This year the show was held on 6th May. The weather was cool and we were able to move some of our stand outside the marquees which gave us a much bigger area to spread out.
The candle rolling and badge making stands were an even bigger hit than usual with the children, many of whom already wore ‘I’ve seen the queen stickers’ from their time at the observation hive.
This year we displayed fully assembled deep national and WBC hives, and a skep, which became the focal point for discussion.
Honey sales were very buoyant, with almost all stores sold.
The honey show was judged by David Capon as usual and Jane Boss came away a very worthy winner of the Hans Wilson Perpetual Honey Cup and cash prize. Very well done, Jane.
There was a lot of interest in beekeeping and bees in general this year and we were able to hand out many course leaflets to interested parties. Hopefully the beginners course will be a sell out next year!
None of the success of the show would have been possible without the help and support of many of the club members who gave up their time to man the stalls and help with setting up and taking down the stands. I hope that you all had as much fun as I did and that you will all be back next year for more.
I would like to particularly thank Lynne Ellis who looked after us all on the day by providing a constant stream of refreshment in the form of tea/coffee and biscuits. She and Richard had parked their camper van behind our marquees and it made the day a lot easier having somewhere we could go for a quiet sit down and a cuppa.
I would also like to thank Hans Wilson who sponsored out stand again this year as well as providing the prize for the honey show.
Particular thanks also to Michelle Stagg who was with me all day working her socks off, and to Fran Frappell and David Capon for their sterling work on the honey show.
As April is imminent (or even arrived when you read this) some arrangements for the NSBK Bees & Teas sessions need to be sorted out. There were about a dozen positive responses to the preliminary announcement last September, but if you want to add your name to the list of participants, please email me as soon as possible.
Once the scheme gets going all responsibility for group membership and the scheduling of group meetings will devolve to the individual groups. I am only trying to kickstart the programme, not control it! The original ground rules were agreed to be:
1. Establish local groups with 2 – 8 members,
2. With 8 members, hold fortnightly meetings,
3. Each member hosts in turn and provides tea & cake,
4. Colonies to be inspected only if weather permits,
5. Home or out apiaries can be visited.
I guess meetings will last about 90 mins. There is only so much cake
you can eat…
I think that geographical proximity might be useful, so we could start with four groups roughly centred on Nailsea (north), Clevedon (West), Blagdon (south) and Winford (east). But clearly friendships over-rule geography. How does that sound?
Monitoring again for 2019 – WE NEED MORE MONITORING SITES
8 current locations for daily monitored Asian Hornet Traps by North Somerset Beekeepers
Please forward an email with post code of the trap(s) to ja.banks1@btinternet.com when you get your trap set up so your location can be added to the map.
It is vitally important that Beekeepers monitor for the presence of the Asian hornet in their area.
The Association runs a stall at this show each year to showcase bees and beekeeping. Members of the association are available to share their knowledge with the public. There is an observation hive, virtual hive, a beekeeping display, and candle and badge making for the children. We sell honey from members and this is a very popular part of the attraction.
In addition, we run a honey show on behalf of the NSAS which is judged by our very own David Capon. Here is a link to the rules and schedule of the honey show: http://www.nsas.org.uk/bees-honey/
At the moment the dates on this site are still the 2018 dates but the schedule is not changing this year so you can still rely on it.
It would be great if as many of you as possible could enter something, even if it is just a honey cake or biscuits, as this is our showcase to the world. The person scoring the most points in the show will not only be presented with the Hans Wilson Perpetual Honey Cup but also a prize of £25 kindly donated again this year by Hans.
Our display is hugely popular and it is great fun to man the stalls and chat to the general public.
Helpers
We are looking for helpers to man the stall during the day. You would only need to help out for a 2 hour slot and as a reward you receive a free ticket for the Agricultural show.
The slots which we have available run from 1pm to 3pm and 3pm to 5pm.
Some of you have already volunteered, for which I am grateful, but we still need more names. So if you have done it before, and know how much fun it is, or if you have never helped out before, we need you. Even if you have only just entered the world of beekeeping you still have a lot to offer. Come along and help. If you don’t think that you know a lot, you will soon find out how much more you know than the general public!
We also need some help on the previous day, Sunday, 6 May at 4.00pm to assist in setting up the exhibit and to help clear up after the show has finished on the Monday.
Selling honey
Finally if you have wish to sell honey at the show please let me know. The branch takes a commission on honey sold, which is smaller if you help out on the day, and sellers are required to provide a spare jar for the public to taste.
Any queries or offers to help, ring Sandra Slater: 07792 702513
An Asian Hornet Trap Workshop will take place at Churchill War Memorial Hall on Monday 25 February 2019 between 7.30pm – 9pm.
