Combings - Summer 2000 EDITORIAL .So far the variable weather this season has been a major factor causing frustration to this beekeeper at any rate. Whilst my beekeeping partner, Phil Hulme was on holiday early in the Spring, the sun shone and the honey, from the winter sown rape from one apiary, and the fruit trees from another, started to flow most encouragingly. Then it started to rain! We have been busy of late rearing Queens from grafted larvae from the BIBBA apiary, courtesy of Albert Knight. The second attempt has produced 15 queen cells from 20 grafts, and we are hoping for a good percentage of mated queens as a result. Keep your fingers crossed for us! I commend you to read “Chairman’s Chat”; our Chairman Bill Woodward has some tremendous news for our association. I would also like to publicly thank all the contributors to this issue, especially David and Margaret Teasdale. I have arranged to join the Bee Editors exchange scheme, “Bees” for short, which will give me copies of magazines from 24 other associations, and I will be able to copy articles for you without worrying about copyright infringements. Northern Bee Books run this scheme. I hope that in spite of this scheme more of you will feel able to put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboards, and let me have your contributions! Ed. Chairman’s Chat I have some good news for members! Our Association has been awarded a Millennium Grant of £4476 to purchase equipment and provide facilities for Members to expand beekeeping in North Staffordshire. The equipment will be on display during the evening of the Barbecue to be held at Alan Silver’s home at Gratton on July 14th. We have been funded a new marquee which will be in use at the Cheadle Show, together with some of the items that have also been awarded in the Grant. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Audrey Hulme, Alan Silver and Ron Clewes for the tremendous effort they put into preparing the application forms and case for obtaining the Grant. There is no doubt that it is the way these complicated forms were dealt with, explaining the benefits to the environment and Agriculture, and also to the education of the general public, that has brought us this Grant. I do hope that all Members will join in and help to make full use of the equipment, to extend the knowledge and practice of beekeeping in this area. Bill Woodward Chairman. ( I know Bill is too bashful to blow his own trumpet, but the initial idea to go for the Grant was his, and he also played a large part in the formation of our case. Well done to everyone! Ed.) ______________________ Obituary Ernest Walley, who had been a member of the North Staffordshire Association of Beekeepers for many years, has recently died. Our sincere condolences go to his wife Elsie and all his family. Ernest had been our secretary from 1961-1964 and again from 1972-1978. He then became Chairman in 1978 and was made a life member after that. During his period of office as Secretary our membership rose from 55 to over one hundred. He was a keen beekeeper having hives in several well-known gardens around our area, during the time he lived at Bowers Bent. After a time he became allergic to bee stings, and it was when he was moving bees from the bean fields in Stone up to the heather on K Pickard’s farm, that he received a sting which finished his beekeeping activities. After he finished beekeeping he took up painting, becoming a competent artist, culminating in a display in Eccleshall library. Bill Woodward Meeting Reports Joint Meeting with South Cheshire Beekeepers - Guest Speaker Robert Pickard Thursday 6th April 2000 saw North Staffs members travelling north to Haslington to a joint meeting with our South Cheshire friends, at a new venue The Cozey Club where we were able to order a drink and chat to old and new friends before we were challenged with some very interesting concepts from Prof. Pickard. Some of you will remember him as Head of the Bee Research Unit at the University of Wales - he’s now the Director General of the British Nutrition Foundation based in London. Prof. Pickard described himself as an enthusiastic beekeeper - he’d come from London that afternoon and was driving back after the meeting! The Bees Social system was the title of the talk, bees that organise themselves into a supa society and all work together for the benefit of the hive are studied by people with a range of backgrounds. Prof. Pickard drew comparisons between man and the bee such as the complex navigation systems which allow both to give instructions on the site of a food source, the highly complex social system which can be quite ruthless in bees eating larvae if food is scarce, in man often using war and famine as ways of