Bromley
Bee News Monthly Update
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Welcome to the November 2004 issue of Bromley News.
Another season winds to a close with some last minute feeding still to be done on a few nucs, and mouse guards needing to be fitted. I’ve heard this said often about joining a beekeeping club: you’ll learn about bees and you make a hundred new friends. Our branch social activities continue over the winter with a series of evening lectures which are still being finalised. Watch our website and newsletters for details. Internet Resources Apis-UK Online Beekeeping Magazine Oct/Nov issue No.29 AGM Show Secretary Report The show this year was new to everybody, we had a bigger hall and a lot of hard work by lots of members from Bromley and Orpington. Greg Snell from Orpington was marvelous with his enthusiasm and energy. Greg and I drew up a schedule for the show with the help of Steve Turner, he printed them off which helped us to save money on getting them professionally done like last year. We got Thorne Beekeeping suppliers and Freeman and Harding Jars to sponsor the show. For the children that came to the show, Greg designed a bee quiz for them. This went down very well, the children enjoyed it. Greg also design flyers and posters to be handed out and displayed in shops. Last year we used the small hall for the actually show, but this year Steve Turner and his wife Julie turned it into a tea and cakes room for the public to purchase refreshments. Julie also took over the job of cooking lunch for the Judge because Phil Reynolds was ill at the time of the show. This year we decided to have crafts stalls at the show; unfortunately only two turned up. Next year we are hoping to have a few more stalls, hopefully they will be more linked with bee products. This year we had a new trophy, which Peter Springall donated. I named this trophy `Peter Spingall Rose Bowl' and it is awarded for the winner of the Blue Ribbon (best exhibit in the show). A member from the Orpington branch made a lovely banner, which was hung outside the hall. This was notice by a lot of the public walking past and attracted them to come in and have a look around. A very big thank you to everybody that contributed in the run up and on the day of the show. A special thanks to Tina Bashford for all her hard work on the entries and all other paperwork to do with the show. Also to her helpers Mark Bashford, Jennifer Bashford and Allan Ramsey. As always Tom Winks still does a marvelous job on the honey sales bench. He was on the stall all day selling not only the shows honey, but also other members honey as well. The Judge Rev. H F Capener comments on the show were that he thoroughly enjoyed the day. He said that the show was of a very high standard and to keep up the hard work in the future. We hope that from what we have learnt this year that next years show will be bigger and better, so Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all the members of Bromley and Orpington. Peter Bashford Apiary News It’s all over for another year; yes I am talking about the National. The new venue was a great success despite one or two criticisms about the Honey Gallery and the sales stands being split up. However the ease of parking well made up for that and has opened the door for many of the one-time exhibitors to come back from the Midlands and the North.
Once again Bromley did well although sadly the cups that Eddie Freeman and John Pearce used to bring home now go elsewhere. However Peter Bashford picked up the Wax Bowl, the Tom Bradford Cup and the Kent Wax Cup. I brought home the Coronation Mead Mazer and altogether the prizes went as follows: Peter Bashford: three 1st, three 2nd, two 3rds, a Highly Commended and a Commended. Steven Turner: two 1st and a 2nd. John Cowan: three 3rds, three Very Highly Commended, and a Commended. Peter Springall: two 1st. Mary Slater who is to be congratulated on collecting a Very Highly Commended being the first time she has ever entered the National. If you want to study the results more closely you can go to the web site at http://www.honeyshow.co.uk This month brings forth a very important date, that is the Branch AGM on the 16th in the clubhouse at 7:30pm. Do please come along as the more who attend the more interesting it becomes. Clive reminds me that the last date for renewing your subscription is the 30th of this month otherwise this will be your last mail shot. Another good reason for coming to the AGM. I will be picking olives in Spain at the time of the first Sunday of December, no doubt Clive, Tom, and/or Peter will do the honours. Make a point of coming to the now well established and popular BBQ and Mulled Wine for the first Sunday (2nd) of January and bring a friend or spouse. If I don’t see you before, I take this opportunity of wishing you a Very Happy Christmas. Peter Springall Mike Oliver has written a series of witty articles about his beekeeping experiences which we are please to publish here. E.d. Member Article Confused? You will be Being a bit late in starting autumn feeding, I wanted to check if I could save some time by feeding fondant instead of syrup. So I looked it up on the Web and picked out two articles written by experts. Expert 1 said – “..baker’s fondant… I now use it exclusively…” and then gave 13 reasons why. Expert 2 said - “ It is best not to feed either candy or fondant if it can be avoided.” So, it seems that the only thing to do is to feed fondant to half the colonies and syrup to the other and just hope half your colonies don’t die out! It will probably give you the answer for which to use next year – provided you have still got any colonies, of course. What really strikes me is that being experts, they could both be right. On the other hand what do you do if they are both wrong? Feed your honey crop back to the bees? I think I will just look at another expert’s advice before I decide, ah, here we are – “ For autumn feeding mix one kilo of sugar with half a litre of water (2lbs: 1 Pint).” Just one more – yup! Feed syrup. I wonder…. Never ask a friend advice - at least not one like my friend who I shall call Bert (because it sounds like Berk) Have you ever woken up in the night suddenly inspired with an idea that you must write down – of course you have. Makes the Better Half go ICBM when you write all over the pillow, doesn’t it? Especially if you remember half way through in a loud voice to check to make sure you are in the right bed. Bert goes one better. He phones up some poor s.o.b., at 2.00am, to make sure somebody else knows the idea – just in case he gets murdered by his wife for writing on the pillow. Guess who he always phones – and me trying to shake him off by answering, “Wang’s Chinese Takeaway…” only inspires him to say “don’t be stupid, Michael, they closed at eleven o’clock.” So last night at 12.30am he phoned to say – “I’ve got the answer to your problem.” I mumbled, “Write it on the back of a cheque…” Before I could fumble the phone into the sock drawer, he said, “No, listen – this is important!” “Wazzat?” “You feed them both! You know, get a Miller feeder and put candy in one half and syrup in the other!!” “I’ve only got Ashforths.” “Don’t be bloody awkward,” he said and slammed the phone down. Why the hell did I lie awake the rest of the night trying to work out how to divide the tray area of an Ashforth into two sections? Mike Oliver Diary Dates Sunday 5th December 2004 - Branch apiary meeting starts 11.45am, tea and biscuits provided. Sunday 2nd January 2005 -
Branch BBQ and Mulled Wine 11.45am onwards,
all members and friends welcome. Join our mailing list by sending an email to:
mailserver@zbee.com with the command in the subject or message body “subscribe bbk” (no
quotes) and wait for a confirmation message to complete the subscription. |
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