As a Club, we cannot over emphasise the importance of using a daily monitoring trap (at your home/apiary) to trap Asian Hornets within our area. Unless we know that Asian Hornets are about, we cannot combat them. Fingers crossed, we might find nothing but…...
Details of the monitoring trap can be downloaded HERE.
Please come to the Workshop. We can supply all materials but would ask you bring what you can from the list at the top of monitoring trap document linked to above, particularly a 2 litre plastic bottle – look for pop or fizzy water bottles which have ridged sides with the bottom section marginally wider than the middle.
The BBKA modules really are an excellent way to learn more about bees. All of them are informative and interesting but I think that module 6 will be exceptionally useful. Some people sit the exam after covering the course but it is not compulsory at all. We meet in small groups to study the syllabus perhaps once a month to begin with.
Ginny Gibbs and I are aiming to study this module starting in February this year. We would aim to sit the exam ( or not! ) in November. We were wondering if anyone else would be interested in joining us.
Paddy Brading
P_brading@hotmail.com
Please note that there are several other Modules that may suit you – see this post below
Ivor Davis has an apiary site that he no longer uses. It belongs to Stuart Peachy who lives in Backwell but the site is off the Congresbury /Wrington road at the end of an ancient orchard. Stuart is a guy that likes to manage land as it was in medieval times so the site is good for keeping bees.
Ivor used to keep 6 hives there but has had to cut back and has not used the site for a couple of years. There is a fence to protect the site from animals and a shed there. Access is across the side of a field and most times is easily accessed in a car. When the weather is very wet you need a 4 x 4 but access is possible on foot through the field from the access track.
Rent is 12 jars of honey to Stuart each year. The map reference is 51.367627, -2.778921. Place these co-ordinates directly into Google Maps or Streetmaps (if you prefer looking at a 1/25,000
Ordnance Survey plan).
Now that the bees are bedded down for the winter it might be a good time to think about studying for one of the modules offered by the BBKA. These modules are a great way to gain insight into all aspects of beekeeping and increase your knowledge and understanding of the ways of these fascinating insects. There are 7 modules which can be taken in any order except module 8 which must be studied last.
Some members form a small group and meet regularly to study the syllabus but you can study each module independently if you wish. Exams are available in March and November but are not obligatory.
Until recently, the BBKA had stipulated that you should have passed the Basic exam in beekeeping before you could enter for a module exam. That restriction will be lifted ‘ in late 2019 ‘
If you would like to join or form your own group and get started please contact me for more information.
A second Asian Hornet nest has been found and destroyed in Fowey, close to the first nest.
Information about this discovery, along with surveillance activities in Hull and Liskeard can be found in the following DEFRA press release using the link that follows: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/asian-hornet-second-fowey-nest-destroyed
Our oldest member, Reg Stevens, has sadly passed away. He recently celebrated 70 years as a beekeeper.
In 2016, Reg was awarded the Legion d’honneur for his role in the D Day landings. The Légion d’honneur was established in 1802 by Napoléon Bonaparte. It is France’s highest distinction and is awarded in recognition of both military and civilian merit. On average, just 10 British nationals per year receive the Légion d’honneur
Reg’s funeral will take place on Friday 26th January at 12:00 at South Bristol Cemetery and Crematorium, followed by refreshments at Nailsea Masonic Hall, Nailsea Park, Nailsea, BS48 1BA from 13:00.
Stephen Brain has expressed an interest in running this course next year if there is enough interest shown.
The course would run through the whole year as it involves pollen analysis throughout the seasons.
It is not essential to have your own equipment as the branch does have some microscopes.
We are at the stage of assessing uptake. If you are interested could you let me know. If there are enough takers then we’ll arrange an introductory session in January when Stephen will outline in more detail what the course involves + the potential cost. You can make a final decision then.
Just let me know if you are interested at this stage.
Rob Francis – Education coordinator.
robfrancishere@gmail.com
01275 462914 Mobile 07970 298 518
STOP PRESS: We organised a workshop at Tickenham Village Hall on Tuesday 18 April andmade over 15 Asian Hornet traps. When you hang your trap up (in your garden or in your apiary), please send me: e-mail ja.banks1@btinternet.com, your post code. We intend to place the post codes on a map of our District so we can check the cover we are giving to the monitoring process. Instructions for the Asian Hornet trap are at: http://northsomersetbeekeepers.org/asian-hornet-trap/
I went to the BBKA Spring Convention over the weekend and the big message I have taken from the event is the very real potential for the Asian Hornet to spread across the UK. The Asian Hornet first appeared in France in 2004 and has now spread across of all of France with 50% colony losses reported in the worst hit areas. Bees cannot defend themselves against the Asian Hornet, whereas, collectively, they can defend their hive against the European Hornet.
Locally we have had the first appearance in the UK (remember the isolated start in France in 2004!).
