Newsletter : November 2003
Newsletter : November 2003
1. Editorial
Despite some coldish 'snaps' in the last month or so, the weather is generally quite mild for the time of year. Certainly my bees are still flying on most days and bringing in a steady supply of pollen from the ivy that clothes a number of trees about 50 metres from the hives. If it continues like this it will be important to be ready to feed colonies earlier in the new year than normal, since the more active they are the more stores they are consuming. I was rather late in putting Apistan strips in the brood chambers but I have made a careful note on the calendar of when to take them out, so as to reduce the likelihood of pyrethroid resistant varroa making an early appearance. I have to confess that I have not done any testing for that yet because it seems more sensible to leave it now till the Spring, but good 'housekeeping' is still an obvious priority. 2. Next Meeting
Our next meeting is on Wednesday 12th of November when Celia Davis will be talking about 'Garden Plants for Bees'. Mrs. Davis is well known nationally, both as a speaker and as a regular contributor to 'BeeCraft' on a wide variety of topics and is sure to have some helpful and practical ideas for us to build into our planning for next year. Her presentation will begin at 7.30 p.m. in the Rosa Room at Radbrook College and, as always, there will be opportunities to discuss matters of common interest with fellow members both before and after the talk.
3. Recent Meetings
The September meeting was a talk by Bernard Diaper on bees other than apis mellifera mellifera who has extensive experience of third-world beekeeping. First he reminded us that our honey-bee is only one of the several thousand races of bee that have been identified around the world. He then spoke briefly about five different breeds of solitary bee before focusing in on a number of other honey-bees that are to be found in Asia and Africa. We saw photographs of the colony nests and heard how the honey is harvested. Of particular interest was Bernard's account of the defence mechanisms employed by those bees that are stingless. Some bees 'hiss' at intruders while others use a 'mexican wave' to frighten away the inquisitive predator. More disturbing are those species that pull your hair or, even worse, attack the eyes. Perhaps we are better off with our stingers. 4. BBKA Members Forum
This meeting was held in early October at Stoneleigh. The first major item was the spread of pyrethroid resistant varroa and how its expansion is being managed. We had an update from James Morton, the chief BDI of the National Bee Unit. He referred to the Shropshire outbreaks and also more recent ones in Durham and Sherborne, Dorset. The developing view of the NBU as he described it was essentially the same as that incorporated in the current edition of Beecraft: 5. Dealing with a Hornet's Nest
Recently someone in our area asked for advice about a wasps' nest that was developing in a bird box on their patio. We went along to take a look and I immediately recognised that they were not wasps but hornets. Now these are formidable looking beasts. Most people run a mile at the sight of a hornet but they are greatly misunderstood. Despite their terrible reputation they are quite docile. Although their sting is reported to be pretty nasty, they do not generally sting unless thoroughly provoked. The occupants, although quite nervous about the hornets presence, had been sitting at their picnic table within a few feet of the nest with no bother at all. When I went to investigate I stood quite close to the nest with the hornets flying in and out and they paid no attention to me whatsoever. However, under these circumstances it was decided that they would have to go. The nest was very likely to get bigger and then, at those close quarters, problems might have arisen. If they had been wasps I would have suggested destruction but not hornets. We decided to move them. 6. Dealing with Wax Moth
In the past I have had intermittent seasons where wax moth has been a real problem. I think that last year it related to me bringing home lots of old equipment from Mr Palmer's apiary and I brought moths back with me. I have tried newspaper in between stacked supers but that only serves to keep the moths from migrating all the way up the stack. I have tried storing wet but don't like the mess and mould. I also use moth repellent crystals and sometimes even they do not work.
As you would expect, the issue of the spread of resistant varroa was a hot topic at the BBKA Forum last October, which I attended as SBKA representative. James Morton of the National Bee Unit updated us about the latest cases (including those in Shropshire). Questions were asked about the strategy being developed for managing what is clearly now seen as the inevitable spread of these 'supermites' across the country. I cannot do better than refer you to the NBU's comment that appeared in the latest issue of BeeCraft, which I reproduce elsewhere.
You will note that this edition is made up of reports of recent events and of copy imported from other Associations' Newsletters. There is still a noticeable absence of 'home-grown' material. Can I repeat my appeal from last month for members to put pen to paper and let us share each other's experiences/views etc. Don't worry if you are not comfortable with writing material for others to read. As editor I am happy to help with that as long as I have something to work on. Some starters:
Please have a go. Don't leave it all to the stalwarts who have kept us going in the past.
The December talk (Wednesday 10th) will be by Stan Sedman and will focus on 'Honey, Wine & Mead Making and Tasting'. That sounds like a good way to move in towards the Christmas holiday.
The October meeting was our AGM. All the current committee and officers were re-elected and reports were received from the Chairman and Treasurer. As part of the latter Roger Evans had proposed that the annual subscription of the Association be increased to £17.50 for full members (associate membership to remain unchanged at £7.50). In the discussion it was pointed out that £11.50 of this goes to BBKA/BDI, leaving only £6 per member to cover the cost of the monthly newsletter, expenses associated with our monthly meetings and other ongoing costs. There was a strong feeling in the meeting that in fact our subscription represents very good value for money and the proposal was carried without opposition.
