Shropshire Beekeepers' Association

 

 

Newsletter : January 2008

 

1.      Editor's Notes

A Happy New Year to all members - let’s hope that this coming season is better than 2007 turned out to be, though the latest threat to beekeeping (reported on p.6) and the shameful lack of government concern (see BBKA press release - item 6 below) does not augur well for it. I am sure we will hear much more of this as the year progresses.

Despite my best efforts to proof read and crosscheck the Programme Card that went out to continuing members last month, I later discovered one error that had eluded me. The date for the July apiary meeting was incorrectly printed as the 15th instead of the 12th. Since the production was done in batches I was able to correct it later, but if your card is one of the early ones could you please make sure you change that date.

Wearing a different hat I will again be attending the BBKA Annual Delegates Meeting at Stoneleigh on Saturday 12th January. The morning will be given over to receiving reports from the Chairman and Treasurer, and the chairs of the various committees that carry out the Association’s work. The afternoon will be spent discussing propositions put forward by local Associations from around the country. Some of these are to do with administrative issues about communication between the member associations and BBKA. Others, which you may wish to consider and comment on, include:

1. that BBKA should undertake a review of the impact of introducing a category of “Junior” Membership for beekeepers under 18, at a lower cost than the full capitation fee, so encouraging younger people to get involved with beekeeping. (Gloucestershire & Hampshire)
   
   
2. that the BBKA should seek, through the offices of the both the National Bee Unit and DEFRA, to support the establishment of a series of Small Hive Beetle (SHB) traps around the main ports which bring fruit into the UK (Gloucestershire)
   
   
3. that BBKA strengthens the “British Beekeepers’ Association Policy and Guidelines No 1” regarding Working with Children and Vulnerable People to include the clause: “An individual who is known by the organisers to be on the Sex Offenders’ Register must not be used in any capacity, at any BBKA organised event where members of the Public are likely to be present.” (Warwickshire)
   
   
4. that as a follow-up to the Colloquium held on 6 July 2007, the BBKA should take measures to involve and encourage the Area Associations in a positive and active approach to the research programme. (Yorkshire)
   
   
5. that the BBKA produce an information leaflet giving advice to beekeepers and the general public on the identification of bees found in public places and how to deal with them. (Kent)
   
   
6. (vi) That the capitation rate for the period from 1 October 2008 be set at £14 for registered members with related rates for other classes as approved by 2007 ADM Proposition 08/07. (Executive)
   
   
7. (vii) That the BBKA Executive be authorised to continue discussions with relevant parties with a view to bidding for Apimondia 2013 to be convened in the UK, paying particular attention to the financial implications of such a bid in order to minimise risks to the charity’s assets and operation. (Executive)

2.      December Meeting Report

Brian Goodwin entertained us in the first half of the December meeting with a talk called “A bee, or not a bee? That is the question.” He treated us to a series of slides of insects in the hymenoptera class, which includes thousands of different insects. Among the selected few were: the rose sawfly, horntail, figwort sawfly, sabre wasp, ruby tailed wasp, hornet, tawny mining bee, carder bee, leafcutter bee, hairy-legged mining bee, several types of bumble bee and three varieties of ant. All can be found in Great Britain during the summer. As well as drawing attention to points of identification, Brian also described the behaviour of these insects and, in some cases, their usefulness to man.

Brian had prefaced his talk by commenting that we might lose the honey bee in the next few years unless more can be done to protect it, a point underlined by some notes in the later part of this Newsletter.

To cheer ourselves up after this sombre though we enjoyed a feast of food and drink provided by a few members for the many. Grateful thanks to them for helping us to end 2007 on a high note.

3.      January Meeting

This takes place on the 9th January at Shirehall, beginning at 7.30 p.m. John Perkins will be talking about ‘Selective Breeding & Project Discovery’.

4.      Clustering.

Whenever I tell people that I keep bees the first question they ask me at this time of year is, do bees hibernate? The easy answer would be to say yes but we all know they do not. When I mention the word “cluster”the questions start to come fast and furious. Clustering is necessary for self-preservation. Bees are poikilothermic, meaning that they assume the temperature of their surroundings. So if the temperature drops to 0°C the bee’s body will go to 0°C and it will freeze to death. However, as a colony the bees have adopted a method to overcome this deficiency in their lives by gathering together in the hive in the form of a cluster.

Bees start to cluster at an ambient temperature of 14°C. The cluster has an outer shell of bees which is quite dense ranging in thickness from 25-75mm thick. The outer shell temperature must be maintained at 7°C because below this the outer bees will drop off and die. To maintain the critical temperature the cluster contracts and expands.

The temperature in the centre of the cluster ranges from 20-30°C when there is no brood in the frames, which is probably the situation right now. As the queen start to lay in January/February the temperature will have to be maintained at 35°C. Just think about this great challenge that face our bees. How many litres of oil would we have to burn to do that?

