January 2003

Shropshire Beekeepers' Association

Newsletter : January 2003

1. Editorial

Last December's Newsletter was the last one to be produced by Peter Woodcock and all of us in the Association owe him a great debt of gratitude for the way in which he has so splendidly filled the pages of our Newsletter over many years. In taking on his mantle I am very conscious that I am unlikely to be able to maintain his standards without a great deal of help. I therefore want to take this opportunity to plead for contributions from as many members as possible. I need, for example:

Provocative articles about an issue on which you have strong views
Responses to previous articles (e.g. the 'Varroa experiment' reported in the centre pages
Confessions e.g. 'My worst mistake' (or even 'My greatest success')
Puzzles, competitions, recipes & other general interest articles, e.g. 'My most useful gadget'; 'My apiary' etc.
Letters, queries, advice to other members etc.

And of course we will aim to maintain regular features such as:

Reports of Committee and Association meetings and information about forthcoming events
Advice from the Regional Bee Officer
News of the Association's assets, such as the apiary, equipment/books for loan
Important events such as the Flower Show

Send your copy to: Peter Hampson, Blakeway Cottage, Harley Bank, Shrewsbury. SY5 6LT.
Or email to pjhampson@blakeway9.freeserve.co.uk

2. Next Meeting

The next meeting is on Wednesday 12th February at 7.30 p.m. The speaker will be Gordon Hartshorn, who is well known as an enthusiast for improving bee stocks. His talk is called "Sort Out Your Bees" and we are promised advice and instruction on some practical ways of identifying our own bees.

3. January Meeting Report

At our meeting in January our President, Brian Goodwin, gave a talk that ranged over a whole number of issues of interest to the experienced and novice beekeeper alike. He began by praising the virtues of the WBC hive and drew some contrasts between what bees do in nature (e.g. small entrances in holes high up in trees) and how we keep them. He produced some interesting statistics about forage areas, e.g. about 6.5 acres early in the season when they may only be flying 100 yards from the hive, to over 18,000 acres at the height of the season when they may be flying up to 3 miles collecting nectar. He also reminded us to be ready to feed fondant at this time of year if the bees are active and to shield the entrances if there is snow, because the increased reflection of light can draw the bees out, only for them to die of cold.
The major focus of the talk was about the pros and cons of mesh floors. Brian recognised their advantages: increased loss of varroa mites because they cannot climb back onto the combs and a likely reduction in other diseases because of improved ventilation. However he was concerned about the effects of a reduced temperature, particularly at night. The queen needs a temperature of 91ºF/33ºC to breed and if it falls below that the bees have to consume stores in order to keep the temperature up. Needless to say, other members had different views on this and all the other things mentioned during the course of a stimulating discussion.
What do you think about the virtue of mesh floors? What's your experience of their success in improving honey yields? What's your favourite hive - and why? And what are your views on the points raised in the previous article about helping bees to become more naturally resistant to varroa? Write in and tell others what you think.

4. Topical winter chores and Tips

Check all beekeeping equipment. Is it in good order?

Clean equipment. Clean Queen excluders recycling the wax together with any other wax for trade in at Stoneleigh next year.

Don't forget to put your beekeeping suit through the wash. I would recommend that your suits should be washed after every visit to your bees. This will get rid of odours human and bee. Remember that when a bee stings through your suit, some of the bee venom smells stays in the material. Then next time you visit your bees they pick up the smell and sting you more! Having cleaned your suit store it in a dry location. Veils too can be washed but do follow manufacturers instructions. It is possible to get the black mesh replaced if damaged - contact the makers.

Clean your smoker. Get rid of the build up of wax and propolis on the woodwork of the bellows. A general clean will very quickly bring it back to an 'as new' state. Clean hive tools and any equipment you use.

Sort out your beekeeping box. Clean or wash and bit and pieces you think will benefit from this.

Having worked this hard, sit down with a beekeeping catalogue and make list of equipment required for coming season.

Don't forget the bees. Are they flying on warm days? Heft hives to ensure they have enough stores. If light, feed with bakers fondant. If the hive has died out, then seal this up until you can investigate.

Have you ever made Mead? Why not have a go. There are plenty of recipes available and it would be ready for your next Show.

And finally if you have got a cellar of mead, pour yourself a glass, sit back and think of those warm summer days with the air full of buzzing bees. Maybe you are like Pooh Bear who would sit counting his pots of honey and at each count getting one less than the time before.

Many full supers for 2003!
Robin Hall Regional Bee Inspector (Western Region).

5. Varroa--Are We On The Right Path?

(Article by Albert Knight & John Dews, BIBBA reproduced from 'The Welsh Beekeeper: Winter 2002 by kind permission of Albert Knight, Breeding Groups Secretary for BIBBA)

The way we are tackling the Varroa mite problem is badly flawed. We are using powerful chemicals that are very effective in killing the mites. But no matter how often we use these chemicals, and no matter how powerful they are in killing the mites, we know our colonies will be re-infested, for now that we have Varroa in the country we can never eradicate it. Surely, a much better way is to allow bees to develop ways of tackling the mite problem themselves, but if we do not allow our bees to have continuous contact with mites they will never be able to develop the means to combat them. This was the reasoning of Professor Freidrich Ruttner the famous Austrian bee researcher, who advised one of our members, John Dews, many years ago to adopt a means of treating his colonies that would prevent mite numbers from rising to such an extent that they would seriously damage the colonies, yet retain mites in the colonies at all times so as to allow the bees to find ways of controlling them.

