Newsletter : January 2006
1. Editor's Notes
I hope that by now all those of you with internet access have visited our website, which has been on line for the last six months. It is time to move on to the next stage, which is to encourage members to take the Newsletter directly from the site rather than having it delivered by post. The biggest single expense that our Association has is the monthly cost of postage (approaching £350 per annum) so anything that can be done to reduce this is obviously worthwhile. The Newsletter is available on the website in two forms: an 'HTML' version, which is kept on the website indefinitely, and a 'PDF' version, which replicates the printed copy and is available for the current month only. Both versions of the most recent Newsletter are 'password protected' so that only our members can access them. The website address and the current password are printed on page 8 (n.b. note the new password).
If you would be happy to have your Newsletter delivered this way in future please let me know. I will then take your name off the mailing list. Whenever a new Newsletter is published you will, of course, be notified by email so that you can collect it immediately.
At the IPM training day that was reported last month, one member of the audience complained that he had spent money on buying Bayvarol/Apistan to treat his bees for varroa, only to hear now that these products will be ineffective if resistant varroa is present. He thought that his local association should have warned beekeepers in the area that this possibility could exist so that he could have spent his money differently. The problem with this is that the CSL Bee Unit reports that publish this information are only produced at the end of each season (we are still waiting for the 2005 report). Further, these reports are inevitably incomplete because they can only record the situation in the relatively small percentage of apiaries visited by Inspectors, unless individual beekeepers also report any incidence of resistant varroa that they have found independently (which happens all too rarely).
Addressing this issue in a CSL report for the Southern Region, the Inspector there (Ian Homer) wrote:
"Next year we would like to see many more beekeepers monitoring for resistance so that we can build up a fuller picture. It appears that some beekeepers don't wish to monitor and will wait to be told that it has reached their area. The danger in that approach is that you might be the person to discover it, but only when your colonies start to collapse."
I confess that I have not yet established a regular monitoring regime in my own apiary. So, the New Year Resolution for me and the questioner at the recent IPM Conference is obvious. How about you?
2. Next Meeting: January 11th
This will take the form of a 'Mini Honey Show' and will be an ideal opportunity for all members who have thought about entering the main show in August but never quite had the courage to do it. Everyone is invited to bring samples of honey, and wax which will be judged and commented on by Gordon Hartshorn who is a well-known and respected Honey Judge and one of our members. This is an ideal opportunity to see your honey judged sympathetically so that everyone can learn the finer points of preparation for showing and find out what judges look for.
Classes :
Basic rule :- Do not label jars - numbered labels will be provided just prior to judging. We have kept the rules and regulations simple so that everyone will enter!! There will be prizes for exhibits!!!
3. Committee Report
As reported in previous Newsletters, the Committee has been pursuing options for an alternative site for the Association Apiary because we have to vacate the current one in February. Unfortunately none of the ones on the list has yet proved practicable. If any member has another option to suggest it would be very gratefully received. In the mean time it will be necessary to move the bees to a different part of the Radbrook campus as a short-term measure. Volunteers to help with this process are urgently required. For more details please contact Ray Green a.s.a.p. (Tel: 01743 462075)
Speaking of volunteers, there has been a disappointing response to previous requests for members to become more involved in the running of the Association by offering themselves for co-option onto the Committee for specific tasks. Please consider what you can do. A reminder of what we need is given below:
Our current secretary, Mrs. Carkeet-James, has done this task wonderfully well for many years. She would welcome additional support and would be pleased to talk about this to anyone interested in helping. Please get in touch with her directly for further information.
We have been fortunate to have Roger Evans as our treasurer for the last five years. The Charity Commission, whose guidelines we adhere to, recommend that this is about long enough for anyone to hold this office. While Roger agreed to continue at the last AGM, we are looking for someone to support him, perhaps with a view to eventually taking over the Treasurer's role. Anyone interested should contact Roger for more details.
This would involve being the first point of contact for requests to stage a display, checking which members could be available to put it on, keeping track of display material, making sure that everyone involved knew the arrangements - and so on. N.B. It does not mean that you would have to attend every event! If you would like to talk through the requirements in more detail please contact Ray Green (Chairman).
The Association needs a volunteer/volunteers who would be interested in helping Brian Goodwin to develop our annual programme. This would involve identifying suitable topics and speakers for our monthly meetings and making the necessary practical arrangements. Contact Brian to discuss further.
The Association would benefit from having a member who was prepared to take on this role. S/he would look for opportunities to publicise our activities and respond to news about bees and beekeeping in the local press. Contact Ray Green to discuss this idea further.
4. Bottling Clear Honey
(R. Lang, in The Scottish Beekeeper)
This tip concerns the decanting of honey from the settling tank into jars and the nuisance of scum mixing with clear honey as one reaches the last few jars.
To avoid this happening, check the diameter of the tank with a rule, measure up from the gate to give you a rough point. When the honey sinks to that level you should cut a length of cling film equal to the diameter of your tank + 6-8 inches. A 15 inch diameter tank would need (15 + 6-8) inches = 21-23 inches in length. Starting at the gate side of the tank lay the cling film on the surface of the honey/scum. Do not allow any film, at this stage, to become stuck to the inside of the tank. (If your tank diameter is greater than the width of your cling film use 2 lengths of film side by side). Try to lay it so as to trap as little air as possible. When done you should then still have the extra 6-8 inches left. Stick that to the inside of the tank - use a ball of kitchen tissue. Continue decanting as normal. As the level goes down the film should stay anchored to the side where it has been stuck and that film on the surface should now be pulled across the top, dragging the muck with it. This method will give you clear honey right to the last jar. I've been doing this for some years now and can almost guarantee it, so long as enough extra film is stuck to the inside of the tank. The film can be washed in warm water to release the wax and honey for further processing.
