Kingston Beekeepers

There is a new supplier of beehives and equipment listed in our 'OTHER SITES' page. They are called Beechwood Bees. Their hives are made from pine and can be supplied either assembled or flat packed. Worth noting that they are supplied Post and Packing FREE.

Winter Lecture - click on the image to open up a map.

Queen Rearing - One Day Course

Click here to open a map on HOW TO GET THERE

Hives and Hive parts

We have been contacted by a local supplier of Cedar National Hives, produced in a small local workshop in Hounslow. They certainly look like excellent quality and any interested parties can visit the workshop to check out for themselves, by prior arrangement. www.thebeehiveworkshop.co.uk

5th Surrey Bee Day

Kingston Beekeepers Association - Winter Lecture

How to get to The Church Hall

Bee News - December 2009

Bee News Dec. 2009

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

THE NATIVITY - Albrecht Dürer, 1471 – 1528.

Durer was a German painter, printmaker and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance ever since. His nativity illustrates what artists have done all through the ages, taking the nativity story and putting it into his own 15th century setting. (Dave Priest, editor.)

Continue reading "Bee News - December 2009"

October 2009 Newsletter

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.

email: denise.kenealy-fox@noms.gsi.gov.uk

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.

Continue reading "October 2009 Newsletter"

Supplier and manufacturer of National Hives

Supplier and manufacturer of National Hives and components......and an interesting website to boot!

Worth checking out. - http://www.peak-hives.co.uk/

Bee News: September 2009

National Honey Show – Weybridge, Surrey 29th to 31st October 2009

Are you new to beekeeping? Would you like to see what honey, combs, wax and mead should really look like? The National Honey Show is the ‘gold standard’ honey show - the equivalent of Wimbledon for tennis players. There are almost 250 classes and beekeepers come from all over the world to enter so it is truly an international show.

Walking around the displays is an education in itself. A full programme of workshops and lectures will run during the show and there will be a wide selection of trade stands with lots of equipment and books to buy. If you are in your first year of beekeeping you can get in free! Your association secretary must apply for this on your behalf to the NHS General Secretary before the end of July. Contact the Rev. HF Capener, 1 Baldric Road, Folkestone , CT20 2NR. Email showsec@zbee.com

If you have already had success at your local or county show, why not enter some of the classes? Many counties have their own classes within the show – or you can put yourself up against the experts in the open classes to see how you measure up. As you do your extracting, why not keep that perfect frame aside? A little planning now will give you lots of potential show entries.

The 2009 schedule of classes and entry application is available from the membership secretary, Sandra Rickwood. Please telephone her for a copy on 020 33 55 8716 and leave your name and address after the recorded message. It will soon be available on the National Honey Show website www.honeyshow.co.uk where you can also find lots of interesting information about the show.

The show is at St Georges College, Woburn Hill, Weybridge, Surrey, KT15 2QS (follow the A317 from junction 11 of the M25) on Thursday 29(2.00pm to 6pm) Friday 30 (9.30am to 6pm) and Saturday 31 October (9.30am to 4.45pm).

Admission for non-members is £12 but you can become a member of the National Honey Show for £10 (or £11 via PayPal) and then entry is free for all three days. Accompanied children of 16 years and under are free and additional family members over 16 years living at the same address can come in for £5 each. On Saturday admission after 12 noon is £5 for everyone. You can join at the door or by contacting the membership secretary, Mrs Sandra Rickwood, 19 Kenwood Drive, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, KT12 5AU. Alternatively, email srhoneyshow@googlemail.com or telephone 020 3355 8716 and leave a message.

Continue reading "Bee News: September 2009"

Winter Courses 2009 / 2010

Reigate Beekeepers still have some availability on two courses over the coming months:

Introduction to Beekeeping Course 2009 - Tuesday Evenings - Places Available

Tutor David Rudland (Seasonal Bee Inspector)
Starting on Tuesday 29 September 2009
Meets at 7.30pm
Runs for 10 weeks
Held at Boxhill School, Mickleham.
2009 Course dates are: 29 September - 1 December 2009, weekly.

Introduction to Beekeeping Course 2010 - Monday Evenings - Places Available

Tutor David Rudland (Seasonal Bee Inspector)
Starting on Monday 11 January 2010
Meets at 7.30pm
Runs for 10 weeks
Held at The Woodhatch Centre, Reigate.
2010 Course dates are: 11 January, 18 January, 25 January, 1 February, 8 February, 15 February, 22 February, 1 March, 8 March and 15th March 2010

You can read further details here

Bee News: June 2009

The end of the swarm season, possibly.

This year has been a particularly active year for swarms with calls from the public every few days. Fortunately they have come to an end in the past ten days, although I could be counting my chickens before they are hatched, (I won’t go on to make any of the obvious jokes).

Many of the calls turned out to be bumble bees and we encouraged people wherever possible to just leave them alone and let them get on with their lives. There were the few where people insisted something was done about the nest, mainly because they were too close to their children.

You also meet an interesting variety of people. This year I’ve meet a couple who are members of an organisation called the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, who look after the huts and shelters of the early Antarctic explorers. And a Bushy Park Ranger who complained of bees in the cavity wall of his cottage that were getting into his house. When we asked how long they had been there we were shocked to hear that they had been in residence for about ten years, the family have had a thriving wild hive in their home for ten years! As they did not want to do anything that would harm the bees we had to say we could do nothing other than knock the wall down, the cottage is a listed building in a Royal Park!

There was also the swarm that settled on a grass verge despite the street being lined with mature trees. I didn’t see the deliveryman who had stopped his van by the kerb and stepped out onto a swarm of bees. I didn’t meet him but the neighbours were all talking this man who, accompanied by a small cloud of bees, must have broken the record for the 100-meter dash.

So now the phone doesn’t ring so often and the requests have all but dried up, I miss the sight of an upturned box with the bees crawling towards it as they join their queen in her temporary home. It’s an amazing sight and it illustrates the fact that a hive is a living organism that exists as one complete being.

Continue reading "Bee News: June 2009"

Kingston Beekeepers’ barbecue

Saturday 8th August – 3pm start.

Partners are welcome to join us. Starting at 3pm when we will show people the hives and then the bbq itself will start at approximately 4pm.

The bbq is open to members, their family and friends. Please bring your own drinks. And please bring either a dessert or salad as a family (not each). There is a charge of £4 per head.

IMPORTANT! If you are coming please contact Avis so that she has an idea of numbers for catering.

Allotment barbecue

4th July, 6-10 pm.

There is a £3 charge. They supply the salads, guests are asked to bring a bottle and something to "throw on the barbecue".

Bookings: Marie Mullard (tel. 020 8398 5022).

This is all a bit short notice but if anyone is free could they consider attending. Avis and David are going and would appreciate some company.

The place is buzzing! And it's not just the bees!

Thanks go to Hazem Farag for the following photographs – all taken during May at the Apiary.

"There's an insect in my tea!"
"That's the Vitamin Bee supplement."
Making Frames and Making Tea.

Continue reading "The place is buzzing! And it's not just the bees!"