controlling populations. Bees have adapted their dietary intakes and become vegetarian, man he argued has perhaps not adapted his diet sufficiently for the changing world he lives in when the rates of obesity are continuing to rise. He briefly mentioned the Balance of Good Health, the food model intended to help us match our dietary needs to food intake and identified honeys place in mans diet as an energy source which could be up to 200 calories ( or 5 teaspoons of the 2000 or-so calories we need in total) per day! (He meant if we did not include other extras such as chocolate, sweets, crisps, etc. ) Man, unlike bees he argued, is not a social animal, he identified the aggressive male type as an example and suggested that the multi-tasking female was socially more acceptable, perhaps there are some analogies between the fate of drones. The bee’s altruistic behaviour of fanning was contrasted by some human antisocial traits, which if discovered in children could prevent reversion to cavemen behaviours. He stated that the Internet would do for men what pheromones do for bee society ... is this what we want? We certainly had a thought provoking talk. Our thanks go to the South Cheshire Beekeepers for their hospitality. Margaret Teasdale May Meeting On May 3rd Bob Fox from North Birmingham came to speak to us, at the Medical Institute, on “The importance of pollen”. His talk was illustrated with many old slides showing fragments of the intricacies of this very deep subject, and whilst this was interesting, for me the talk failed to show how we could utilise this information to the good of our everyday beekeeping work Bob Fox did refer, however, to two books on this subject for reference:- “The Pollen Loads of the Honey Bee” by Dorothy Hodges, priced around £26 for the 3rd reprint, first published in 1952. “A Colour Guide to the Pollen Loads of the Honey Bee” written by our own President, William Kirk, in 1999 and priced at £13 plus postage (but £10 if bought direct from William) Quite a few members displayed a good knowledge during questions and I came away with the resolve to learn more of this subject. June Meeting Quite a large contingent of us had heeded the “three line whip” from our Chairman, and attended the joint meeting with South Staffs at their apiary site at Shugborough. We were to have had demonstrated “Grafting and simple Queen rearing” but unfortunately, due to inclement weather and a breakdown in communications between the new and retiring officers of South Staffs, this was not to be. We did hear from members of the Leek Bee Breeding group about their methods of rearing the British Black Bee Queens and this together with some tasty refreshments, supplied by South Staffs, and made for a very pleasant afternoon. July Meeting A report on our annual Barbecue, which is to be held courtesy of Alan Silver at “Oak Ridge” Gratton, will be in the next issue. Ed. _______________________For Sale Eddie Barnett of 19 Queen Street Leek Telephone 01538 387030, has the following two items for sale. Please contact him if you are interested:- Extractor – Table top by Thornes, nylon body, almost new - £45. Warming cabinet made from fridge body fitted with fan and thermostat. Large capacity bulk or jars - £40. Contributions - next issue I do hope you will swamp me with articles and letters of your Summer experiences. Please let me have these as soon as possible but no later than the end of the first week of September. Ed. Report on the NSPCC Openday Wootton Lodge Estate - Rocester As publicity, giving talks to groups and meeting the general public are three of the ways that we can tell people about the craft which we all enjoy, your association makes every effort to undertake public relations (P.R.) activities where ever possible. Accordingly, a brave band of volunteers made plans to attend a NSPCC event at the Wootton Lodge Estate, which belongs to JCB. Initially, it looked as if it was going to be a little disappointing as there were no resources being provided on the site and the group felt that we were not really equipped to undertake such a venture. It is usual to be provided with some space in a tent, tables and chairs and if we are really lucky, a power point so that a refreshing “cuppa” can be made. Not to be beaten the redoubtable duo of Alan Silver and Ron Clewes worked very hard to assemble all of the required elements which included Alan’s tent and it resulted in a very professional presentation to the public. Some members took along some of their honey, which was offered for sale to the general public, and it was very popular even though the sales were not very high One of the objectives of this type of event from the beekeeping perspective is simple to talk to people and spread the message