First the good news…
The shook swarm exercise on the 4 April was a success, with the help of three bee inspector we managed to move our bees from the brood boxes that they had over-wintered on and re-house them in clean, sterile, brood boxes. Avis and David posted the following as a thank you from the Apiary Management Team:
Thanks to everyone for making it such a good humoured, fun, efficient day. The underlying organisation was excellent, particularly the supply of food. We met most of you sneaking back yesterday (Sunday 5th) to make sure the bees are ok, but the apiary really does look unbelieveable tidy and cannot believe the amount of equipment in the shed that’s now clean!
Regards Avis and David
Thanks to John Legate’s forward planning, who enlisted the help of the digger after it had levelled the ground for the new car park, we had a large pit already dug for the incineration of the old frames. And the fire burnt for most of the day, not a pretty sight when you consider the amount of eggs and lava that were going up in smoke. But now we have to nurture our bees as they build their new hives. Alan Byham has already emailed the club, stressing the need to keep on top of feeding, to check frequently to ensure that your feeder is not empty and stop only when it is obvious that the bees are no longer taking the syrup down. Don’t be fooled by a few sunny days.
…and now the bad news
Once again the inspectors found two hives with EFB present in them, so the apiary is still under a standstill order. An apiary hive and Chris Reid’s hive tested positive and both bees and frames were consigned to the flames. Therefore nothing must be removed from the apiary and we have to redouble our hygiene procedures.
…and now the really bad news!
Having been told to treat all of our supers with acetic acid, it now transpires that we have ruined the wax in them! The acid has affected the wire in the frames causing it to rust. The inspectors, once they saw this, have advised us that the rust will taint the honey and we must therefore destroy all the affected comb. Which is all those supers that were treated at the apiary.
A new Research Laboratory opens
The official opening of the Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects (LASI) at University of Sussex took place on 7 April 2009. The highlight of the day was the speech from Professor Francis Ratnieks, whose career has taken him to America and various European locations.
First of all he gave some interesting details about honeybees. It was interesting to learn that they are responsible for 20-30% of pollination across the world and that you only have to look at your breakfast to appreciate how important they are. This was a very healthy breakfast consisting of orange juice, (honeybee pollinated) muesli containing kiwi, apples, blueberries, almonds, coffee (all fruits and coffee beans honeybee pollinated). This was followed by toast with honey, apart from the obvious, alfalfa the cattle feed is honeybee pollinated and therefore were you in America the butter also could not be produced without the honey bee.
The work of Frisch, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1973, needs to be continued. The importance of communication by the dances and pheromones which form a social network is not fully understood. The bees in fact have no leader, no one bee knows everything, it is self organisation and yet this achieves great things. This pattern is now being used in the business world and the necessity of having a powerful leader is being questioned.
The honeybees' methods of reproduction nearly upset Darwin’s theory of natural selection but in chapter 7 of his Origin of Species he explains how in the end they support it. The line is preserved by the worker bees eating all worker laid eggs, 99% are destroyed. These egg laying workers do not forage and therefore are of no use to the colony if they will not go out and collect the vital stores. Those bee colonies which are most effective at destroying worker laid bees also exhibit the least number of errant workers which attempt to usurp the queen’s line.
There is a five year plan in which four projects will be undertaken at a cost of £1.9 million of which the odd .9 million still needs to be raised. Lord May, who officially opened the Laboratory did suggest that the bees should run the banks. No doubt there would not be the problems there are now and the funding would not be a difficulty either.
The projects cover breeding a hygienic bee, which is a natural trait, but is present in only 10% of bees. Through finding out which patrilines it is contained in, it is hoped to raise the level to 90% of bees. This raises lots of issues, the main one being how then to preserve this valuable trait. Project two focuses on the waggle dances and where the bees are foraging. It has been discovered they can go up to 10 kilometres from the hive. Changing agricultural practices means oil seed rape can provide early forage but the grass grown now has little clover or wild flowers and is virtually a desert for the bees. It is also surprising that they do not like hawthorne apparently.
Project three is looking at varroa control methods and a whole combination of different methods will be applied to ten hives.
The fourth project will look at what is killing British honeybees and monitoring pathogens. Francis Ratnieks was dismissive of the problems of pesticides, that the neoclitinoids are little used in this country and that it is their misuse which results in large numbers of dead bees – end of story. This was a disappointment to those who would like the build up of residues in the soil and therefore the plants to be considered.
Finally, the Hebrew name Deborah and the Greek name Melissa both mean "bee", evidence of the importance of honeybees and their valuable products since the earliest of times.
The day concluded with a tour of the new laboratory and some of the beehives on the campus. This was all too short – we can only hope that they can be persuaded to hold open days and invite beekeepers to view their work in the future.
