Bromley Bee News Monthly Update

Published by the Bromley Beekeepers

Cover pictures from the March winter evening lecture at the club house.

Welcome to the April 2002 issue of Bromley News.
Last month I fully inspected all my hives, perhaps not always under idea conditions but the job had to be done. I have lost one colony in my back garden which could be due to either Nosema or Acarine.
All winter I saw an alarming number of crawling, then dead bees along the garden path and so I was expecting to lose some or all three hives. My remaining five stocks are building up nicely, my policy of not feeding my Jumbo Langstroth hives unless absolutely necessary has paid off and there is plenty of room for the queens to lay further thus reducing the chances of early swarming.
My stocks of honey from last year have nearly been depleted so I’m depending on a good Spring flow this year.

I enjoyed Nick Withers talks on “Simple Queen Rearing.” He produced an excellent handout which I can photocopy if anybody would like a copy. I will ask Nick for permission to put it on the Kent website as a PDF.

If you would like to go on the “Swarm Wanted List” this year contact Clive Watson ASAP. Alternatively sign-up on the Kent website and get on the Kent swarm coordinators listing or the National coordinators listings. The web addresses are as follows:
Sign-up form http://www.kentbee.com/swarm_ap.htm
Kent Coordinators listing http://www.kentbee.com/kentswarms.htm
National Coordinators listing http://www.kentbee.com/swarms.htm

27th April 2002 The SILVER JUBILEE of the Convention Full Programme and hall plan can be found on the BBKA website http://www.bbka.org.uk. I shall be attending this event with the Beedata roadshow on stand 32 in the Stareton Hall. We shall be launching the new Internet beekeeping newsletter called Apis-UK.

The Bromley Beekeepers website needs some input from members, they can be sixty or two thousand words, size is not important. You can send in photographs to go with your article if you wish. Contact the editor with your submissions.

Internet News

Residues of Antibiotics found in Imported Honey written by James Morton giving the facts on this news story.
www.beedata.com/news/antibiotic-res-imported-honey-feb02.htm

Locations of GM maize, beet and oilseed rape sites for spring 2002 Farm Scale Evaluations. www.defra.gov.uk/environment/fse/location/indexf.htm
Other links for GM crop trials can be found on the British Beekeepers Association website. www.bbka.org.uk

Other Kent News

Peter Baker will be producing the now renamed “County Notices” every other month, to coincide with the BBKA News, that’s April, August, October, December, February.

Steven Turner

Apiary News

Having had two speakers decline at short notice I thought the meeting would never get off the ground, but eventually Nick Withers jumped into the breech and gave us a talk about Queen Breeding.
I've not had a chance to speak to any members since the event as I have been away in Brittany paying my usual visit to Alan Bartlett. A nice break at the end of winter, one that I always look forward to. He is gradually building up the number of stocks, two of them were cut out of trees last year. They both spent the winter sleeping rough and we spent one afternoon cutting out the wild brood and fitting it into combs and putting them into hives with undrawn comb. It's now up to them but with plenty of flowers around they shouldn't have any trouble.

This month sees the start of the summer meetings, which means we now have visits to the Apiary twice a month on the first Sunday at 11.45am and on the third Sunday at 3.00pm. On the first Sunday of this month ten of us will be in the South of France on the BeeTour, but Peter Bashford will take the reins and entertain you. The other item for that day is that Robin Spon Smith will be bringing up a nucleus with brood and stores and will raise a queen from my breeding stock.

Following Peter Dalby's successful talk in February, his wife Barbara will be giving a Honey Cookery demonstration on Tuesday 16th April at 7.30pm. Bring the cook from your family with you so that you can enjoy the fruits of your labours in the future.

One of our old members David Khan is selling up and has some equipment for sale including an extractor, hive parts and all the other bits that go with the sport. Anyone looking for bits can contact him Tel: 020-8653-7981 Address: 97, Norbury Crescent SW16.

I hope you took my advice last month and got your supers on, both Clive and I picked up swarms last Friday March 29th. In 55 years of beekeeping I can't remember one being so early. Have lots of fun

Peter Springall

Diary Dates

Tuesday 16th April at 7.30pm Barbara Dalby will be giving a honey cookery demonstration at the branch club house.
Don’t miss it!

Sunday 21st April at 3pm The first of the summer Sunday afternoon apiary meetings, everybody is welcome to attend.

Saturday 27th April 9.00am - 5.00pm The British Beekeepers Spring Convention and Exhibition at the National Agricultural Center, Coventry, Warwickshire CV8 2LZ.

For more information
Peter Springall 020-8690-3906 Mobile: 07779970104 E-Mail
Tom Winks Chairman 020-8777-3144
Clive Watson 020-8658-3786
Steven Turner (editor) 020-8698-0313 E-Mail
Visit our website www.kentbee.com/bromley

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