East Lothian Beekeepers Association
(Founded 1887 - Scotland’s oldest Local Association)
www.eastlothianbeekeepers.org.uk
Newsletter 152 August
2009
I hope that honey has been pouring into your supers – mixed success for
mine – some doing very well, others just ticking over and a few going swarm
crazy. By all accounts the Haddington Show at the beginning of July went well
with all the Association honey sold and some enquiries from potential beekeepers.
Eurig Scandrett produced a display about his beekeeping project in Bhopal which
we helped to fund from last year’s honey sales. Thanks to all those members who
helped out to give bees and beekeeping a public face, and especially to Bill
Fife who managed to get the Association a very positive mention in the East
Lothian News!
Disease
The most important news this summer has been the report of an outbreak
of European Foulbrood in Perthshire and Angus, with more recent reports in Perthshire
and North East Fife. Getting on for 100 colonies have already been destroyed,
and the assumption is that the disease has been present there for some time. The
best source for up to date information are our own and the SBA websites: http://www.scottishbeekeepers.org.uk/services/html/diseases.html
Be on the lookout for any discolored or irregular cappings – these are
early signs of disease before it moves on to the more obvious “melted” yellowed
larvae. More information about EFB is available on the Association website and
on Beebase: (https://secure.csl.gov.uk/beebase/index.cfm).
Obviously it would be unwise to move bees into East Lothian from more northern
areas, and we should all be vigilant in examining our colonies for signs of
disease. Some East Lothian apiaries will be examined by Government bee
inspectors next week as a precautionary measure. European Foulbrood is a
notifiable disease – contact our local SGRPID office in Galashiels – 01896 892400
SGPRID.Galashiels@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Compensation may be payable if you are
an SBA member.
Email
The EFB outbreak has made me aware how useful it is to have email
addresses for all members – Mike Bain has been updating our own website
regularly and alerting members to additions by emails. This is much faster and
more regular than waiting for my next newsletter to be posted. It’s also
cheaper for the Association! Emails are sent using a “blind carbon copy” so
that your address is hidden from others. If you currently receive newsletters
by post but have an email address, then it might be more convenient use this
instead.
Gifford Show
The chance to show just how good your honey is just around the corner thanks
to the Honey section at the Gifford Show which takes place over the weekend of 15th
16th August.
This year the honey judge is coming all the way from Dumfries, so it would
be nice if the tables were groaning under the weight of honey, honeycomb and
wax. The classes are:
601 1lb jar clear dark
blossom honey
602 1lb jar clear light to
medium blossom honey
603 1lb jar naturally
granulated honey
604 1lb jar soft set honey
605 1lb jar heather honey
(liquid)
606 one piece cut comb
blossom honey (approx 8oz)
607 one piece cut comb
heather honey (approx 8oz)
608 one section flower honey
609 one section heather honey
610 one shallow frame blossom
honey
611 one shallow frame heather
honey
612 one bottle wine type mead
(not fortified)
613 one piece beeswax 8 to 12
oz
614 honey cake (no recipe
given)
Don’t be shy! Contact me if you need or can offer transport to Gifford
on the Friday / Saturday or to collect exhibits on Sunday.
Nuclei and hives for beginners
Thanks to George Barton’s efforts at the Association apiary and to
several other members, we have been able to supply a good number of beginners
with their first nucleus of bees. This is one of the most important functions
of the Association at the moment - not only to train new beekeepers but also to
put them in touch with a mentor and get them started with their first colony of
local (and hopefully disease-free) bees. If any beginners are still looking for bees, please
contact me. Several people have suggested that our asking price at £25 a
nucleus, or £5 a frame is too modest, and perhaps this should be raised in
future years. Some beginners have also obtained their first hive equipment from
the Association stock – but what is left is pretty ropey – any contributions of
odd bits and pieces would help greatly, especially if we are to continue the
idea for next year.
SBA events
Those of you who aren’t members of the SBA might like to know about two
forthcoming events – the SBA Autumn Convention on 12th September in
Perth at the Dewar Centre with talks on Varroa, Abnormal Colony Loss, Queen
Rearing and Breeding programmes. Cost £25 including teas and lunch, bookings,
SAE, cheque to “SBA” to Iain Steven, 4 Craigie View, Perth PH2 0DP by 5th
September.
The following month, Peebles BKA are hosting a talk in the SBA lecture
tour program by Clive de Bruyn entitled “What can the hobby beekeeper learn
from commercial and professional beekeepers?” – Friday 16th October
at Peebles Old Parish Church Hall, 7.30pm. The contact is Geoffrey Goldstraw
01721 722 040.
Apiary site
The offer has been made of an apiary site in Ormiston – contact Yvonne
on 01875 615071 for further information.
Winter and beyond
It’s not just the bees that need to plan ahead for the winter! We need
to think as an Association what it is that we want to do together. Now is the
time to send in your suggestions for the winter program. Another job is to find
a new secretary – I have been doing the job for six years now and it time for
someone else to bring fresh impetus and ideas to the role. At this time of year
the job is mainly saving bumblebees from destruction by concerned members of
the public, but more typically the secretary’s function is to spread information.
I started out (and pretty much still am) a novice beekeeper, so almost any
member of the Association who can give up a day of their time every other month
could do the job. The next AGM might also like to consider amending the
constitution so that the Secretary (and possibly President and Treasurer) can
only be in post for a given number of years. This idea has been successfully
adopted by the Caddonfoot Association, and ensures that everyone gets a turn
and stops the post from becoming a sentence.
Members’ contact details
Several members have asked why their name was not on the list of
members’ contact details – the reason is that they either didn’t fill in a
membership form or forgot to fill in or ticked “No” on the section asking for
permission to circulate their contact details.
New members
We welcome Hugo Straker, Robert Higham and Kate Darrah,
Donald Smith (Secretary)
Garden Cottage, Clerkington
Haddington EH41 4NJ 01620
822441