Combings - Spring 2000 EDITORIAL. Well here we are, already nearly a quarter in to the first year of the new Millennium (unless you are one of those who think the end of the year is the correct start.!). We surviving beekeepers from the ravages of varroa are now looking forward to the excitement of a new beekeeping season. A talk from Albert Knight of BIBBA at our February meeting on the subject of Queen Rearing the pure-bred native black bee, was a tremendous stimulation. (See John Coady’s article later in this issue.) I was also encouraged to see the article from Mark Clowes about his first year of Beekeeping, and hope that this will encourage more of you to put pen to paper and submit an account of your own experiences for subsequent issues! Having spent many hours working out the clues and words for my first (and last) crossword puzzle in the Christmas issue, I was disappointed not to receive a single reply. Just in case the puzzle was too complicated for you all, I have published the correct answers later in this issue. (or the words that I had worked out!) I am pleased to tell you that our Association leaders have been hard at work applying to the Millennium Committee for a grant to be used for purchasing equipment. It is early days yet to gauge whether we are likely to be successful, but I will keep you informed in subsequent issues of the progress. Ed. NSBKA OFFICERS President Dr William Kirk Tel 01630 673540 Chairman Bill Woodward Tel 01782 680236 Secretary Audrey Hulme Rook Hall Farm Butterton Newcastle. ST5 4DX Tel. 01782 657666 Treasurer Alan Silver Tel 01782 502380 BBKA Delegate David Teasdale Tel 01782 502495 Committee Members Margaret Teasdale (Show Manager) Nick Mawby (Exam Secretary) Tim Waye (Program Secretary) Barbara Mountford (Social Comm. Rep.) Ron Clewes John Coady John Twigg John Humphries Mark Clowes “Combings” Editor David Cheek 15 St Leonards Way Woore Crewe Cheshire CW3 9SS Tel 01630 647584 Chairman’s Chat I wish everyone a happy new beekeeping season, for the new Millennium. At the first meeting of the new year we had a speaker who gave an interesting account of beekeeping in Canada, illustrated with slides and showing a totally different approach to fit in with the short Summer season there. I regret to say that only 10 people were present and only 7 of these kept bees! It is very disappointing when a speaker comes from a distance to find such a small audience. The other point is that with room charges, speakers fees and travelling expenses averaging £50 per meeting, Members are missing out and not getting the best value for their subscription. I ask all members to come and support us at these meetings, and to bring a raffle prize if possible to defray the cost of these meetings. Bill Woodward Chairman. Meeting Reports January meeting So many people are still disorganised this early in the new year, that a poor attendance at the first meeting of the year is quite normal. It should be easy to remember the first Wednesday of the month. This year was no exception so many members (who had not entered the meetings in their diaries) missed one of the most interesting and well presented talks that we have had for some time. John Hill and his wife had for some years gone to Alberta to spend a season working with a Honey Producing firm. They stayed for more than one season, moving South to work for other producers. The January talk was mainly about their experiences and adventures at the first of these places. Other talks that John gives are about the operations further south. The practice in Alberta was to prepare the hives in the Spring in readiness for the delivery of huge lorry loads of package bees. There was a rush to get the packages established in the hives, with the large bucket feeders of sugar syrup on top. The syrup is delivered by tanker lorry. Brood diseases are not considered much of a problem, every package is treated with terramycin hoping that it is held down. At this time the countryside looked most uninviting, patches of snow still on the ground and not a flower to be seen. When the bees were settled in the hives they were rushed to the out apiaries and surrounded by electric fences. This was to protect them from the bears. We saw a slide showing the damage done when they were short of a battery one night. ( The very remarkable thing about the climate in Alberta is the way it can be so Winter-like, with patches of snow still on the ground, and only three days later the scene has completely changed to Summer, with herbage and flowers as far as the eye can see. This lasts for only three months, during which time the colonies build up and bring in what seems to us a phenomenal honey surplus, much of it from clover, not the clover that we know but one that grows about 5 feet tall. There is little or no time for swarm control, in any case with less brood to feed, the honey surplus can be even bigger and they may get a yield