So how do bees maintain this temperature? Well, as I said they cluster to reduce their surface area thereby reducing heat loss. The bee creates heat within its body by muscular activity and then within the cluster. The muscles used are the indirect flight muscles. In order to flex these muscles the bee needs to consume honey so the cluster must be in contact with stores at all times. The amount of stores consumes when the bees are clustering is only a few 100 grams per week. The by-products of food consumption during clustering are carbon dioxide and water. It is essential that both do not linger inside the hive. Now with the advent of open mesh floors top ventilation is now closed by many. The pros and cons of both systems will be discussed for a long time. Bees in the wild can survive extremes of temperature in very draughty areas but we should help our bees whenever we can.

The importance of not disturbing the cluster cannot be emphasised enough. Even taking off the roof for a quick look can cause a rise in temperature within the cluster by up to 6 degrees C. What happens is that the bees detect that there is some- one at the hive so they have to investigate this. To do so they need to break the cluster and fly out. In order to get the wings to function they must consume extra stores to raise the sugar level in the blood. This can lead to complications like stress related diseases and dysentery.

Excluding mice from the hive is paramount. Apart from the damage they do to the combs the constant disturbance to the cluster can result in weakening or loss of the colony. Clustering is the nucleus for next year’s honey crop. Your ability to help the colony in whatever way necessary will have a big influence on how well your bees perform. Hopefully the above will help you to make the correct decisions. To summarise:

• make sure the bees have sufficient fuel to keep their central heating system going, i.e.- sufficient stores
• keep out unwanted guests - mice
• they don’t need you to look at them at this time of yea r, just check that all is well without going at the hive especially after a storm
• dampness is probably the number one enemy of the bee in winter - why not make up one or two spare roofs over the dormant period.

5.      A New Threat: Nosema Ceranae  

The NBU has confirmed that a new and virulent strain of Nosema has been found in seven counties of England (Cornwall, Essex, Lincolnshire, Hertfordshire, Hereford and Worcestershire, Greater London, North Yorkshire) and three in Wales (Glamorgan, Powys, Dyfed). The article below, written by Peter Edwards has been taken from the Stratford-upon-Avon BKA Newsletter [courtesy BEES].

What is ‘Nosema’? An organism, technically known as a microsporidian, which infects the gut of insects; it is now thought that they should be classed as fungi. There are many different ‘nosemas’, which are usually specific to a particular host, e.g. N. bombi infects bumblebees. Our bees are sometimes infected with N. apis and affected colonies usually fail to build up in the spring. N. ceranae is much more virulent, killing colonies rather than just weakening them because it causes greater damage to the gut lining; it is thought that this damage may also allow the entry of viruses, thus compounding the problem. Nosema is considered to be a ‘stress disease’ because colonies under stress (e.g. those confined to the hive for moving, or by bad weather) tend to suffer higher levels of nosema. This may be a factor in the loss of colonies in the USA, where large numbers of colonies are constantly moved considerable distances for pollination.

Nosema Ceranae was first identified as a separate species from N. apis in 1995 by Professor Ingemar Fries when he visited China. Although he subsequently showed that N. ceranae could infect western honeybees, little notice was taken of the finding until 2005 when Dr Dinh Quyet Tam of the Bee Research and Development Centre (BRDC) in Hanoi (Vietnam) contacted Dr Robert Paxton at Queen’s University, Belfast about the increased levels of nosema in his bees. Subsequent research by members of the Queen’s team revealed that the Vietnamese bees were suffering exclusively from N. ceranae. In the same year it was found in Taiwan. Just like varroa, it appears to have crossed the species barrier from the Eastern honeybee to the Western honeybee.

Since then, it has moved around the world at a frightening speed. In just ten years it has been spread through four continents - and yet we still import bees! Dr. Higes discovered widespread infection in Spanish bees in 2005 and massive losses were subsequently reported during the winter of 2005-6. There is speculation that the huge losses of colonies in France, originally attributed to the use of the pesticide ‘Gaucho’, may well have been due to N. ceranae. It has also been found in the colonies that have collapsed in America - and may be the cause of CCD. As Dr Robert Paxton wrote: ‘The implications for beekeeping with the western honey bee Apis mellifera are profound. I hope the relevant authorities and beekeepers take note. Forewarned is forearmed.’

So what is the outlook for the UK? The NBU has now looked for, and found, N. ceranae in the UK and it is clear that it is already widespread; this is another problem we will have to ‘live with’. What treatment is available?

Older infected bees defecate on brood combs and this contamination is subsequently cleaned up by young bees, thus spreading the infection. Although colonies suffering from N. apis often recover spontaneously, it can be treated successfully by moving colonies on to clean combs (empty comb in good condition can be fumigated with 80% acetic acid) and by feeding syrup containing fumigillin (available as Fumidil B). Regular comb change is a good way of keeping nosema levels low. Apparently N. ceranae is also susceptible to fumigillin, so this offers some hope - although it will be yet another expense and will involve additional work. Keeping bees on clean comb may also reduce levels of N. Ceranae infection and is good practice even if it does not.