and introduce them to good quality local - British Honey and whilst the majority of those present did not like pushing themselves forward, it did not take very long before no one passed the area without being “accosted” with the offer of a taste of honey and a quick word about bees and honey. The gardens of Wootton Lodge are magnificent. It is an open parkland in which has been built a building which looks like an ancient Norman castle on a mound rising high above the grounds. There are lots of trees and grass but the landscape is magnificent and the gardens are superb. We had the opportunity to take breaks from the stand and wander around and I am very glad to have had that chance. For me, the highlight was the beautifully laid-out and manicured plots and the greenhouse with its associated gardener’s shed. The green house contained lots of specialist plants which is what you might expect, but what you would not expect is to find a greenhouse which has been fully tiled! The gardeners “shed” was equally resplendent, all of the equipment was stored in regimental fashion and again, that room was also fully tiled which was truly a sight to behold. The day proved to be hard work for those who attended but all of those personnel admitted to having had an excellent experience. Not only did we talk to people from the locality; we also talked to people from other parts of the country and might possibly take up beekeeping in the future. The day was enhanced by the weather, which was very kind to us; we had the sun all of the day and for those that had them, sun hats were the order of the day. The postscript has to be some humorous anecdotes from the day: · Ron Clewes built the table from a door, and after the equipment had been taken down and packed to be taken home, some wag said to Ron that he could go home and put the door back in his house. · We were well equipped but we forgot some string but Bill Woodward (our Chairperson) came to our aid and it true boy scout tradition produced some binder string that he had collected from a local farm on the previous day. · At the end of the day Ron took the role of a good housekeeper and carefully folded up the covering materials much to Alan Silvers surprise. Ron justified this on the basis that it can be reused at another show. He is obviously well domesticated and we were certain that his wife Cynthia must appreciate all of these hidden talents. Representing your Association You should have noticed a plaintive plea in the last edition of Combings asking for volunteers to represent your association for publicity events, which are generally local agricultural shows. These do not require any specialist skills or extensive levels of knowledge because everyone supports each other so no one gets stuck. We still have some events, which we would like you to attend, and we get requests from local groups or associations for speakers. It is not hard or demanding work and it is enjoyable and rewarding. Please push yourself and volunteer your name to our secretary, it is good fun and you will enjoy it. David Teasdale Help? I have received a letter from one of our new members, David Bean, Benter Farm, Cuckoo Lane, Withington, Staffs. ST10 4QE Telephone: 07881 417316 David has moved from Anglesey and lost his two hives of bees during the winter. He is looking for either a swarm or nucleus of, preferably, black bees. Contact David at the above address or telephone him if you can help. I am sure he will be glad to hear from you, as he says he is getting withdrawal symptoms without his bees! –Ed. (David has written again just before going to press – he has managed to get a swarm via Leek Beekeepers so hopefully will be on the road to successful beekeeping once more!) Honey Show Sat.21st October - Hartshill Schedule - Craft Section MYATT CHALLENGE CUP AND MYATT INDIVIDUAL CHALLENGE CUP HONEY SULTANA CAKE 2oz honey 4oz margarine 2½oz soft brown sugar 2 eggs, beaten 6oz wholemeal self-raising flour 1tbsp milk 4oz sultanas Method Grease and flour a 7 inch round cake tin. Cream margarine, sugar and honey, add beaten eggs into mixture. Fold in flour add sultanas and finally milk. Place in cake tin Bake at Gas mark 2 or Electric 300F for 1¼ to 1½hours. 24. HONEY SEED LOAF 4oz margarine 3oz soft brown sugar 2 level tbsp clear honey 5oz self-raising flour ½tsp baking powder 2 eggs 1 level tbsp caraway seeds Method Grease and flour a 1lb loaf tin. Cream margarine add sugar until fluffy, then beat in the honey. Add the beaten eggs a little at a time, then fold in the sifted flour and baking powder. Finally add the caraway seeds. Turn into the prepared tin and bake on the centre shelf at Gas mark 4 or Electric 350F for approximately 1 hour 25. 