So what can we do? We need to monitor so that we can provide information on the locations of Asian Hornets so they can be eradicated as the only way to contain the Asian hornet invasion in new territories is to react quickly to any reported sightings, and then locate and destroy the nests as soon as possible. To monitor we need each and every beekeeper in the Club to:
check the trap daily, ideally, (which should have a raised floor), releasing all other insects (except the Asian Hornet). If you suspect you have caught an Asian hornet, then it may be helpful to place the whole trap, unopened, into a freezer bag that can be sealed tightly; place the bag containing the trap into a domestic freezer for 12 hours before opening, to avoid losing the suspect specimen.
Those that would like to be included in the swarm collectors list or require a swarm this year please send me a WhatsApp request to “Swarm Collectors”, or text me on 07 847 015 155 (you will need a smartphone).
Those requiring swarms should note that they are usually collected from the site in a cardboard box so that there is no need to exchange equipment. With this in mind a means of transport should be coincided (closing the box with tape is usually sufficient). I prefer that collections are made after dusk to ensure that the maximum number of bees are removed from the site.
If you are a new bee keeper please check with your mentor before taking on a swarm.
Those wishing to tag along to see how it’s done are very welcome (you will need to sign up of course). Ensure that you turn up with a veil etc. These are mainly for the benefit of the public (although normally very docile, I have experienced some very aggressive swarms), and since you are there, you might as well get the full experience and get your hands dirty! 😉
If you want to take a swarm away, be sure that you bring your own box.
On 25th January twenty three beekeepers gathered together on a very cold evening at Kenn Village Hall. Stephen Brain was running a course on honey and how to calibrate and use a refractometer.
The first part of the talk was about what the properties of honey are and what substances it contains. Stephen then explained why it is very important to extract, bottle and store honey very carefully. Temperature and levels of humidity in the environment during all these processes can affect the quality of the honey in the jar.
Stephen had asked if we could bring along a small sample of honey if we had some, and a refractometer if we owned one. Refractometers can measure % water content in honey. We had a great time testing our refractometers and realised that different refractometers could give slightly different readings from the same honey sample. They weren’t too far out however, but gave everyone an idea where their own refractometer was reading compared to others in the group.
Then the real fun started. We had a honey competition. Everyone’s honey was rated by each person in the group for eg. clarity, colour, aroma and taste just as a honey judge might do at a honey show. It’s all very subjective of course, but it was surprising how we had similar ideas about each honey sample and just how different they all were. They were all delicious though. One of the group, however, had brought along a sample of shop bought honey and placed it on the judging table without saying anything of its origin. It certainly was as clear as crystal and a sort of yellow colour but there was very little if any aroma and its taste was, we all decided ……well awful. Its source was revealed. A mix of EU and non EU honeys. Say no more!
It was a very successful evening. Thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. We certainly learned a lot. I hope Stephen can run another course on honey and refractometers. I am sure it will be popular.
You are invited to attend the branch Annual General Meeting which will be held at Churchill Memorial Hall, Churchill at 2pm on 19th November 2016. AGM papers can be obtained on this link: AGMPapers. The North Somerset Beekeepers’ accounts for the year ending 31 October 2016 can be viewed using this link: ACCOUNTS2016.
The following positions on the committee are coming up for election. Please consider volunteering to join our friendly committee, which involves bi-monthly meetings usually in a Backwell pub:
Chair – currently Garry Packer
President – currently David Welham
Secretary – currently Janet McCulloch, who is willing to support a successor
Members without portfolio – currently Paddy Brading, Jane Boss and Ian Cooper
If you are interested in volunteering for any of the above posts and wish to discuss them, please contact the current officer or me by email. Role descriptions are available for these positions.
Renewing your membership: You will have the opportunity to renew your membership at the AGM, a revised form requests permission to share limited contact details with the BBKA and other North Somerset branch members
Sadly Jan Davis has decided to give up editing the branch newsletter after 16 years. That is some achievement and she has performed wonders with our little snippets of news in producing regular attractive and informative publications. For her swansong she has produced not one but two newsletters! The second is full of photos and news from our past. On this page they are available as:
I’ve been approached by a couple of branch members who expressed an interest in taking one of the modules. I have suggested that Module 1 (Honey bee Management) is a good one to start with. Details can be found at:
The self study groups make their own arrangements, follow the syllabus, study as a group and if desired use the correspondence course designed by the BBKA to go with the module.
We only need four or five interested participants. There are people in the branch who can pass on their experience of working as a self study group once you’ve set yourselves up.
If you would be interested can you let me know and I’ll set up an initial meeting.
Rob FrancisEducation Coordinator
To contact Rob Francis, use the “CONTACT US” tab on the top right hand side of this website.
