Newsletter : January 2005
Newsletter : January 2005
1. Editorial
In this January Newsletter it is a convention to begin by wishing all members a happy and productive New Year. However, the tragedy of the Asian earthquake and consequent tsunami make this sound rather a hollow greeting. Our thoughts are with all those who have been touched by these tragic events.
Next, my regular round of apologies for committed or omitted errors. In the last newsletter I mistakenly referred to John Perkins, our vice-chair, as John Richards and forgot to add Ray Green's name as author of that fascinating account of beekeeping in the Ukraine. I also put the wrong date for the December meeting in the email version of the Newsletter that some members receive. Sorry to everyone affected by these mistakes. (New Year's resolution: proof-read more thoroughly!).
This is a relatively quiet time in the apiary. Routine maintenance of equipment is always a useful investment of time and energy, with perhaps the drawing up of a shopping list in readiness for the BBKA Annual Convention at Stoneleigh on 16th April. Otherwise the most important task is to ensure that the bees have enough stores to see them through the remaining winter months. If you are uncertain about how to judge this. feed them anyway. It's far better to err on the generous side than to lose your bees.
You should not give liquid syrup at this time of the year. Instead, use a solid sugar-based substance such as bakers' fondant (if you can get it), or one of the substitutes available from beekeeping suppliers, or make your own. The simplest recipe is to make a strong sugar solution (5 parts to one by weight) and simmer it gently until the temperature reaches a 'jam' setting level (105ºC/220ºF). Now allow it to cool down to 60ºC/140ºF while whisking it from time to time. When it turns milky in appearance it should be poured into suitable containers (such as 500g. aluminium freezer cartons). When cold these can be inverted over the feed holes of the crown boards and the bees will come up to collect it if their own stores are running low. 2. Next Meeting
We begin our 2005 programme on Wednesday, 12th January with a talk by Albert Knight, Group Secretary for BIBBA (Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders' Association). Some of you may remember the article that we reprinted in January 2003, co-authored with John Dews, in which he argued for the need to breed bees having the ability to cope with varroa without needing chemical treatments. He has also been involved in the BIBBA Project on breeding the Dark European honeybee and has been active in the North Yorkshire Moors Honeybee Conservation Project. Whatever theme he chooses to speak on we can be assured of a stimulating and informative presentation. The talk will take place in the Rosa Room at Radbrook College, beginning at 7.30 p.m.
(N.B. The topic originally scheduled for this month was Gordon Hartshorn's advice on preparing honey for the Honey Show. In the event he kindly gave us this presentation last November when our named speaker had to drop out. A report on that talk is given below).
3. Meeting Reports
The programme for the meeting in November had to be changed because of the late withdrawal of the named speaker. Fortunately, at very short notice, Gordon Hartshorn was able to bring forward his talk on 'Preparing Honey for the Honey Show'. Gordon is a very experienced honey-show judge so had many useful and practical suggestions to make. He started by encouraging everyone to enter for a show because it is a useful training for presenting our honey in its best light. For anyone with a particular interest in improving his or her skill, it is worth volunteering to be a show steward to see judging at close quarters.
Since show Judges work to a very tight timetable, any exhibits that do not conform to the schedule will be eliminated immediately. So, it is essential to enter samples in the right class (set/run, light/dark etc) and to make sure that close attention is given to the condition of the jar, lid and label (if any). Tips included overfilling the jar in the first instance so that any surface scum or blemish can subsequently be removed without the contents being underweight. A useful criterion here is that there should be no visible space between the bottom of the lid and the top of the honey. Any 'foreign bodies' floating in the mass of the honey can be removed with the aid of a drinking straw.
Other factors that judges look at include the aroma, density, clarity and flavour of the sample and Gordon showed us how these judgements are made and what we can do to prepare for them. At the end of an absorbing presentation, having observed that perhaps some beekeepers are intimidated by the big show venues, he generously offered to devote a further session in our programme to running a 'mini-show' for members of the Association. The Committee will be considering how this can most practically be included.
The December meeting started with a talk by Brian Goodwin on candle making. He showed us an amazing number of possible candle shapes that can be made from bought or 'found' moulds and, as always, had many tips and tricks to offer for both the beginner and 'improver'. There was some discussion about the cost of beeswax candles compared to the everyday paraffin-wax variety. Brian stressed the premium that could legitimately be charged for the aroma and longevity of beeswax. After the fun of this activity we got down to the serious business of eating and drinking the various seasonal morsels so generously provided by members. All in all, a very pleasant way to bring 2004 to a close.
4. Temper, temper!
[Our BDI, Robin Hall, likes to pen a few wise words for the January issue each year. Unfortunately he has been unwell recently, but having noted Tony Little's comment about "nasty bees" in his article last November, he suggested that the following item, which originally appeared in the BBKA Newsletter about three years ago, was worth reprinting. Thanks Robin.]
There are a number of reasons why your bees might appear to exhibit bad temper and many of the solutions are in your own hands. First, think about when you look at your bees. Can you only look at them in the evenings or do you perhaps have to fit beekeeping around an otherwise busy life? If so, it may well be that every inspection is carried out at a time when there is no nectar flow and therefore all of the foraging bees are in the hive, Not only do you have to contend with twice as many bees but also many of them will be rather upset that they are not actually out foraging. Try rearranging your other activities once in a while to allow you to inspect your bees on a warm sunny day when there is a good flow - you may well revise your opinion of their temperament.
Secondly, you may have thought to improve your stock a year or two ago and bought in some "pure-bred" bees of one strain or other. The chances are that by now they will have swarmed and the resulting queen is a cross breed with the local strain of bees. It is well documented that the later generations from "pure-bred" queens can be of notoriously uneven temperament. Spending money on bringing bees in from outside your locality is not always the right solution; concentrate instead on developing the local stock. It is probably the best stock you can get for your own location.