6 HONEY BISCUITS 1oz castor sugar 2½oz margarine 4oz plain flour 1dsp honey 1tsp grated lemon rind pinch salt Method Cream margarine, honey and sugar, add flour, salt and lemon rind. Work together to a smooth paste. Turn on to a floured board and roll to 1/8in thick approx. Prick, cut into rounds, place on a greased baking tray and bake at Gas mark 4 or Electric 350F for 15 mins until a pale colour. 26. 3 Fruit Marmalade-1lb jar 2 oranges, 1 grapefruit, 2 lemons (approx. 2lb) 4lb sugar 1½pt water Method Scrub the fruit and cut in half, squeeze out juice and pips into a basin, cut peel into thin strips. Put peel and pulp into a large pan with the water, strain in the juice, put pips into a muslin bag tied to the handle of the pan, add sugar, stir well until dissolved. Bring to the boil, boil until the setting point is reached, remove scum and leave 5-8mins before putting in jars. 27. HANDICRAFT CLASS A cushion cover in own choice of design and material. 28. FLORAL ARRANGEMENT An everlasting arrangement suitable for a friend in hospital. 29. CHILDREN'S CLASS A picture on a beekeeping theme “North Staffordshire Beekeepers Association Your Year 2000 Honey Show” No it’s not next week, so don’t start to panic!! The Honey Show Schedules will be sent with the next issue of Combings, to be published towards the end of September, but the craft classes information, as above, is included in this issue so that everyone can make a start. This is your Honey Show and we need you to be involved in it by entering your produce into the show. The remainder of the Show Schedule is the same as previous years so all you have to do when you are extracting or bottling your honey is think Honey Show entries. Entries for all classes can be produced in time for the Honey Show, and that includes the making of mead. Your Honey Show is only a success if we/you take part in it, you will enjoy it - if you try it!! Margaret Teasdale – Show Manager Honey for sale - but does it look good enough to eat? When our customers buy the product of our bee’s i.e. honey ask yourself the following questions: · What should it look like · What are we legally bound to comply with · Why should the customer purchase local British honey as opposed to cheap honey from other parts of the word? As beekeepers we either sell or give away a food substance, which is to be consumed by fellow human beings, and that product should be both appealing and safe to eat. Appealing because the honey has to be well presented so as to induce the consumer that it looks as if it is worth the extra money, which we charge. We all know the well founded reasons why consumers should purchase British Honey rather than purchase a product which has come from all over the world and had what ever done to it in order to get it into a jar. With the exception of some odd occurrences which have been well publicised in the past i.e. extracted sugar syrup sold as honey, the honey that we sell fits the computing term of what you see is what you get or to copy the bread advertisement of some years ago “its got nowt taken out”. What we must also remember is that the consumer purchases with their eyes as well as their pockets and the product must look good and appealing to them. Having listened to several experienced beekeepers, the following points should be borne in mind when you prepare your honey for sale: · Ensure that your jars are clean and blemish free before they are used i.e. no broken edges and no dirt in the jar · Always use new, clean and clean looking lids · Do not recycle old lids and ensure that the lids do not show any signs of rust · Ensure that the honey is clean and shows no signs of incipient granulation nor contains any items of bee anatomy! You will now be saying, “this never applies to my honey”, but look again and be objective about your product, look at it through the consumers eyes. If you are doing the first then the second part should not cause you any problem, but beware if you don’t comply with the regulations! All jars of honey must comply with the various parts of the appropriate legislation in respect to content, labelling and identification All jars of honey for sale must contain or have showing on it the following: · The correct amount of honey · A label which identifies the producers/bottlers name and address · The label must contain the weight in grams and that must be the predominant figure even if other measures of weight are shown. · The jar must have a batch number on it and that batch number must relate to the beekeepers records. This means that the beekeeper must keep a record of where their honey went to especially if it is sold. · The label must not mislead the purchasers - the picture or the words on the label must not show, advertise or state that the product is not what it appears