John has followed this advice for over four years, treating his colonies with thymol crystals (thymol is not such an effective killer of mites as Bayvarol or Apistan) when mite numbers were approaching dangerous levels. He monitors natural mite drop by checking the mites dropping through the Varroa screens, and he has coupled this with checking for damage such as legs bitten off. By selectively breeding from colonies that show high mite damage, using instrumental insemination, the queens were inseminated with semen from drones from colonies showing high mite damage

John, who is heading the North York Moors Honeybee Conservation Project, has sent the following report:

"The BIBBA Varroa Resistance Breeding Project is now in its fifth year. The bees are continuously exposed to Varroa, treatment by thymol or lactic acid being given only when necessary to keep the mite population below the lethal limit. From 1997 to 1999 the bees were observed for their response to Varroa and regular counts were made of the natural daily mite drop. Differences were found between the colonies, the most susceptible having four times more mites than the least susceptible colony. In June 2000 queens were raised from the hives with low mite drop, instrumentally inseminated and placed in small experimental nucs. Mites were collected in September and examined for damage that averaged 41 % compared to mites from other hives in the apiary that averaged 31% damage.

The queens wintered well in small well insulated nucs and rapidly built up in the spring of 2001 when they were transferred to National hives. The examination of mites in August and September that year confirmed the differences noted in September 2000. Damage to mites in the hives headed by the selected queens averaged 46% whilst damage in the other hives averaged 36%. It was interesting to observe that some of the damaged mites were still alive, something not reported by other researchers in this country.

These results indicate that, in this particular strain of our native black honeybee (Apis mellefera mellifera), lower levels of Varroa infestation are associated with higher levels of damaged mites. The increased level of damage in all colonies from September 2000 to September 2001 supports the view that if bees are continuously exposed to Varroa, they may develop their own natural defence that will keep the infestation under control or be able to survive with fewer applications of low efficiency chemicals. An American writer commented recently that with the current use of powerful chemical treatments, beekeepers are keeping the mite levels too low for the bees to develop their own resistance mechanisms. In view of the recent discovery in this country of mites resistant to Apistan and Bayvarol, some radical rethinking of our attitude to Varroa is needed."

6. Committee Report

The Committee met on 7th January. Updates were received on a number of issues:

Programme 2003: This has been delayed owing to the difficulty of finding suitable speakers. However, it is now on the verge of completion and should be ready to send out with the next Newsletter.
Association Equipment: Brian Goodwin reported that he has care of 2 extractors, 3 microscopes and a computer printer that belong to the Association. Members interested in borrowing any of these items should contact Brian direct.
SBKA Mug: Investigations are being undertaken to cost the production of an SBKA mug that could be sold to members. Further news later.
Bee House, Attingham Park: In the December Newsletter, Peter Woodcock included a description of the historic Beehouse at Attingham and noted that it was restored some years ago with the support of this Association. We are interested in developing further links with the National Trust, which might include the possibility of putting our own apiary there should we need to leave the Radbrook site. With this in mind the Committee is asking for members to support the National Trust's "Field Day" events this year. Our Association has been invited to participate and has agreed to mount appropriate displays, including possibly "flying bee" demonstrations if the correct levels of protection can be secured for the visiting public. The assistance of members to steward and assist is requested. The relevant dates are:

DUDMASTON HALL, nr. Bridgnorth on the 13th July
ATTINGHAM PARK, nr. Shrewsbury on the 30th & 31st August
The Committee also discussed the propositions due for debate at the BBKA's Annual Delegates Meeting later in the month. These included:

The Executive's intention to raise the annual capitation for members by £2.50 and a Yorkshire amendment to limit it to £1 per annum (which your Committee supports)
A Yorkshire proposal that the BBKA approach the government with a view to their subsidising farmers to plant set-aside areas with suitable bee-forage crops as is done on the continent (supported)
A request from Avon that the BBKA issue guidelines and advice about the collection of swarms to help beekeepers avoid being subject to legal claims arising from any damage to third party property. (supported)

7. General Notices

Notice has recently been received of two courses that may be of interest to members.

Working with Bees Abroad - a 1-day course at Hartpury College, Gloucestershire on Sat. 29th March 2003 for anyone interested in learning more about how British beekeepers can help their colleagues in developing countries. Cost £15. Further information from pamgregory@beeb.net

Beekeepers' Training Course: 3 sessions for beginners on 11th/12th April, 23rd/24th May and 18th/19th July at Llysfasi College, Ruthin, Denbighshire. Phone: 01978 790263. Cost £13 per 2-day session. The sessions cover (i) How to Start (ii) Summer Management (iii) Harvest & Winter Preparation. Accommodation is available. Further information from Mrs. Helen Roberts at the College.

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