Shropshire Beekeepers' Association

Newsletter : December 2003

 

 

1. Editorial

The December meeting is our last before Christmas. As you know, we have a seasonal topic that should help us get in the mood. We make it a custom at this meeting to enjoy a little food and drink together, to enhance even further the good conversation and pleasant company of our fellow beekeepers. It would be helpful therefore, if as many members as possible could bring something to the feast (a few mince pies maybe - a bottle of wine or a soft drink perhaps) to expand on the tea/coffee and biscuits that will also be provided.

The first meeting of 2004 will be on the 14th of January. The list of topics for the indoor meetings is not yet available but further information will be provided in the next Newsletter. While on the topic of the New Year can I remind members that annual subscriptions are now due. Everyone should have had a form to fill in from the treasurer to indicate the appropriate fee. If you pay income tax and have not previously considered declaring your subscription under the "Gift Aid" scheme you are urged to do so since, as a charitable institution, the Association can benefit considerably from the reclaimed tax. If you have any queries about membership and/or subscriptions, please contact Roger Evans, whose address & phone number are on the back cover of the Newsletter.

The onset of some colder weather recently has quietened the bees down, although they are still flying in the middle of the day if the sun shines on the hives. In fact one dozy bee found its way into our house this week and, while I was sitting quietly reading, crawled up my trousers and stung me on the leg! Even though the damage could have been worse, I considered that that was highly uncalled for, especially in view of all the trouble I've taken to tuck them up for the winter. Perhaps she was reminding me that there are still jobs to be done at this time of year, most notably to treat supers against wax moths as Steve Watkins observed last month. There are some items about this over the page.

Finally, at the end of my first year as editor, can I thank everyone who has contributed articles and ideas for this Newsletter - please keep them coming and:

A very merry Christmas to all members

 

2. Next Meeting

The November meeting was very well attended, with about 50 members present to hear Celia Davis's excellent talk about 'Garden Plants for Bees'. She went through the seasons for us, starting with the plants that would be valuable for early pollen, including aconites, the early heathers, crocus, grape hyacinth, snowdrop and wallflowers. Prominent among the small trees are the pussy willow and hawthorn, to be followed by the flowering fruits (crab apple and blackberry being particularly rich food sources). In the high summer and autumn herbs are welcomed by the bees (e.g. borage, thyme, rosemary) as are the later flowering goldenrod, michaelmas daisy and ivy.

Mrs. Davies' talk was illustrated by outstanding slides of her own and other people's gardens and she helpfully produced a list of the plants she mentioned. I will try to find room for this in a future mailing since know many members would like to have a copy.

I also hope to distribute a map that Robin Hall (Regional Bee Inspector) provided for us showing the location of this season's recorded outbreaks of EFB, AFB as well as the pyrethroid resistant mites found in the Market Drayton area. Cases of EFB were found in a total of 20 apiaries, the ones in Cheshire being closest to our County borders. Details are given below [OS 10km. grid squares in brackets]:

Cheshire Nantwich [SJ65], Lymm [SJ68], Alsager [SJ75], Sandbach [SJ76]
Gloucestershire Slimbridge [SO70]
Hereford & Worcester Eardisley [SO34], Hanley Child [SO66], Broadwas [SO75], Great Whitley [S76]
Staffordshire Netherseal [SK21]
Warwickshire Pickford [SP28], Gaydon [SP35], Bedworth [SP38], Rugby [SP47].

The only case of AFB was in a colony in the Rugby area [SP47]

 

3. More on Waxmoth

Steve Watkins' description of his approach to dealing with waxmoth this year prompted me to look further into the topic. My own approach is similar to his and follows the suggestions set out in many beekeeping books. I have bought some very sturdy plastic waste bags that are large enough to accept several supers loaded with frames. On top of the supers I put a sheet of newspaper on which I sprinkle a spoonful of PDB crystals. These can be bought from many equipment suppliers, though this year I am using some mothballs I bought while on holiday in France for much less cost. (A word of warning here: these mothballs are made from paradichlorbenzine. The mothballs you can buy most easily in this country are made from naphtha. This is a very different chemical that leaves illegal - and harmful- residues in the wax. Do not use naphtha mothballs!)

The plastic bags are then sealed up and the PDB gradually evaporates. The fumes, being heavier than air, will sink down through the supers and kill off any waxmoths and/or their larvae. Before the supers are used in the spring they will need to stand out in the fresh air for several days to make sure that no vapour is left before they are put into the hives. The alternative treatment that is often described is to put the used frames in a freezer for 24 hours. So, if after the Christmas festivities you have a chest freezer with some space going begging, you might like to try that. What do other members do?