to be i.e. you cannot use a picture of a plant on the label unless the majority of the honey was produced from that plant The failure of a beekeeper to comply with these rules could be serious for the beekeeper and any ensuing bad publicity would also be bad for the craft of beekeeping. Do not forget that the authorities have the right to take jars for analysis. In today’s society where a fear for product contamination exists, companies who produce foodstuffs in jars now put tamper tags onto the jars to prove that the lid has not been removed since the product was bottled. It is a worth whilst addition for beekeepers to put on their jars and the additional costs are very small compared with the problems which could ensure if an other person did tamper with the jar of honey. Graham Adderley, did a great deal to put forward the views about honey quality, product look and attracting the customers to your product and he has been a big influence in the move to improve the quality of the product which we all put into the annual honey show and his influence did result in the improved quality of honey entered into the annual honey show which was remarked upon by the judges. This is excellent news but I contend that the best product, which we produce, should be that which we sell or give away. Mick Hilditch always contended that when he was sorting out jars to enter into the honey show, all he did was to simply get jars out of his store and that he did nothing special to the jars. I accepted that statement as being slightly “tongue in cheek”, but the emphasis is important and that is what all of us should aim to achieve. You and your products are the shop window for the craft, always ensure that your honey is a good advertisement for the craft and even if you are giving away your honey, put a label on the jar, not only does it advertise you it also identifies what is in the jar which is simple food safety. The quality of our product and our good reputation for quality is in your hands and in your eyes. Organic Honey for Sale During recent discussions with a local health food shop, the owner stated that he was selling New Zealand Organic Honey for £3.50 per jar and that it was selling. To my knowledge the use of the word organic is dubious for British honey, but I have it on good authority that New Zealand might comply with the regulations but beware. I was also informed that Trading Standards Officers have taken a sample of the honey away from the shop for analytical inspection but nothing has been said yet. David Teasdale Extracting honey? Ron Clewes writes:- As most beginners will know, it is easier to extract your honey crop if you do it just off the hive while it is still warm. This unfortunately is not always convenient. Some years ago, we were fortunate in having the late Robert Creighton as the speaker at one of our monthly meetings. One of the tips he gave us during that lecture, was one that I have used with success ever since. It was as follows: - make a three sided box (without top or bottom) the same size as your hive. A brood chamber or super with one side removed will do nicely. Stack your supers of honey for extraction on top of this three-sided box and leave the top uncovered. Take a fan heater, (most households have one), and place it about two feet away from the stack of supers, switch it to one kilowatt only and let it blow into the open end of your three- sided box. The warmth will rise through the stack, which acts like a chimney, the warm air passing gently and evenly through all the spaces between the honeycombs. Be warned, if you use more than one kilowatt, or put your heater too close, the whole thing can collapse and then there will be an awful mess. The honey can benefit from this treatment as the warm dry air passing over the combs can improve the viscosity. _______________________________ EFB Finds for Western Region up to 31 May 2000 Robin Hall, Regional Bee Inspector writes: - I am writing to let you know of positive EFB finds in the Western Region. Although, I know, all of these may not have any direct bearing on your members, they may know of beekeeping friends in or near the infected areas indicated. If your members have bees in the 10km squares or adjacent squares, they should check their bees carefully for the foul brood AFB and EFB. If they find anything suspicious they should contact the Bee Inspector for their area, or failing them, myself. Many of the 10km squares have more than one incidence of EFB. The name given to each square serves only as a reference point to that square and does NOT indicate the location of the disease. Names chosen are usually of a Town, Village or area, which can easily be identifiable to that square. I would urge all members to be