Thirdly, smells! Pheromones are the bees' key methods of communication and they do not like anything that can interrupt or confuse the messages. Smells such as alcohol, deodorants and perfumes are known to be disruptive. I well remember a summer apiary meeting a few years ago when a local association thought it would be a nice idea to meet for a pub lunch and then go on to inspect the bees. Some, (the drivers!), dutifully stayed on orange juice and other healthy options but it was noticeable that those who had a pint or two got plastered -by the bees!
Lastly, take a look at yourself, or rather your own personal apparel and equipment! Bee inspectors are often warned of particular colonies which are "nasty", only to find that the bees are quite gentle - until the beekeeper arrives. Then the bees start attacking. The reason is sometimes obvious; the beekeeper's suit and gloves are generously covered in the accumulated grime, propolis, spilt honey and bee stings of many previous seasons. This gives the bees an aromatic target to investigate if they are not busy on other duties. Take a look at the bee inspectors when they visit you - their bee suits are always freshly laundered and every apiary is inspected using new disposable gloves which are discarded immediately afterwards. A lesson for us all.
So stop thinking about your bees and think about yourself. Are you the reason your bees are bad tempered? 5. A Response to Last Month's Article on Ukranian Beekeeping
In his article last month Ray Green noted that his Ukranian friend had been advised "to use bees from the Carpathian Mountains as 'these had a longer proboscis and were therefore better at collecting more nectar.' Ray wondered if this was fact or fiction. Gordon Hartshorn provides the following information:
'The bees that they were referring to were the Carniolan bee which comes from this area. However, if they wanted bees with a longer proboscis they should look to the caucasian bee, which is on their doorstep and has the longest proboscis of all the European bees. The following table gives the average length of proboscis of each race of European Honeybee (Apis mellifera):
These are average figures from John Dews and Eric Milner publication "Breeding Better Bees" ' 6. Honey Labels - Graham Roberson.
I had spent the day standing in what is surely the coldest place on earth (after that place in Siberia that never gets above freezing), Welshpool Market Hall. It was the December Farmers' Market and I had been asked if I would attend again and sell my honey, providing that I had thawed out from last time!
I was now back home sitting in front of a large log fire sipping a glass of sloe gin and reading my copy of the BBKA News that had arrived in the morning post. I groaned inwardly about the impending arrival of yet another pest, the Small Hive Beetle, read with interest the article about the Greater Wax Moth, having experienced it's destructive powers at first hand, and then turned to the article on Honey Labels. Like most beekeepers, I had had to throw away any old labels that were unused by the end of July and order new ones that complied with the latest 'UK Honey Labelling Regulations' showing the best before date and the country of origin plus the information that was originally required.
But I digress!
While standing and shivering, and in between customers I looked around at my fellow stallholders. In addition to some elderly hippies who were trying to sell home made remedies to ward off all manner of ailments (but nothing to ward off the cold) there were the usual farmers selling home produced beef and lamb products, old men with weather beaten faces selling the produce of their allotments, the stalwart ladies of the W.I selling homemade cakes and pastries and several stalls selling jars of pickles and chutney, jams and jellied fruits.
I looked again at the jars, there were all shapes and sizes of jam jars, old honey jars and even recycled coffee jars. The lucky ones had their original lids, some didn't and some had cling film stretched across the top. But it was the labels that caught my eye! They were all plain white, about 2" by 1/2" with a description of the contents hand written on them. Marmalade, Red Currant Jelly, Chutney, Beetroot etc. Just that and nothing else! (The same applied to the cakes on the next stall to me)
Do the food labelling regulations for beekeepers differ from those of other producers? Are we the only people that have to invest a considerable amount of money in obtaining labels that give all that information about ourselves, plus the weight of the contents, and purchase jars and lids that no doubt conform to some British Standard!
When I attended my first Farmers Market in Welshpool in early 2003 I was visited by a couple of young ladies complete with clipboards who were from the Powys Environmental Health Services who asked to see my certificate of inspection of premises used in the production of food. I confessed to not having such a certificate or even being aware of the regulations, thinking that having suitable labelling was sufficient safeguard for members of the public. Subsequently my home was visited by the same two ladies who inspected my kitchen, all my equipment, my storage facilities for equipment, jars and bottled honey and looked at the labels I was using. I then had to explain the process of extraction, filtering and bottling of honey plus a 'potted' guide to beekeeping. I also had to obtain from Dr Ivor Davies, the Chairman of Finance, a copy of the BBKA's Public and Product Liability Insurance.
I am pleased to say that I passed muster and now have a certificate that shows that my honey production conforms to: -
All the above is a roundabout way of asking, does food labelling just apply to certain sections of the home producer industry?
7. Did You Know?
In the early centuries B.C., the Ancient Greeks made little honey cakes from flour, honey and oil, sometimes baked with fresh flowers inside them, as supplications to their gods. They considered honey to be an important food as well as a healing medicine.
Democritus (460-370 BC), Greek philosopher and physician, chose a diet rich in honey and lived until he was 109 years old. 8. New Equipment Supplier
Would members please note that Ray & Beryl Green have taken on the sale of beekeeping supplies in place of Brian Goodwin. As part of their service they can arrange delivery to evening classes and Association Meetings at Radbrook College, provided that orders are sent in well in advance. Small items can also be delivered by post, subject to post and packing charges. For further information contact Ray Green (address on Committee Page) Remember : This Year's Queen Colour is Blue
Mellifera Linguistica Carnica Caucasica
'Dark' bee Italian Carniolan Caucasian Short (6.0 mm) Long (6.5 mm) Long (6.6 mm) Longest (7 mm)
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