Surrey Beekeepers Association - Kingston Division
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Jim and Denise Harries are very kindly hosting the AGM at their house,
83 Eastwick Drive, Gt Bookham, Leatherhead, Surrey KT23 3NS
on 14th November.
The business part will commence at 7 pm and will be followed by a meal. This is more of a social gathering, partners are invited and very sadly it will be an opportunity to say goodbye to Denise and Jim and wish them well on their move to Spain.
Please could you let email them if you are coming and indicate if you are bringing a salad or a dessert.
SURREY BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION
Annual General Meeting
Saturday 5th December 2009, 2pm
East Croydon United Reform Church,
Addiscombe Grove, Croydon, CR0 5LP
This is an opportunity to see what Surrey is doing as our association. It’s not all official business, there is the opportunity to talk to other beekeepers and find out how they are doing. Also a speaker who will speak on a beekeeping related subject.
Reigate Division of SBKA?- Winter Meetings
Wednesday, 2nd December, Professor Francis Ratneiks
Lecture will be from 7.30 to 9.30pm
at The Priory School, West Bank, Dorking RH4 3DG
We ask for £2 entrance towards rent and refreshments.
Professor Ratneiks is a leading authority on bees and is Professor of Apiculture, University of Sussex and is currently conducting research into bee diseases. It will be an interesting evening.
Does Film Solve Honey Bee Mystery?
The Independent, Sept. 2009
In recent years, scientists have been grappling with a biological mystery: the death of honey bees throughout the world. Now a new film proposes a culprit, reports The Independent. According to ‘Vanishing of the Bees,’ which will be released in Britain in October, the latest generation of pesticides is at fault.
Honey bees around the world have been mysteriously dying off for the past five years. Some argue that pesticides called neonicotinoids have contributed to their demise. More specifically, the filmmakers pin the rap on neonicotinoid pesticides, said The Independent. These compounds, many of them made by Bayer, are used widely in Britain and the U.S., although they have been banned in France.
In theory, neonicotinoids should not affect honey bees, said The Independent. But George Langworthy and Maryam Henein, who made the film, believe that even a low-level dose may be taking a toll. After years of being weakened by the nosema fungus, the varroa mite, and other viruses, the film argues, the honey bees can no longer cope with the additional strain of neonicotinoid exposure.
Langworthy and Henein are not the first to blame these particular pesticides, along with one of their primary manufacturers, Bayer. More than two years ago, both researchers and commercial beekeepers expressed similar concerns.
But then as now, the pharmaceutical giant defended its product.
“Everybody knows this is about the varroa mite, the nosema pest and a number of fungal and viral diseases,” a Bayer spokesman told The Independent. “The healthiest bees in the world are in Australia, where they have lots of neonicotinoids but they don’t have varroa.”
The British Beekeepers’ Association was unwilling to assign definitive blame to the pesticides. “All the data we have seen so far is inconclusive,” the group’s president told the paper.
‘Vanishing of the bees’ film misses the point - A critique from the NFU
As part of their Plan Bee, The Co-operative Group are currently promoting an American film “Vanishing of the bees” which misleadingly claims that neonicotinoid pesticides are responsible for the decline in bee numbers. The film goes on national release today (October 9).
The fact is there is no clear evidence that pesticides are causing the bee health problems we are witnessing in the UK and across the globe. And coverage of this issue that, like this film, basically claims that getting rid of neonicotinoid pesticides is the magic bullet to solve all bee health problems is misleading, factually incorrect and most likely to do the bee health situation more harm than good as it distracts attention away from the real problems.
Calls to restrict the use of neonicotinoid pesticides are not supported by any of the bee keeping organisations in the UK, who along with the NFU are agreed that pests and disease are the principal threat facing honey bees in the UK not pesticides. The NFU position remains that any decisions should be made on the basis of sound science and that to tackle bee health problems effectively we need to work on the basis of what we know, not what we suspect.
Native British Bees
I am interested in native black bees and tried to obtain a queen. I found a supplier and have my name down for one next year, but they are giving priority to queen rearing groups. Obviously it strengthens the whole proposition if native bees can be reared and introduced on an apiary wide basis.
The people I spoke to are:- http://www.honeyhouse.biz/queenbees.html
The national organisation is:- http://www.bibba.com
Paul Parker
Essential Oil Therapy Versus Mites
The following was gleaned from the web when searching for varroa treatments, it is a natural way of treating bee pests and diseases. As it is from USA some of the ingredients are not familiar to us.
Varroa Mites
Essential oils, in regards to mite control, have two apparent modes of operation. Primarily, direct toxicity. In the case of varroa mites, once a mite comes in to direct contact with an essential oils such as wintergreen or tea tree oil mixed into a grease patty they are usually killed within a few minutes. This however, requires that the infected bee actually contact the grease patty. Due to this required contact requirement, direct toxicity cannot eliminate mites, only aid in the control of mite levels. Secondly it appears that mite reproduction can be impaired when bees are fed a syrup containing essential oils. Essential oils are passed from feeding bees to other bees and larva through trophalaxis. Essential oils thereby pass to the brood that ingest the oils and poison any female Varroa that attempt to parasitically feed on the larva.
Tracheal Mites
Similarly essential oils appear to have an impact on the breeding and control of tracheal mites, however the effects of tracheal mites are difficult to observe and the mechanism that causes the control is in debate. It appears that the best therapy, in regards to tracheal mites and essential oils, is the usage of grease patties.
Treatment
It is recommended that that grease patties containing essential oils, and other medicaments as desired, are kept on the hives throughout the winter and any season when honey collection for human consumption is not taking place. Grease patties not containing and essential oils or medication should be kept on hives throughout the rest of the year. During times of the year that temperatures allow for flight, and honey is not to being collected for human consumption, colonies should be treated with syrup containing essential oils.
Grease Patties
Grease Patties containing both wintergreen oil or tea tree oil and mineral salt appear to have an effect on varroa mites and tracheal mites. These effects can be seen when brood is present, and has a devastating effect on mites when brood is not present. However, grease patties with essential oils should not be used during time of honey collection for human consumption. During this time, grease patties without essential oils can be used to a lesser effect. For any noticeable effect, a grease patty of some form should be used at all times. Replace any consumed patties.
Simple Grease Patty
1 part (by volume) solid vegetable shorting (such as Crisco)
2 parts (by volume) white sugar
• Mix sugar and shortening until well combined. Split into approximately quarter cup (~6 centiliters) portions and store excess in the freezer sandwiched between sheets of wax paper.
Grease Patty with Mineral Salt
2 lbs solid vegetable shorting (such as Crisco)
3 lbs whites sugar
1 lb 1:2 Syrup or High Fructose Corn Syrup or Clean Honey
1/3 cup pulverized mineral salt (~1/5lb Depending on mineral content)
• Prepare the same as you would a simple grease patty recipe.
Grease Patty with Mineral Salt & Essential Oils
2 lbs solid vegetable shorting (such as Crisco)
3 lbs whites sugar
1 lb 1:2 Syrup or High Fructose Corn Syrup or Clean Honey
1/3 cup pulverized mineral salt (~1/5lb Depending on mineral content)
3 table spoons wintergreen oil
• Prepare the same as you would a simple grease patty recipe.