Developments at the apiary
The new car park
As a result of the generosity of the Allotment Association we have acquired the plot next to the apiary. It was largely overgrown with the front being a large pile of wood chippings. We intend to use it as a car park but although we have leveled the site and seeded it with a hard wearing grass seed it is not ready for use. The grass has to be established before we can allow cars to park there. It will need to grow and receive a couple of mowings first. We will be sharing the site with the allotments who will have a strip of land at the back for storage.
The apiary pond
Whilst the digger was on hire as well as digging a hole for the fire it also dug a hole for a pond sited near the fence just inside the apiary. Helen and Michael have taken on the job of constructing it and stocking it with appropriate plants. Whether we put any livestock in it will depend on the local heron and our ability to prevent him (or her) from using it as the local take-away. The bees will however find it useful as a source of water, a step up from a plank of wood in the tank by the gate.
Surrey County Show – Monday May 25th, 2009 (Honey Show)
Organised in conjunction with the Surrey Beekeepers’ Association. Judge: Mr Michael Duffin, Hants
Every year the Surrey Beekeepers Association erects a marquee at the Surrey County Show and shows off it’s members bees and honey. They also have a judging event where beekeepers exhibit their honey and wax and are judged by an expert. Other stands from organisations and companies assocciated with beekeeping are also in the marquee, notably the stand from John Hamer of Blackhorse Apiaries. If you have not come across him visit his web site and see the wonderful variety of work he does at his apiary.
Every year a small committed band put together this event and despite their efforts they have seen the amount of entries dwindle year on year. Please consider making an effort and put a few jars in for judging at the show. You will have the joy of promoting beekeeping to the people of Surrey, competing against other beekeepers and also socialising with them and finding out how they do things.
If you want to act as a steward in the SBKA tent for part of the day and have a free entry to the show there is an opportunity to do this as well.
Bees on the BBC
On CountryFile 20 April – BBC1 7:00pm – they featured the honeybee plight, i.e. loss of millions of bees worldwide and placed the blame on neonicitineoids – or at least suggested that they have a major impact alongside varroa, etc. You can watch again on BBC iPlayer if you missed it. The article, reported by John Craven, is 15 minutes into the programme.
Thanks to Andy Watters for spotting this
Bees wanted
Bruce Murchie lost his hive over the winter and is keen to get up and running with a fresh hive. If you have a any extra bees, with or without a queen, or know of a swarm please contact him.
Thanks
Membership Fees
Members have been emailed the form for the payment of their 2009 fees earlier this month. If you did not receive a form please contact the treasurer, Diana Williams.
This is also a reminder for those who have not paid yet to get your subscription in as soon as you can. We are a little late this year and we need to know quickly who is with us this season.
Thanks, Dave Priest (Secretary)
Goodbyes
This year it looks as though we will start the season with our membership numbers at around the 34 mark. This is despite their being an increase in people wanting to keep bees last year. Carlos, Mark and Simon have moved away and we wish them well in their new homes and hope they will enjoy beekeeping in a new area. Anne, Joyce, Andrew and Chris have also left us, they have found that they have very full lives and it has become difficult to find the time for bees.
We are sad to see them all go and would want to thank them all for their contributions to our club. You will all be missed
Bee health funding, a step in the right direction
From the National Farmers Union Web site, 21 January 2009
The £4.3 million increase in funding for research into bee health announced by Defra last week is a step in the right direction and recognition of the sustained lobbying carried out by the industry.
Defra Secretary of State Hilary Benn said nearly £2.3 million over the next two years would support the work of the National Bee Unit while a further £2 million over five years would go towards bee health research.
NFU Vice President Paul Temple said: “The industry has been lobbying for many months for the Government to increase the level of funding for research into the problems affecting bee colonies. While this isn’t as much as we were hoping for it is a step in the right direction and recognition of the seriousness of the problems.
“Honey bees are an underpinning component of the British countryside – whether it’s heather moorland, a hedgerow, an orchard or a field of beans. The role they play in pollination is vital for food production.
“Our bee farmers and beekeepers are the custodians of every single honey bee in our countryside and are facing devastating bee health problems. This money will go some way towards funding the comprehensive and co-ordinated research that needs to be undertaken.”
Since last summer the NFU has been part of a cross-industry group, including the British Beekeepers’ Association, the Bee Farmers Association, and Rowse Honey Ltd, that has been lobbying the Government to increase spending on bee health research to try and find the causes of why one in three bee colonies has been lost over the past year.
Bee Farmers’ Association Secretary John Howat said: “Today’s announcement is welcomed and the industry will continue to work to ensure Government use this extra funding to tackle the most important issues facing bees and beekeeping”.