(Copied from The Ludlow BKA Newsletter, courtesy BEES)
5. Candy: A treat for the Bees
(from Robert Swallow)
Not everyone agrees that feeding candy is a good idea, but I believe that one of the reasons I have suffered so few winter losses is giving my bees candy as a New Year present. Candy can be bought ready made as baker's fondant (blocks of spreadable cake icing) or you can make your own. If foil containers are filled with candy, the bee escape can be removed and the foil container inverted over the hole. It is not difficult to detect when a replacement is needed and I continue until interest in it is lost. Any leftover blocks can be dissolved to make spring feed. This recipe appeared in the Shropshire Beekeeper in the mid-nineties during Peter Woodcocks watch and I always regard it as "Peter Woodcocks Never-Fail Candy Recipe" (It always worked for me Peter!)
1Kg of sugar + ½ Pint water (Or 5Lbs to 1 Pint)
½ level teaspoon citric acid or cream of tartar
Bring water to the boil. Add cream of tartar or citric acid. Stir thoroughly. Remove from heat. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Return to heat and simmer for three minutes. Place the pan in cold water and stir briskly until mixture starts to go cloudy. Stir with a flat-ended spatula so the first setting candy is picked up from the bottom of the pan. When this happens, pour into the moulds and allow to set. Continue to monitor the candy and add further containers until you feel that spring has arrived when you may change over to a thin liquid feed (1 lb to two pints of water) in order to encourage egg laying.
6. Ice Cream: A treat for the Beekeeper
(Basingstoke Beekeeper Dec 1997)
Honey Ice-Cream with a distinctly Christmas flavour.
0.5 litre Single Cream.
100g Honey.
3 eggs.
75g mixed dried fruit, soaked overnight in a little brandy.
A pinch each of cinnamon and nutmeg.
1tbs of lemon juice.
Heat the cream to boiling point. Whilst it's heating, beat together the honey eggs and lemon juice until light and fluffy. Pour the hot cream over the mixture, stirring quickly, then return it to the saucepan and, stirring constantly, cook it gently over a low heat until it thickens. Allow to cool, then freeze in a freezer tray, beating several times to break up the ice crystals, or using an ice-cream maker. At the end of the process, stir in the soaked fruit. Remove from the freezer about 1/2 hour before serving.
7. A Celebration of Ivy - Hedera Helix
From the Latin haedere, to attach itself and helix a spiral, the scientific name for ivy signifies that it is a climbing plant that wraps itself round its support, which it grips with tendrils that can turn into roots. Contrary to what many people believe, the plant is NOT parasitic and does not damage tree trunks. It limits its height so as not to hinder its host's photosynthesis. Ivy and host live in perfect harmony until the host tree sickens from other causes, hence the mistaken belief that it is the ivy that has killed it.
Ivy first appeared on earth in the cretaceous period and has been able to adapt to all the climatic changes since. Like Hellebore and Holly, it is a relic of times past. It has two types of leaves: lobed when it is crawling and oval when it is climbing. Botanists talk of juvenile and adult forms. Only the twigs exposed to the sun flower and bear fruit. The flowers are hermaphrodite, bearing both stamens and pistils.
The flowers are rich in nectar and provide the bees with a final harvest at the end of the season. It is not particularly appreciated as a honey to extract because it has a bitter taste, too high a moisture content and crystallises too quickly, so it is generally left for the bees to enjoy. The fleshy berries are also manna for birds and certain mammals as winter approaches.
Ivy plays an important role in the ecosystem: it is a larder, a home for birds and tiny mammals, provides humus and protects germinating seeds. Although its berries are toxic to man (especially children), it does have medicinal uses, amongst which are its analgesic and anti-spasmodic properties. It can heal wounds and abscesses and treat corns. For the ancient Greeks, ivy symbolised victory or immortality. The Romans believed it protected them from getting drunk, which is perhaps why Bacchus, the god of vines and wine, is represented as wrapped around with ivy. There are many other beliefs attached to ivy, but in 2006 let us remember above all that the one that says it damages trees is false, and that on the contrary it is a haven for birds and mammals and a larder for our bees, so deserves to be cosseted in our gardens.
Information extracted by the editor of the South Staffordshire BKA Newsletter from an article by Jean-Paul Faucon in La Santι de L'Abeille, September - October 2005 (Courtesy BEES)
8. Round & About
Ludlow & District BKA:Thursday 19th January 2006: Brains Trust, Bishop Mascall Centre, 7.30 p.m. (Saturday 11th February 2006 AGM: 2.30 p.m.)
Stafford Bee Group:Thursday January 12th 2006: Mary Croxton's talk about Wax Production, part 2. at 7.45 p.m. in the County Staff Club, Eastgate Street, Stafford. (Thursday February 2nd: Phil Healey is showing slides of his visit to Nepal.)
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