East Lothian Beekeepers' Association<= /span>

(Founded 1887 – Scotland's Oldest Local Association)

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Newsletter 158 &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; October 2011

Winter's on its way!

Despite this season's unpredictable weather my bees st= ored away enough honey for me to take a little for myself. I think this was larg= ely due to the good weather while the oil seed rape was flowering, but that's g= ood enough for me. However there has been a lot of chalk brood in the colony an= d a significant drop of varroa mites during&nb= sp; autumn treatment. Maybe this is related to the miserable late summer conditions?

This drives home the fact that good varroa control is = vital for a healthy hive. In addition to autumn treatment, a winter treatment with oxalic acid is a good way to mop up any remaining mites. This link gives further information:

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/wallyshaw.html

I look forward to seeing you at the winter meetings an= d our social dinner.

Jo Dodds – ELBA Secretary

Winter Meetings – Haddington Town House, 7.30= pm

= Everyone welcome! Come along to hear talks on beekeeping topics, followed by time to chat to fellow beekeepers over tea and biscuits. Please note that all meeti= ngs are on THURSDAY this year.

= Thursday 10 November – 'The Scottish Beekeepers' Associat= ion: 100 Not Out'. Una Robertson, the SBA's Library Convener, will speak about t= he SBA's work and centenary in 2012. This meeting will be open to interested members of the public, so please spread the word and put up the attached po= ster locally if you can.

= Thursday 12 January – Association AGM and 'My Method of Beekeeping' by Graeme Sharpe, Apiculture Specialist from the Scottish Agriculture College at Auchincruive.

= Meetings will also be held on Thursday 9 February, Thursday 8 March and Thursday 12 April. Speakers to be announced soon.

ELBA Social Dinner – Thursday 24 November, 7.30pm

We are determined that the Association's honey-themed social dinner will go ahead this year, following last year's c= ancellation due to the snow! The Avenue restaurant at the Victoria Inn, just opposite t= he Haddington Town House, has created a mouth-watering three-course menu to showcase our local honey for £21 per person. To book your place please send your name and a £5 deposit (put towards the cost of the meal) to= Jo Dodds by Monday 31 October.

Beekeeping Courses for Beginners=

If you'd like to attend Mike Bain's beekeep= ing course in the new year please let him know by filling in the form at the bo= ttom of our web page.

Varroa Mite Resistance to Apistan and Bayva= rol – Alan Riach

I’ve carried out a CSL-Beltsville tes= t on the bees at the EMBA Apiary and have found Pyrethroid resistance. Re= sistance will likely be fairly widespread in the Lothians (contact Jo Dodds for test= ing method). This means that we can no longer depend on Apistan and Bayvarol as= an effective treatment for varroa.

Remember the main task is to monitor and be aware of= the mite levels in the colonies. Natural mite drop is the best monitoring method – use the population calculator on the Beebase site: https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/beebase/public/BeeDiseases/= varroaCalculator.cfm

If you have fairly high levels in your hives it woul= d be wise to treat in Dec (no brood period) with the Oxalic acid method –don’t purchase too far ahead of treatment as it degrades with time.

A Tribute to Gordon Biggar by Donald Smith

Members will be sad to hear of = the recent death of Gordon Biggar. When I first joined the Association as a nov= ice with a hive of bees and little knowledge or skills, Gordon was quick to off= er to go through my bees with me and show me how he did what then seemed impossibly complicated things like making an artificial swarm. He turned up= in his red, open-top, two-seater Austin Healey Sprite, some spare beekeeping b= its and pieces for me in the passenger seat, and as we went through the bees he explained what he was doing and how it fitted into his "system".<= o:p>

He was quite explicit that this= was just his way of doing things, but it was not the only way, and that it was important to always be thinking about what you are doing. The best piece of advice he gave me, one which he had inherited from his beekeeping mentor, w= as to work your way through problems by asking what it is that the bees are tr= ying to do, to ask what the bees are saying to you? Why is there no honey in the super? Why is that hive so tetchy? Why is there no young brood? =

At first I was bewildered by the contradictory advice about all beekeeping matters that I received from different beekeepers, and it took me a little while to understand that what= you did with the bees only made sense in relation to the whole year of apiary management. Gordon worked his bees to avoid oilseed rape and so moved his b= ees into Edinburgh in the summer, to the heather for the autumn, and wintered at his home at Fushiebridge. He also made sure that beekeeping didn't interfere with his summer holiday plans by confining them to a single Smith brood box= in the Spring so as to force them to swarm early in the year. Then with a= ll the artificial swarms set up he could relax - as least as far as the bees w= ent.

Those who spoke at his funeral described his lifetime pursuits of geology, hillwalking and other outdoor activities, travelling around the world, and maintaining his vintage cars -= he proudly showed me the original receipt for his boyhood racing bicycle (whic= h he was still using). But it was poignant for me that all the speakers also mentioned that he was a beekeeper, and that their memories of Gordon were flavoured with that of the honey he always brought along to sell. The Association has lost a great stalwart, and the bees have lost a good, patie= nt and thoughtful beekeeper.

Beekeeping Demo at Edinburgh Botanics

I've been asked by Edinburgh Botanic Gardens if we could put on a beekeeping demonstration in their John Hope Gateway building for a day during the Edinburgh Science Festival (March 31-April 15 2012). They have in mind something similar to the Haddington Sh= ow stand. If anyone has any ideas or would be willing to help please get in to= uch!

Gifford Flower Show Prizewinner= s

George Hood Memorial Trophy for most points in Novice section – Michael Hill

Gifford Horticultural Society Trophy for most po= ints in Open section – Jim Bell

George Turnbull Trophy for best exhibit – = George Barton

OPEN SECTION

Jar Clear Medium to Da= rk Blossom Honey - 1^st J Bell, 2^nd G Barton

Jar Clear Light Blosso= m Honey - 1^st M Hedderwick, 2^nd J Bell

Jar Naturally Granulat= ed Honey - 1^st J Bell, 2^nd Mark Hedderwick

Jar Soft Set Honey - 1= ^st M Hedderwick, 2^nd J Bell, 3^rd G Barton

Jar Liquid Heather Hon= ey - 1^st G Barton, 2^nd J Bell, 3^rd M Hedderwick

Cut Comb Blossom Honey= - 1^st J Bell

Cut Comb Heather Honey= - 1^st J Bell, 2^nd G Barton

Shallow Frame Blossom = Honey - 1^st J Bell, 2^nd M Hedderwick

Shallow Frame Heather = Honey - 1^st J Bell, 2^nd J De Pree

Wax Candles - 1^st= J Bell, 2^nd M Hedderwick; Piece Beeswax - 1^st J Bell, 2= ^nd M Hedderwick

Honey Cake - 1^{st<=
/sup> J
Bell, 2^nd M Hedderwick; Honey Tablet - 1^st M Hedderwi=
ck,
2^nd J Bell}

NOVICE SECTION

Jar Clear Blossom Hone= y - 1^st R Carthy, 2^nd M Hill, 3^rd D Mackay<= /p>

Piece Beeswax - 1^=
st Sandy Boggon, 2^nd M Hill, 3^rd R Carthy

Honey Cake - 1^{st<=
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Mackay, 2^nd M Hill, 3^rd R Carthy}

Jo Dodds – Secretary

20 King's Avenue

Longniddry

East Lothian EH32 0QN &= nbsp; &nbs= p;

01875 852916

jo= annawhittingham@googlemail.com