from the swarm. During this time the staff is kept busy changing supers, which are deep langstroths. If they find any stocks with obvious AFB or EFB they just give it more terramycin. At the end of the honey flow which, like the weather, ends as suddenly as it started, the bees are destroyed with cyanide gas, they are blown off the combs with the same blowers that were used for removing them from the supers during the flow. It was considered too cold to over-winter them. Combs were stored in a large shed, rather like an aircraft hanger. With the winters so cold there is no fear of wax moth damage. Combs are rarely changed, so the foul brood spores are still in the combs to infect the bees again the next year. British beekeepers should be warned of the dangers of allowing their bees to feed on foreign honey or its products. The beekeeper usually spend a leisurely Winter further South. A point of concern to some members of your management committee is the cost of these meetings in proportion to the number of members who attend the talks. In this case there were only ten members and the speaker there. This particular meeting cost about £40 for the speaker and £18 for the room. Thanks to the raffle (and the usual people who donated the three prizes) the final cost to the association was reduced to about £48. Committee members would like to hear your opinion on this point. Ron Clewes February Meeting A talk by Albert Knight of BIBBA on “Queen Rearing Operations” Albert Knight kept members fascinated by his illustrated talk on Queen Rearing, drawing on a long experience of over 20 years in the Midland BIBBA group. The aim of the group is to improve the dark native bee and to “develop bees which are non-aggressive and which have a lower tendency to swarm”. Albert went on to describe his method for queen rearing and it is based on the technique of grafting larvae into Jenter cups. The system then follows a simple timetable:- 1. Saturday Place cups in colony for conditioning 2. Sunday Split colony to make starter and graft (Queenright brood box moved to one side on new floor) 3. Monday Restore Queenright colony to original site, placing beneath grafted brood with queen excluder in between. 4. Friday Remove queen cells to incubator 5. Friday week Queens emerge into cell cages. Place in No. 2 incubator 6. Sunday Take queens to apiary and make up mini – nucs. 7. Wednesday Take mini – nucs to mating site and release bees at dark. Albert and his colleagues have travelled many hundreds of miles in search of isolated areas in which to establish mating sites and avoid cross fertilisation with unknown drones. At the same time the group have been offering improved queens to local beekeepers surrounding the breeding apiary in order to create a mono-strained area ensuring that all drones will be of the improved strain. The advent of Varroa has brought a new challenge. Colonies differ in their reaction to the varroa mite, and it has been shown that the so called “hygienic” bees will clean out cells containing bee larvae and mites, so reducing the varroa population. A breeding programme to develop these characteristics is on-going. The evening was a very stimulating occasion. Albert Knight has spent over 20 years breeding and improving the honey bee, a very dedicated and committed beekeeper. ( Albert Knight supplied a note sheet giving a fuller detail of the techniques involved. Please ask a committee member if you would like a copy. Two of our members Ron Clewes and David Cheek possess a computer disc which outlines the sequence of operations once a start date has been put in. I believe a copy printout is available if you ask them.) See sample insert. John Coady March Meeting On Wednesday 1st March Graham Royal from Stockport spoke to us on the subject of “ Bee Communication”. This was a most interesting talk full of information and made concise and clear by the sophisticated computer display equipment. The opening question “Have you ever wondered?” suggested that our speaker was a person who was intrigued by the mysteries and complexity of the honey bee, and was continually wondering – If?, Why?, How? And What?. He had discovered, by research and observation, ways in which communication occurs. Bees, being social, the activities of the individuals are integrated for the benefit of the colony. Communication is a two-way system, transmitted and received by Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight and Hearing (Vibration). The dark, crowded and noisy conditions in the hive make the process even more remarkable. We are all aware of the importance of pheromones but only thirty so far have been identified and many more await discovery. Pheromones are distributed in the air, in food and by physical contact. I’m sure all the experienced bee keepers amongst our members are familiar with the many different pheromones, but to me, a non bee keeping member, it was truly amazing