Following the business part of the meeting we then had a very useful discussion on the ongoing management of our colonies now that pyrethroid resistant varroa have been discovered in the county. Dave Sutton (seasonal BDI) demonstrated the way in which we can all test our colonies for resistance using either the NBU approved kit or a homemade honey-jar equivalent (see September Newsletter for details). He reassured us that Bayvarol/Apistan were still the treatments of choice where resistance was not present, though it was vital to follow the manufacturer's instructions. Where resistance is identified, the only approved treatment in this country is Apiguard, which has thymol as its active ingredient. It is probably too late to use it this autumn because it requires a minimum ambient temperature of around 15ºC for effective evaporation to take place. However it could be used next spring before the supers are put on. Some of the other issues raised were also dealt with at the recent BBKA Forum, a report of which can be found below.
Much as the NBU would like to be able to offer alternative non-pyrethroid varroacides to beekeepers who find pyrethroid-resistant mites in their colonies, this is not possible for two reasons. First, the NBU has a limited budget and with increasing numbers of affected colonies, it simply has not got the resources to do this. Second, because Apiguard is now registered as a varroacide (not just a non-medicinal curative substance), beekeepers have an alternative treatment available. In this situation, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate simply will not renew Special Treatment Authorisation for the NBU to use treatments not approved in the UK after the end of 2003.
Everyone is urged to continue to monitor their own colonies for signs of resistance to pyrethroids. For most areas of the UK, pyrethroids continue to be very effective and you can continue to use them with confidence. However, keeping an eye on the number of mites killed will give you a warning if such treatments begin to lose their efficacy.
A question was asked about the likelihood of pyrethroid resistance disappearing if Apistan/Bayverol was withdrawn. The response was that once that once it was established it would be years before it would disappear again - indeed, it probably never would. Mites in the southwest already have resistance equivalent to 10x the current dosage of varroacide. In Italy it is equivalent to 400x!
The other items discussed included concern as whether or not BBKA ought to be endorsing agricultural chemicals (as 'bee friendly') for money. Some members are totally against this. I think the majority were less concerned or even very supportive.
Another issue was what view, if any, BBKA ought to be expressing about GM crops and honey. The chairman responded that it was not possible to express one particular view because the membership was not united about it. The only criterion that would be relevant for BBKA was whether or not there was any evidence that the honey from GM crops was clearly substandard in some way. There is no such evidence at the time of speaking.
On Ragwort (see last month's Newsletter), there is a new consultation document out in support of a private members bill to urge greater control of this weed. The minister has responded to the effect that DEFRA does not have the funds to compel landowners to eliminate ragwort (even if that were possible or desirable). However it is certainly being moved higher up the political agenda as a matter of concern. BBKA is pressing to ensure that it is consulted along with other parties about further proposals (which has not been the case so far).
A BBKA Committee is in the process of drawing up guidelines for the legal protection of members who volunteer to collect swarms. More on this when the draft document is available.
Finally, we raised our concern about the apparent ignorance of local medical staff when faced with an emergency of the kind that happened to Mr. & Mrs. Chapman earlier this year (see the July Newsletter). After a useful discussion, which involved several delegates with medical backgrounds, it was agreed that this should be addressed by drawing up some sort of guidance that could be made more widely available. The committee is following this up.
Now we know the 3 feet 3 mile rule for bees and we assume there is probably a similar principle for hornets. The problem is that we don't know what that is so we had to take them some distance away. The question was where? A few phone calls to people we know and we located a place deep in a wood where we could take them. We went to the site after dark, closed the entrance to the bird box with a piece of perforated zinc and removed the box from the fence. (The box was not in verygood condition so the owners were happy to lose it). The box was taken to the wood and tied up in a tree. The perforated zinc was removed and we beat a hasty retreat. Unfortunately we have not been able to get back since to see how they have fared but we will do so if we can.
As we know, honey bees come back to their hive at night so they can be shut in and moved. I know this is not the case with bumblebees but I did not know the situation with hornets. It would appear that they do not. The following day half a dozen or so hornets were flying around looking for the nest. The owners had another bird box, which we suggested they place in the location of the original. We went out again the following evening and by placing a honey jar over the entrance, shining a torch into the jar and tapping the box, about half a dozen hornets came out into the jar and we were able to take these away also.
Why all the effort for a few hornets? Like many other insects, hornets are an endangered species. One reference book I looked at recently noted that hornets are the most endangered of the wasp order. Indiscriminate destruction will only serve to make the situation worse. These insects are very beneficial to the environment. They were created for a purpose and not as a pest. I don't actually know a lot about hornets but in the early part of the life of wasps, they eat a lot of aphids and other insects that are considered to be pests. It is only in the latter part of the season that they start to attack fruit and sweeter things. Then they begin to be a nuisance. It may be the same with hornets but I don't know. However, if we keep destroying the natural predators of other pests the balance a nature gets out of line and the other pests increase and become a greater problem. So please don't destroy hornets if it can be at all avoided.
Mark Hoult (Edited from an article in the Cheshire Beekeeper, Autumn 2003 via BEES)
This year I am trying a new method. As my supers are checked and made ready for next season, I stack them as usual. I have cut one of my wife's rolls of cling film in half and sealed the joins between supers. When I have wrapped the cling film round a few times to make a tight seal I have run once round with parcel tape to make sure. I am also told that keeping them outside helps too, as the low temperature kills the larvae. I am hoping a few hours work and pennies spent in October could save many hours and ££'s in May. As they say - we shall see.
Steve Watkins
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