Bromley
Bee News Monthly Update
Published by the Bromley Beekeepers |
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Welcome
to the August 2001 issue of Bromley News.
At
last my supers are filling up! The cooler weather seemed to convince
the bees winter was coming early and focus the need for foraging rather
than swarming, a preoccupation for my bees this year. When I inspected
my hives during July I saw live varroa on worker bees. Experts say
if you see them this indicates mite numbers are very high and treatment
shouldn't be delayed. Clive Watson will be bulk purchasing varroa
treatments this month, the price is expected to be between £12-£13
to treat five hives. The greater the order the cheaper the price,
please phone Clive with your order no later than August 20th. Mobile
Tel: 0777-1990034 or Home Tel: 020-8658-3786. This
month is critical for hive management and will need carefully planning.
Honey Show Dates The
Ashford branch honey show Saturday 1st September 2001,
you can download a schedule and get directions from the URL: http://www.kentbee.com/kbbka.htm#news Internet Steven Turner (editor) Email: crow@zbee.com BeeNet: 240:244/118 Tel: (020) 86980313 Apiary News St Bartholomew's Day August 24th is the traditional day for harvesting honey. In our district I have never found the crop fully sealed at this time as nectar continues to dribble in for another month. This however is no excuse for not taking off enough to enter in the Branch Honey Show. If you don't want to get the extractor wet at this time, there is always the possibility of scraping some of the sealed product into a kitchen strainer, place in a very warm place and allow the honey to drain into a suitable vessel and then decant into your show jars. This runny honey is probably the best you can produce as it has not given up it's aroma as it flies out of the combs and down the extractor walls. I have won many prizes by this method. On the subject of shows, don't forget our own event on Saturday the 8th of September. This takes place a week after the Ashford Show which is well worth a visit and perhaps even entering. For
the fifth time since I joined in 1962 I had to miss a branch meeting.
That was of course on the third Sunday of July when together with
several others I helped to man our stand at the Foal Farm Open Day
which proved to a most pleasant event although due to our position
we failed to attract all the visitors who turned up for the day. I
gather the meeting went off well under the able direction of Clive
although with so many of us at the show, visitors were a bit thin
on the ground. We can look forward to three events this month. Saturday 18th August at 7:00pm you are invited to the annual BBQ at the apiary of Jack and Clive in Dorset Road, Elmers End, and if you have visitors, bring them too. Sunday the 19th at 3:00pm brings the last of the summer series of (afternoon) meetings and of course the First Sunday (mornings at 11:45am) winter series start again in September. For the second year we are staging our display on the Cricket Ground at Cudham on Bank Holiday Monday the 28th August. Please try and pay a visit and don't forget to bring along some of your honey for sale. You will get £2.04 after commission and every jar sold helps Branch funds. Peter
Springall E-Mail: ps@zbee.com
Tel: 02086903906 Mobile: 07779970104 |
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