to learn of the many signals this chemical reaction emits. I never fail to wonder at the miraculous mating procedure and I now know why I always get more than one sting at a time. I have not yet detected the “banana” smell of the alarm pheromone but will beat a hasty retreat if ever I do. Let’s hope the Drone pheromone may help in some way to combat Varroa. Another important method of communication of course is the Bee Dance, now of this I do have some experience. Many years ago, when I was a student, our Modern Dance lecturer was particularly friendly with the Rural Science Lecturer, and invited him to talk to us about his bees and their dancing. He gave us a graphic description of their patterns – figure of eight and wagtail. We were then persuaded to perform these movements as part of our course work culminating eventually as part of a programme of entertainment. I can’t think of a stranger anomaly – 20 hefty P.E. students acting as bees! (Sorry no repeat performances). This interesting talk began with a question and ended with several more:- How do bees know how to prepare for Winter? How do bees know when to get rid of Drones? How do bees know how to stagger the development of Drones and Queens? How do bees know how to cool the hive using water? How do bees know how and when to build Queen cells? May-be in the next edition of “Combings” we could have a section entitled – “Any Answers”? Audrey Slater ( What about it? If there is a response and at least one of you put pen to paper, then I will create such a section – Ed.) A Novice First Year After thinking about keeping bees for a couple of years, reading any information I could find and talking to a friend who had kept bees in Greece, the chance sight of an advert in “Loot” took me to Warrington. I became the owner of a hive of bees. With protective equipment purchased I started to learn about bees and beekeeping. I joined NSBKA which proved very helpful being able to ask experienced beekeepers for advice on colony care, feeding, varroa etc. Members have been keen to help on any occasion and practical experience gained at the club apiary. Both my wife and myself have had hours of pleasure watching and learning, seeing forager bees returning with many different colours of pollen. Our first sight and sound of drones in spring. Young bees taking circling play flights around the hive. We have had a lot of encouragement from local gardeners who are interested in, and appreciate the bees. My neighbour has a pond and he keeps me informed of the number of bees collecting water there. In my first year of beekeeping I have had a few disasters, keeping my smoker alight was at first a constant challenge. My wife called me excitedly while I was at work one day telling me that the bees were behaving strangely, after racing home she described how they had started circling first around the hive then spreading like a swirling cloud to fill the entire garden. The swarm gradually moved in formation over to my neighbour’s garden where they quickly settled on a small apple tree. I later retrieved the swarm to the relief of my alarmed but surprisingly understanding neighbour. I have also had a lot of success seeing my virgin queen, having mated, beginning to lay a nice pattern of eggs, and watching my now two colonies of bees building up. It was very satisfying taking a small amount of honey at the end of Summer and, finally, keeping that smoker alight for a whole manipulation! I have seen my bees fly in early January on a mild day. If at the Spring of this year my bees have overwintered, I will look upon my first year of beekeeping as a great success!!!! Mark Clowes January 2000 Arthritis, or a bee in the bonnet! In an article published in The Times on February 10th this year it said that the “Journal of Rheumatology” and the medical magazine “Monitor” have reviewed the evidence that arthritis is an occupational hazard for beekeepers. A medical team investigating beekeepers from a village near Madrid, where 50% of the beekeepers were affected in joints nearest sting sites, have concluded that arthritis might have been the result of reaction to venom. CROSSWORD Beekeeping and General Content B R O O D P O L L E N R N R R E U A L E O R E M C C N O S E M A L E X P R E S S O N C E A E U U S W A R M T S O U S T I M E R A P E N I N L A G R E E N E C T A R R U E G R S O C A P E R E O S U P E R S O R I P E T O L D A T As promised, above are the answers for the Crossword in the Christmas issue. As reported in my foreword there were no entries submitted and so the prize will be saved and donated to the Draw at the Honey Show! Import 0f Package Bees from New Zealand We were consulted by the Ministry of Agriculture during the Summer of 1998 regarding the above, and as a result of this nation-wide consultation and taking into account all the other available evidence, the Ministry have decided that imports of these bees should be permitted