careful when taking swarms from unknown sources and when buying second-hand equipment. Follow the 10 Golden Rules as shown in the Ministry leaflet on Foulbrood. County 10km ref. Square name Chesh. SJ27 Flint SJ68 Lymm SJ76 Sandbach Shrops. SJ32 West Felton SJ33 Whittington Her/Wor SO66 Hanley Child SO76 Gt.Witley SO77 Bewdley W/Mids SO98 Halesowen Warks SP24 Shipston SP25 Stratford SP26 Warwick SP28 Pickford SP29 Kingsbury SP36 Leamington SP38 Bedworth _______________________ Leek Bee Breeders Group This group is an integral part of the Leek and Moorlands Beekeepers Group and any members of North Staffs are welcome to attend their meetings and talk part in their activities. There are not costs involved but it must be stated that whilst beginners will be made very welcome, to actually take part in the activities, a basic level of beekeeping knowledge and understanding is required. The group meets most Saturday mornings and if you would like to attend, contact Alan Silver, Ron Clewes or Nick Mawby. The cost of Honey What price should we be selling our honey for? Whilst going around various places, I have noticed that the cost of a jar of honey (the same sized jars), can vary from £1.50 to £4.00 and specialist honeys i.e. heather or comb, can cost more. It would be useful if we could start a debate on this subject and any views to your editor would be very useful. At the recent NSPCC day at Rocester, which was attended by some members of your association on behalf of your association, the honey sold for £2.25 without any problems and no one looked aghast when that level of donation was requested. If you examine what it costs to produce your honey, you might decide that we are all underselling our product - is our product only slightly better (and therefore only worth slightly more) than foreign imported honey, what do you think? - D.Teasdale 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 Directions to Leek Beekeepers Apiary. To be held at the John Mountford Memorial Apiary · A53 to Leek · On the outskirts of Leek pass Safeway Supermarket on Right · Go straight across the mini roundabout · Up the hill and take the 2nd LEFT - Sneyd Street · Continue up that street and it becomes Salisbury Street · At the top of the street you will arrive at a T Junction with West Street Club facing you · As you face the Club at the T-Junction, the apiary is immediately on your Right i.e. on the corner of Salisbury Street and West Street behind a stone wall. · The entrance to the Apiary is located through a green gate · Alternative car parking can be found of the High Street - 3rd Right turn of Sneyd Street & Car Park is on Left with a cobbled path through to Salisbury Street. ____________________________ Leek & Moorlands Beekeepers - Update Still meeting...still beekeeping...fewer members BUT new members and enthusiasm. At our recent AGM, we decided that the group would continue and build on our strengths and concentrate on the practical beekeeping - especially during the beekeeping season. The Committee members were agreed: Chairman and Longsdon Apiary Organiser - Nick Mawby Treasurer/Administrator Margaret Teasdale Leek Apiary Organiser David Teasdale The meetings are 1. Saturday mornings at Longsdon Apiary for queen rearing 2. Alternative Sundays at the John Mountford Apiary for the beginners and tending the garden All beginners and experienced beekeepers are welcome to share our experiences please contact committee ,members for further details The only planned meeting during the beekeeping season will be held on 2nd August with North Staffs Beekeepers held at the John Mountford Apiary and West Street Club. _______________________________________ I was amused to read the following from the Spring issue of “Combings”,1974, kindly lent to me by Ron Clewes : - “Of all the labour saving devices for woman – none has been so popular as – a MAN!” (How true! – Ed.) NSBKA Friday July 14th at 7pm Social Barbecue at Alan Silver’s “Oak Ridge” Gratton nr Endon. Do come along (and bring a prize for the raffle so we can raise money for our Branch funds). Surely the weather will have improved by then. Wednesday August 3rd at 7pm. Apiary meeting at” John Mountford’s” Apiary – directions are published under Leek Beekeepers report elsewhere in this issue. Wednesday September 6th at 7.30pm at the Medical Institute. Guest Speaker is Bob Parsonage from Cheshire. Saturday October 21st. “Honey Show” – see separate feature. Shows needing volunteers to help:- Sat/Sun 15/16 July – Cheadle Sat 15 July – Woore Sat 29 July – Leek Sat 12 August – Manifold Valley Wed 16 Aug – Apedale Country Park South Staffs and South Cheshire Branches Program for their Autumn/Winter schedule will be published in the next issue at the end of September.