Vespa velutina or the Asian hornet, also known as the yellow legged hornet, is native to Asia and was confirmed for the first time in Lot-et-Garonne in the South West of France in 2004. It was thought to have been imported in a consignment of pottery from China and it quickly established and spread to many regions of France. The hornet preys on honeybees, Apis mellifera harming beekeeping activities. It has also altered the biodiversity in regions where it is present and is potentially deadly to allergic people. All beekeepers should remain vigilant and be on the look out for it in their apiaries. For identification use the following links: Asian Hornet (2 sheet poster).
An Asian hornet have been identified north of the Mendip hills
If you think you have seen an Asian hornet, please notify the Great British Non Native Species Secretariat alert email address at alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk immediately. Additionally, you can report sightings on their website. As well as this function, the website provides a great deal of information about the wide ranging work that is being done to tackle invasive species and tools to facilitate those working in this area.
A new web-based crop spray alerting system, BeeConnected, linking farmers and beekeepers, has gone live across the UK.
A new webbased crop spray alerting system, BeeConnected, linking farmers and beekeepers, has gone live across the UK.
The BBKA’s Tim Lovett told Radio 4s Farming Today “ It’s ironic that the ban on neonicotinoid pesticides has meant that farmers have had to revert to older chemical formulas which are sprayed.”
Alerts from farmers will tell beekeepers when spraying is happening up to a maximum of 5km from their hives, the crop being sprayed and the compound being applied. The beekeeper will receive an email allowing them to take mitigating action such as moving their hives or shutting the bees in for a short while. Tim Lovett said: “ The system is essentially anonymous but if the two sides want to come together they can do so. For example a farmer could say ‘Hey I am growing some borage, any beekeepers want to bring their bees to pollinate for me?’ So it could start quite a useful conversation there as well.” BeeConnected is a joint venture under the Voluntary Initiative between the BBKA, the National Farmers Union and the Crop Protection Association. The BeeConnected website will also allow beekeepers to read the approved manufacturers’ information on the compound and whether or not it is associated with a bee alert being known to harm bees.” Current best agricultural practice, as advocated by farm assurance schemes and the UK code of practice for pesticide use, requires that the beekeeper notification takes place 48 hours before spraying to minimise the risk to bees.
Beekeepers should go to: https://www.beeconnected.org.uk/
Another successful show at Winscombe, and as ever a good turn out by the village, despite the weather, although maybe not as many braved the grey as in previous years.
It is always good to see the smiling faces, some amazed at seeing the observation hive for the first time, or learning something astonishing about bees, lights switching on as we put things into context, some we remind of their youth and memories of relations that kept bees. These shows are important, not just as part of the local social fabric, but they help us as a charitable organization to fulfil our remit to educate. Making one person smile, or stop and think ‘wow!’ is a pretty good indication of success.
Many thanks to David Capon for his Stirling work in setting up the observation hive, and of course for his judging. Quite a few entrants kept David busy and helped to spoil his appetite after he’d munched his way through a reasonable quantity of honey, cake, biscuit and fudge! Congratulations to everyone who won prizes, especially Belinda K. who did well in most categories.
I would like to embarrass everyone who helped to set up and work on the stand, by thanking them publicly here; and so in no particular order (I hope I haven’t missed anyone), many thanks to the following for giving up your time, David W, Eric S, John P, Martin G, Paddy B, Rob W, Belinda K.& Wendy W., and a get well message to Heather P who couldn’t make it. These shows are a great way to talk to and educate the public about these amazing insects, and we can’t do it without our members giving a hand.
If you’ve not helped on one of our stands before, I would urge you to give it a go, it’s huge fun and even complete novices can have a great input.
We are running this basic course again in the new year. It is designed for those who have been keeping bees for a year or two and leads to a Basic Certificate.
Details about what we cover can be found at: http://www.bbka.org.uk/learn/examinations__assessments/basic_assessment
The course will be run over 7 sessions on Mondays fitted in between January and April taking place between 7.30 and 9.15pm at The Rising Sun in Backwell starting on Monday 9th January 2017.
The course is ideal for those who, having kept bees for one or two years, wish to expand, extend and consolidate their knowledge and skills of beekeeping.
The course fee is £20 and includes the cost of all course materials. Needless to say it is subsidised by the branch and is open to any member from the Avon Beekeepers Association.
If you would like to sign up for the course or would like further information could you contact me, Rob Francis, (educational coordinator) at robfrancishere@gmail.com or phone 01275 462914 or 07970 298518
Club extractors can be hired by Club members. The cost is £5 for a 4 day period. The extractors will be supplied clean and must be returned clean to our Honey Extractor Manager.
There are currently 3 Club extractors – we have just acquired a new four frame extractor, uncapping trays and filter buckets.
The extractors must be collected from the Honey Extractor Manager and returned on time and clean.
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