into the Statutory Infected Area . The main area of concern raised by the consultation exercise was the possibility of introducing further bee diseases to Great Britain, most notably Kashmir Bee Virus (KBV), and how this might affect a bee population already infected with Varroa. A paper entitled “Import Risk Analysis” can be borrowed from our secretary, Mrs Audrey Hulme tel: 01782 657666 NEWHOUSE FARM NURSERIES Crowborough Road Lask Edge Nr. Leek Staffs Designers of creative Landscapes Gardens And Borders Buy plants for your Bee Garden Bargain Prices Shrubs Conifers Trees Cottage Garden Perennials Open 9am until Dusk Telephone 01782 514412 Bob Parsonage of Trean Apiaries Hassell Road Sandbach Tel. 01270 764413 or Mobile 0378 545304 has written enclosing the Sale Price List. Items are offered on a “First come, first served basis” and once the items have been sold that will be it. 30lb Honey Buckets £2.00 each 15lb Honey buckets £0.95 each 70lb Honey tank with Tap and strainer (only one) £12.00 Deep Drone Foundation £4.50 per 10 sheets Deep unwired Foundation £4.50 per 10 sheets “Honey for Sale” signs £4.00 each Shallow wired Drone Foundation £2.50 per 10 sheets Cut Comb Foundation £2.20 per 10 sheets Langstroth Crown Boards £5.00 each Langstroth Super, made up £14.00 Lozenge bee escapes £0.90 each Steele & Brodie Feeder £10.00each Frame feeders £4.00 each 8oz Cut Comb Containers £5.50 (50) 8oz Comb Cutter £10.00 Plastic Potlets £6.00 (100) National Metal Runners £0.20 pair Castle spacers £0.60 pair 8 way bee escapes £3.00 each Hexagon Moulds £1.50 each 1oz Wax Moulds £1.50 each National Hive floors (flat or made up) £7.00 each National Brood Boxes (flat or made up) £14.00 each National Supers £10.00 each Zinc Queen excluders National £4.00 each Wired Queen Excluder National £9.00 each Glass Crown Boards National £8.00 each Unframed Queen Excluders National £5.00 each Metal Cover Roof National (in the flat) £15.00each Metal cover Roof National (made up) £15.00eachUncapping fork £5.50 each Hanging Section Dividers £5.50 (10) Section Squares £4.50(100) English section boxes £2.50 (10) Section Display boxes £1.50 (10) Queen marking cages £3.00 each Plastic spacers Narrow and Wide £4.00(100) Square Folding Veils £12.00each Quantity of BS Frames and Foundation Deep and shallow – 25% off RRP _______________________________ Snippets from “Combings” 1974 What’s the difference between a boat and a bee? The blunt and sharp ends are the other way round ! The Drone to his wife – “What’s for supper, honey ?” Planning for the Future In the December issue of the BBKA NEWS there was an article on planning for the future. The matter of enlisting more members to our association has been an ongoing subject at committee meetings as long as I can remember but we always seem to have been thinking in the short term. In Combings No. 18 Spring 1978 the names and addresses of members were listed. I counted 125. As our rules were different then, and 15 of the above were listed as Mr. and Mrs., it probably means that we had 125 full members and 15 that we would now call associate members. The first sentence in the BBKA NEWS No.122 December 1999 reads “Where is the next generation of beekeepers to come from?” The first thing that we should ask ourselves is:- Are we interested in how many local beekeepers there will be in 20 years time? If we are, what can we do about it? Some months ago we added to our library two copies of a learning pack published by the BBKA, with financial help from Bayer. I am speaking of “Bees in the Curriculum”. If we are prepared to spend and make an effort for the future of our craft, and for the next generation, then perhaps we should offer schools the chance to see a copy of this pack. We could also offer to visit any school that was interested in using this subject as the basis of one or more of their science lessons. We may offer to show them bee keeping equipment, and give support where required. At a modest cost to our Association we could distribute leaflets to a few local schools to see if there was any response and take it from there. Ron Clewes Can You Help? Under mentioned is a list of Shows and events that our local Association has agreed to attend and put on a display. Anyone helping will be able to sell their honey to the Public and the committee has decided not to ask for any contribution from these sales. If you are willing to help at any or all of these events, then would you please telephone David Teasedale in the first instance on 01782 502495 and register which events you can help at. Sun 14 May Open Day Country Fair Wootton Farms JCB Oakamoor. Sun 18 June Hanley Park Show Sat/Sun 15/16 July Cheadle Festival Sat 29 July Leek Show Sat 12 Aug Manifold Valley Show The success of these Shows as far as our Association is concerned, is firmly in your hands. Without your help we will not succeed, so do give David a ring with your offers of help!