as any disease is likely to be carried in the stomach of the bee – therefore crushed bees spread disease

5. Ian recommended that Hive tools and other utensils that are used be put into a solution of 1 kilo washing soda to a gallon of water which makes a ph12 – an effective disinfectant

The Hives then were opened up and diseases were looked for ... Read the rest ...

11/04 :  The Art of Producing Honey

  

Jamie Ellis has a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Georgia (UGA). In 2004, Jamie was awarded his PhD in Entomology from Rhodes University in Grahams-town, South Africa. At Rhodes, Jamie studied the biology, behaviour, and control of small hive beetles. After finishing his PhD at Rhodes, Jamie worked as a post doctoral research fellow at UGA. At UGA, Jamie investigated IPM control of varroa and small hive beetles. In 2006, Jamie joined the Entomology and Nematology faculty at the University of Florida (UF)  as  an  Assistant  Professor.  Jamie  has  responsibilities  in  extension,  instruction  and research. Regarding his extension work, Jamie created the AFBEE program (African Bee Extension and Education Program), the UF Bee College, and the UF Master Beekeeper Program. As an instructor, Jamie currently supervises 1 PhD and 2 masters students. Ja-mie’s  research  interests  are  diverse.  Currently,  Jamie  conducts  research  on  pollination ecology of honey bees, varroa mite control, small hive beetle behaviour/control, nosema, honey  bee  nutrition,  bumble  bees,  honey  bee  chemical  ecology,  sublethal  effects  of chemicals  on  bees,  biological  control,  sociobiology,  and  general  honey  bee  behaviour/ecology.  Jamie  is  also  a  bivocational  youth  minister  at  Mt.  Pleasant  Baptist  Church  in High Springs, FL. Jamie and his wife Amanda are the proud parents of Mathias James Ellis.

Directions: The Roman Catholic Church Hall is up Victoria Road, a turning off the roundabout in Bishops Waltham (the northern roundabout).  As the slope flattens out there is a turning to the left signposted to the Catholic Church.

The lecture is followed by a finger buffet and a glass of wine.

04/04 :  Saturday 3rd April 2010 Apiary Meeting

   Once again a very cold and wet monthly meeting - when 24 members attended – which was excellent – they only came for the tea and cakes really!!

Colin Clark, our Chairman, did the introduction to this month’s meeting and gave a warm welcome to everyone.  He then handed over to Sarah More who gave a very informative talk on what to do before and during a first inspection of our hives.  Read the rest ...

31/03 :  BBKA rejoins Fera talks

   Following a positive meeting held on the 17th February 2010 between Martin Smith, Tim Lovett and Brian Ripley with Helen Crews, Head of Inspectorates, and Tony Harrington, Director of Policy and Regulation of the Food and Environment Research Agency, the BBKA Trustees voted that the BBKA should rejoin the project board at the earliest opportunity.
Following the vote at the Trustees meeting held on the 27th February 2010 this decision was relayed to Fera and the BBKA will be attending the next scheduled meeting of the Healthy Bee Project Board.

07/03 :  Saturday 6th March 2010 Apiary Meeting

   On a cold sunny afternoon we had an excellent turn out of 20 people for our first Apiary meeting of the year, all showing an interest on how our bees have faired over the very cold winter.

We went into winter with 5 hives –

Hives 2 & 4 are on Nationals Brood Boxes
Hives 6 & 7 are on 14x12 Brood Boxes
Hive 3 National (Double Brood Boxes)

As it was so cold no bees were flying.  The varroa trays were taken out so that the mites could be counted – all showed debris and a few mites, except for Hive 3 – the tray was empty which caused concern - the Hive was opened up and all the bees were dead clinging to the frames in the bottom brood box – after a thorough inspection it was decided that this Colony of bees died of Isolation Starvation - bees die surrounded by an area of empty comb, seemingly unable to cross over to neighbouring combs or areas of comb that still contain stores.  This Colony had plenty of stores in the super below the brood box – the brood box where the bees were found (in the outer frames only) and the brood box above was full – giving the beekeeper a false impression on what was really going on in hive itself by hefting the hive.  It cannot be stressed enough if you have a hive that has died to do a post mortem on the bees before dismantling the hive for disease control measures to commence.

The varroa trays had been put into open mesh floors the previous Saturday giving 7 days of mite drop – we were pleasantly surprised that all the hives were showing well under 2 mites a day (which is the recommended guide for action if over this number for this time of the year) – but in saying that the weather is still very cold which means the bees are not so active to make the mites drop off – so monitoring will continue on a monthly basis.

As the cold weather is destined to continue for a few more weeks we decided to give each Colony a Kilo of Fondant just in case they get short of winter stores.
Hopefully see you all again at the next Apiary Meeting on Saturday 3rd April 2010 at 1430hrs - when we intend to open up all the hives for a good assessment of the bees – plus tea and cakes!!

Thanks to Carole Brown for sending through this report.