Looking ahead to next season, you may like to consider constructing a waxmoth trap. I am grateful to Gordon Hartshorn who tracked down the item below about creating such a device on Dave Cushman's website, which, if you haven't come across it, is certainly worth a look: http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman/newhome.html

As he says there, pheromone traps have been tried, but are only partly effective, as several pheromones are utilised by the moths and other mechanisms (e.g. Ultrasound) are involved in detecting the opposite sex. The idea described here has also been published on various discussion groups (e.g. the archives of sci.agriculture.beekeeping) so it is impossible to attribute it to any individual. Perhaps one of our members has tried this or something similar. If so, tell us about it.

The trap is simply constructed from a 2 litre plastic drinks bottle (the colour probably does not matter but a clear one would enable you to see what is happening inside more easily). A 30 mm diameter hole is cut in the side of the bottle, just below the shoulder of the neck. A mixture is made up consisting of 1 cup of sugar and one cup of white vinegar into which is also placed one banana peel. The bottle is topped up with water until all the liquid represents 75% of the volume of the bottle. One writer suggests that the mixture will take about a week to produce the most effective attractant to the moths. To use the trap, just hang it up using a loop of baling twine, near to hives in the apiary. Moths should be attracted, enter the trap and then drown.

 

4. Bees simply turn tail to find their way back home

Returning home to their hives, honeybees simply put their heads down and fly on autopilot. So says a study that used miniature radar transponders to track the flight of individual bees for the first time. After bees have loaded up with pollen and nectar, they have to find their way back to their hive. To discover how they do this, Joe Riley at Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, UK, and his team trained bees to collect sugar solution at an artificial feeder 200 metres directly east of their hive. At the feeder, the team captured 90 bees and moved them up to a few hundred metres north or south before releasing them. Radar tracking showed the bees did not head for the true position of the hive but flew westward, irrespective of the wind direction. Riley thinks the insects simply memorise the return direction required and look at the ground to compensate for being buffeted by the wind (Proceedings of the Royal Society B, DO1: 10.1098/rspb.2003.2542).

From the New Scientist, 25 October 2003 as recorded in The Apiarian (Courtesy BEES)

 

5. BBKA Annual Delegates Meeting

This will take place on Saturday 17th January 2004 and I will be attending as SBKA's delegate. The meeting will receive reports of the various BBKA committees and also have feedback on the propositions discussed last year. There are only four items tabled for debate this time. They are:

  • that BBKA should persuade DEFRA to extend the contracts of Seasonal Bee Inspectors;

  • that BBKA should distribute its Newsletter direct to members rather than through local associations;

  • that if No. 2 were agreed, then local associations should be able to opt out of the arrangement and continue to control the distribution of BBKA News;

  • that BBKA and DEFRA should widen the scope of treatments available to beekeepers for the control of pyrethroid resistant mites.

I will be canvassing the views of committee members on these issues. If anyone else would like to comment please get in touch with me (see committee page for details)

 

6. Seasonal Recipes



Honey Punch
Ingredients
1 bottle dry white wine
4 tablespoon rum
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 orange & 1 lemon (sliced)
2 cloves & 1 stick cinnamon
100 gm runny honey		 Method
Put all the ingredients except the rum and the honey in a pan, simmer gently for about ten minutes then sieve into a bowl.

Pour the honey into a heatproof bowl, warm the rum then ignite it and pour over the honey. Stir into the rest of the punch, serve and enjoy.


Honey Apple Stuffing
Ingredients
2 apples
225 gm (8 oz) carrots
2 green peppers
2 eggs
170 gm (6 oz) marrow
75 gm (3 oz) raisins
30 gm (1 oz) fresh breadcrumbs
3 tbspns honey
120 gm (4 oz) chopped mixed nuts
seasoning to taste		 Method

Finely chop all the ingredients and combine in a blender until smooth.

This stuffing can be used for meat or vegetables







Avocado Dip Starter
Ingredients
2 avocados
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2tsp clear honey
225 (8oz) cottage cheese/fromage frais or similar
pinch of salt or paprika


 Method
Cut avocados in half, remove stones and scoop out flesh (keep skins).
Dice flesh and add salt. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and fold in the avocado flesh. Refill the skins with the mixture, decorate with chopped tomato & watercress.
Serve on small plates with sticks of carrot, celery, crisps and oatcakes


Ginger Venison (a suggestion when poultry pales)
Ingredients
700 - 900 gm (1½ - 2lbs) casserole venison
2 onions
2 tsp grated root ginger
1 can plum tomatoes
300 ml (½ pint) stock
60 gm (2 oz) flour
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp ground ginger
oil or butter for frying
1 tbsp worcester sauce
seasoning 		Method
Coat cubed venison with seasoned flour plus ground ginger.

Fry venison in hot oil or butter to seal then transfer to a casserole.

Fry onions, garlic and root ginger gently, add any remaining flour and fry for a minute or until the fat is soaked up.

Add the remaining ingredients to the casserole and cook in a slow oven for about 2 hours.





These recipes are taken from a past publication of SBKA called "Famous Recipes Using Honey."

 

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