Bromley Bee News Monthly Update

Published by the Bromley Beekeepers

Cover pictures from the May Apiary meeting before members arrived.

Welcome to the June 2002 issue of Bromley News.

May has generally been an excellent month for handling bees. I try to inspect my hives every seven days which can be difficult to achieve when working and having a hectic social life. If you can inspect your bees regular you can easily deal with signs of swarming and always be in control rather than reacting to swarms, which always happen at the most inconvenient time.

I used to religiously mark all my queens during Spring inspections, now I feel its not necessary. Its one less operation to perform and it has never helped me improve my beekeeping. If you are looking for the queen, you will generally find her lurking on a comb with freshly laid eggs, which are standing upright in the cells.

I was invited over to Gregory Boon’s house to help look at his bees in Birkhall Road, Catford. Gregory has kept bees since he was eleven years old, and has four lovely looking antique WBC hives on double broods. We spent a good ninety minutes just looking through one of his hives. His bees were a joy to handle, we hardly needed to use the smoker.
Gregory has an excellent smoking method which I would like to share, he holds the smoker in one hand and puffs the smoke under his palm over the top of the frames, this helps drive the smoke down using the minimum amount of smoke.
As usual I captured the event on my digital camera. We are now using the latest in presentation methods on the web, you can view all twenty one images at this address http://www.kentbee.com/wbc

The last Sunday apiary meeting coincided with the allotment’s open day, our apiary meeting wasn’t due to start until 3pm. I went along early, the general public where showing a lot of interest in a swarm which had settled high up in the apple tree, what perfect timing.
Before Barry could get the swarm catcher extended the swarm took off again and went back in the hive. See web version of this newsletter for photographs.

Internet News

Improved web version of this newsletter with photographs
http://www.kentbee.com/bromley/newsletters/junebbk02.htm

Beekeeping News Story's from Beedata members news service and mailing list http://www.beedata.com/membersnews.shtml

Providing information to the public about feral honeybees, written by Peter Hutton http://www.kentbee.com/feralhoneybees.htm

FAQ about different types of bees written by Peter Hutton for Kentbee.com http://www.kentbee.com/faq-bees.htm

Apis-UK the FREE beekeeping web magazine. Download Apis-UK June 2002 very soon from http://www.beedata.com/apis-uk/index.htm

The kent Beekeepers Association http://www.kentbee.com/
Send the editor your favourite beekeeping website and description and we will include a link next month.

Steven Turner

Latest News Flash

An NBU laboratory assay confirmed pyrethroid resistant varroa mites in an apiary about 18 kilometres south-west of the nearest confirmed case of resistance. Bee Inspectors are carrying out further field tests in this area to ascertain the extent of this problem.
Your help is needed!
As the number of tests bee inspectors can make are limited, beekeepers throughout the country should carry out checks on their own bees. The modified "Beltsville" test can be used or the NBU test kit. Which is available on loan from your local association secretary or RBI. A copy of the instructions for the Beltsville test is on the BBKA website address below. Please ensure that you inform the National Bee Unit or RBI of the results. A standard form for return of results is also on BBKA website.
http://www.bbka.org.uk

Apiary News

I've been stacking on the supers at the apiary as the bees appear to be working busily at every warm spell, but I can't say that there is a lot of honey coming in.

On the other front, the queen rearing is going ahead, but every time I want to carry out a crucial operation the wind has been blowing so hard it was impossible to open the hives,

The mini nucs are doing well however and I begin to wonder if that wouldn't be the way to get more queens bred for the members.

As you will see from the diary, June is a busy month.
Club meetings on Sunday the 2nd at 11:45 and on the 16th at 3:00pm. Also there are three outside events which you will see listed in the diary dates section.

Don't forget we urgently need honey for these events. So get those extractors whirring and contact Tom 020-8777-3144 when you have it bottled and labelled. As I've said before you will get a good price probably a lot better than if you sell it to your local shop.

Swarms have been a nuisance for some and I can't quite agree with Steve that regular inspections keep them down but of course it has been said that ask two beekeepers how they deal with certain problems and you will get three different answers.

Keep piling on the supers it's not all over yet by any means.

Peter Springall

Diary Dates

Sunday 2nd June 11:45am
The Apiary meeting. Beekeeping demonstrations and hive management. Tea and biscuits provided.

Saturday 8th June 11am-5pm (outside event)
Blackheath Village Fayre.

Saturday 15th June 12pm-5pm (outside event)
St Christopher's School, Beckenham.

Sunday 16th June 3pm
The Apiary meeting. Beekeeping demonstrations and hive management. Tea and biscuits provided.

Saturday 22nd June 11am-3pm (outside event)
Green Street Green School.

12-14th July 2002 Kent County Bees & Honey Show at the Kent Agricultural Show, Detling. Come and steward and see the show. Contact Jane Mannings, 1 Crowdleham House, Heaversham Road, Kemsing TN15 6NG Tel: 01732-763811
Download the schedule and entry form from the URL:
http://www.kentbee.com/kbbka.htm

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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