Practical Workshop for Beginners
25 January 2020
This workshop is being held to help guide our new beekeepers through the process of assembling their equipment ready for the new season, if anyone is interested in helping please contact Lilian
Practical Workshop for Beginners
25 January 2020
This workshop is being held to help guide our new beekeepers through the process of assembling their equipment ready for the new season, if anyone is interested in helping please contact Lilian
The BBKA have published their exam results for 2019 and once again we are delighted for our members who passed with Credit.
The first of our Member evening winter meetings of 2020 will be on Friday 17 January 2020, starting at 7.30pm, at East Challow Village Hall.
For those new to the association or who haven’t been there before – the full address is Main Street (A417), East Challow, Wantage OX12 9SR. The village hall is on the right hand side as you come down the hill in East Challow from Wantage, and there is parking in the car park at the hall.
We have invited Derek Mitchell back for a return visit. Some of you may remember Derek from his talk at a winter meeting a few years ago where he gave a fascinating insight in to the results of his research in to the thermodynamics of the hive (he is a physicist by training, and uses his wife’s hives for his research!).
The subject of his talk this year is “The invisible world of honey bees or How bees beat beavers at dam building”, and we look forward to seeing you there.
The new Official Controls Regulation (OCR) will apply directly to the UK from 14th December 2019. Please read the OCR Factsheet for further information.
Mark White of EDBKA is working with the Asian hornet team on the island of Jersey, learning how to track a suspected nest. Mark is actually allergic to stings so will be taking care not to get stung. He will be putting out regular blogs on the East Dorset Beekeepers page and here is the first:
Asian Hornet Alert – from the NBU:
On Friday 4th October a nest was destroyed following the confirmed sighting of an Asian hornet near Christchurch, Dorset after it was reported by a member of the public. It is imperative that any Asian hornet colonies in the UK are detected and destroyed before queens are released. This is the time of year when colonies have been previously detected and we depend on alert beekeepers and members of the public to report sightings. As we have an abundant insect population, Asian hornets may not just be found in apiaries, they could also be at places where insects congregate – stands of ivy, for example, and on decaying fruit. At any sunny, warm period, take a little extra time – 20 minutes or more – to look around your apiary, any ivy and garden generally to help early detection of this alien insect.
What Else Can I Do?
We thank you in advance for your co-operation and continued vigilance.
Kind regards,
National Bee Unit.
Dear Beekeepers,
On behalf of the National Honey Monitoring Scheme team at CEH (Centre for Ecology & Hydrology), I would like to say a big thank you to those who have returned honey samples to us. We have had over 500 back this year so far (see below), which is amazing! I hope it has been a good season for all.
Table: Number of samples returned between March and September 2019; according to NUTS1 statistical regions and including Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
As we have had over 750 sample pack requests, I would again like to remind those of you who wish to participate this year to return your samples as soon as possible. Our cut-off date for 2019 is 30th November – any samples returned after the 30th will be archived only; no pollen analysis will be done. Further, no new 2019 sample packs will be sent out after the 31st October 2019. Any requests will be kept on file and packs sent out next March, ready for NHMS 2020.
As you can imagine Ujala and I are busy in the lab processing your honey samples. In the next newsletter we will provide details of progress. However, I would like to say we are on track to provide results for the first 350 samples before the end of the year. Watch this space!
Best wishes,
Dr Anna Oliver
Molecular Biologist, NHMS
Dear Member,
VDBKA FUN HONEY SHOW
Please find below a link to download our Honey Show Poster and the Honey Show Schedule for Saturday 12th October, 2019:
This will give you an idea of proceedings that have been arranged for the afternoon; please try to exhibit as many exhibits as possible.
This year, to help cut down on landfill, we are asking you to bring along your own cups & plates. Don’t worry if you can’t, we will have a selection of catering disposables made from plants using renewable, lower carbon, recycled or reclaimed materials, which can all be commercially composted after the event.
Please remember to let Heather Burford know what food you will be bringing along on the day, and please let Simon Rogers know if you can donate a raffle prize.
We very much look forward to seeing you on the 12th October.
Best wishes from your Committee
Dear members,
Important – due to potential structural issues with the roof at East Challow Village Hall we have had to move our upcoming winter association meeting on Friday 22nd March 2019.
Our meeting will now start at 7.45pm in The Millennium Room at Steventon Village Hall, The Green, Steventon, Abingdon OX13 6RR.
Matt Richards will be leading our session with a talk on How to use a ‘Public Access Defibrillator’ and will also cover CPR.
When someone suffers cardiac arrest, for every minute that passes without defibrillation a person’s chances of survival can decrease by up to 10%. By performing CPR and using a defibrillator, you’ll give someone the best possible chance of survival. Particularly in rural areas, early defibrillation is absolutely vital while the patient waits for the ambulance to arrive.
Matt will explain how defibrillators work and debunk some of the misunderstandings about when to use a defibrillator. This will be an opportunity for you to learn how to use an External Automatic Defibrillator, and Matt will also bring a couple of Resuscitation Manikins (or “Resusci Annie”) for you to practice CPR on, so the evening is a combination of talk/demo and practical for those who wish it.
This is a chance to refresh and learn valuable skills that will not only be of use in the apiary, but also in your day-to-day life, and we look forward to seeing you there.
Many thanks
Samantha
V&DBKA Programme Secretary
Starvation Alert
Beekeepers should continue to monitor their colonies throughout the winter as temperatures in some regions of the UK have been unusually high for the winter months, allowing honey bee flight and forage of pollen. In some cases, small patches of brood are still being reared and the demand on the colony’s food resources ongoing.
Where temperatures do not allow for a sugar syrup feed, fondant icing can be placed directly on the top bars of the colony, above the cluster and fed as required.
For further information, please see the ‘Best Practice Guidance No. 7 – Feeding Bees Sugar’ on the following BeeBase Page: http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/index.cfm?pageid=167
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