Beekeeping Course - West Sussex Beekeepers (Wisborough Green Division)

Suitable for Beginners, Improvers, and Non - Beekeepers

Location: Village Hall, Lower Street, Pulborough, West Sussex RH20 2BF

Saturday 21st March 2009. Assemble from 9.00 a.m. for 9.30-5.00 p.m.

The course will be suitable for those who would like to discover what is involved in keeping bees, but will also be suitable for those who have kept bees for some time. It will largely follow the syllabus of the BBKA Basic Exam, but with variations.

Continue reading "Beekeeping Course in Pulborough"

Source: U.S. Department of Defense

In Afghanistan’s Konar province, one of the most violent provinces in the country, an American provincial reconstruction team is working with the Afghan government on a unique solution to help feed its people - bees!

Experts from the Konar Department of Agriculture maintain a number of small beehives throughout Konar Valley and are working to expand the reach of the pollinators. They hope not only to breed more bees, but also to build more beehives to be distributed among more farmers, officials said. With the help of the Konar PRT and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Afghan government has been distributing sugar to existing beehives to increase their population.

The Afghan government has provided more than 300 pounds of sugar to local beekeepers and farmers, officials said. Government officials expressed the hope that with pollination help from the bees in the spring, crop yields in the immediate area might go up by at least 10 percent.

Read the full article here

A couple of excellent videos - especially the varroa life cycle video.

The Life Cycle of the Tracheal Mite

Dr. Jose Villa and Dr. Bob Danka with the USDA-ARS show resistance to tracheal mites in a honeybee colony. Dr. Villa narrates.

View the full-sized video here

The Life Cycle of the Honeybee and Varroa Mite

Jeff Harris with the USDA-ARS narrates The Life Cycle of the Honeybee and Varroa Mite.

View the full-sized video here

November 5th 2008, Beekeepers march on the corridors of power - results of USA Presidential elections also announced!

A gathering of around 500 people - some dressed in white, and all of them shrouded in a hazy pall of smoke - gathered in the New Palace Yard in Westminster, ready to lobby their Members of Parliament. The Beekeepers had gathered, with smokers and placards, at the request of the British Beekeepers Association to make it clear to parliament that they were not satisfied with the paltry sum of money the government had proposed to allocate to bee research. The Kingston club was represented by six members, including Tim who was at the forefront marshalling the troops and giving press interviews in his role of president of the BBKA.

Continue reading "Bee News: November 2008"

Please see below, the BBKA's endorsement Policy document relating to agro-chemical companies. This was raised for discussion at the SBKA AGM last Saturday 29th November 2008. It is important that we are all aware of the implications of the terms of the agreement the BBKA has with these agro-chemical companies. We can influence any future decision making by making our feelings known. This can be done individually by emailing the BBKA with your own views.

If you have any comments on this specific matter, please contact us.

Continue reading "BBKA Endorsement Policy, dated November 2008"

This article has been taken from Simon Eade's web blog 'The Garden of Eaden' and discusses the insecticide 'Provado'.

Anyone growing edible produce in their garden will know how important our native bees are in maximizing yields through cross pollination. However using systemic insecticides on any flowering plants can have catastrophic effects on local bee populations. Over the years the government has removed licensing for many of these indiscriminate products, but one that still remains is ‘Provado’ which notably contains the active ingredient Imidacloprid.

Provado is prodominatly marketed as a vine weevil killer, but will kill most insects that ingests it. What makes it worse is that it can remain active within the plant for up to three months at a time on a single application. However, when applied as a soil drench, Provado 'Vine weevil Killer 2' is an even bigger threat by remaining viable in the plant for up to four months.

To read the whole article, please click on this link

Also discussed in a Soil Association article here and updated here.

Kingston Beekeepers Helen Turner, Alison Derrick, John Legate, David Priest and Andy Watters, travelled up to London and lobbied their local MPs as part of the mass demonstration by British Beekeepers on Wednesday 5th November 2008.

Seen here, from left to right - Edward Davey MP for Kingston and Surbiton (and son, dressed up as a bee!) David Priest, John Legate, Helen Turner and Andy Watters

 

From left to right - David Priest, Alison Derrick, Helen Turner, John Legate and Andy Watters

 

Tim Lovett, President of the BBKA, rallies the troops, prior to delivering the signed petition to 10 Downing Street. Over 140,000 signatures were collected during the campaign. Read more here.

A gathering of around 500 people – some dressed in white, and all of them shrouded in a hazy pall of smoke – gathered in the New Palace Yard in Westminster, ready to lobby their Members of Parliament. The beekeepers had gathered, with smokers and placards, at the request of the British Beekeepers Association to make it clear to parliament that they were not satisfied with the paltry sum of money the government had proposed to allocate to bee research. The Kingston club was represented by six members, including Tim who was at the forefront marshalling the troops and giving press interviews in his role of president of the BBKA.

Continue reading "November 5th 2008, Beekeepers march on the corridors of power"

This video shows George McCrone's experiments in rearing queens. George kindly donated the video to Kingston Beekeepers.

View the full-sized video here

EFB, etc.

European Foul Brood, as its name suggests, only affects the brood in our hives and as the colder, winter weather approaches its presence in our hive will diminish. The queen will have stopped laying and the absence of any larvae means that the bacteria have no host to feed on and so lie dormant in the hive until the next season. All this means that we can not relax at all. Our Standstill Order is still in place and our stringent hygiene rule should still be observed. If anything our hygiene rules have to be strengthened if we are to start the next season with a disease-free apiary.

Continue reading "Bee News: October 2008"

EFB Again!

The inspectors visited once again on Wednesday 30 July, and the news is not good. Once again they found European Foul Brood in two hives. Although the news is not what we would have wished for our fellow beekeepers, it is not as bad as it could have been. One hive is so infected and the brood so weak that it will unfortunately have to be destroyed, however the other hive is strong so the bees can be save by using shook swarm method.

It is disappointing that we cannot seem to shake off this infection and one thing that came to light as the hives were inspected was that some hives were not being managed well enough. It is important that we all keep an eye on our hives and keep to the guidelines published again in this newsletter. Hives should, at the moment, be inspected weekly, if you are unable to do this please get in touch with the Apiary Management team who will make sure that someone opens your hive and checks it’s health. If you have any doubts about the state of your hive please inform one of the apiary management team who will look at it with you. They, unfortunately, have now had enough experience of looking at EFB to be able to make a fairly good diagnosis.

The apiary is still on a Standstill Order and we have to abide by the strict rule that the order imposes. However we must not become discouraged, as beekeepers we are providing a vital service to our environment and our community. And although they may not stand up and cheer us as we drive into Sainsburys or Tescos car park for our weekly shop our neighbours will miss us if we give up. On the subject of Shook Swarm, there are copies if the Defra leaflets on this method in the tin shed. Please take and read.

Continue reading "Bee News: July 2008"

EFB Continues!

I have just returned from the apiary inspection by the Regional Bee Inspectors and the news is not good. We still have European Foul Brood at the Hampton Court Apiary.

This time it was found in two hive and it has to be said that it was in hives that we least expected to find it in. Our sympathies are with our members who now have to deal with the aftermath. It also means that the Standstill Order is still in place for the Apiary and as a committee we would ask that all our members who visit the Hampton Court Apiary abide by the rules of the order. Particularly those of you who do not come down to the apiary on Saturday afternoons to maintain your hive. Please follow the procedure opposite whilst at the apiary.

Continue reading "Bee News: June 2008"