Modern Beekeeping – Bob Simpson
At a packed meeting held at the Haddington Town House , the East Lothian Beekeepers Association
heard Mr Bob Simpson speak of his lifetime working with bees. Both his father and grandfather kept
bees and he settled the matter by marrying a beekeeper's daughter. The beekeepers of this earlier
generation had more time and many kept their hives at the bottom of their garden so it was easier
to watch the bees and interpret their behaviour at the hive entrance. Nowadays, hives are more likely
to be kept at an out-apiary, many
miles from home, so that it is hard for beekeepers to acquire this knowledge.
Another important change over recent decades has been the reduction in forage for bees.
This is due to the intensification of agriculture and the destruction of hedgerows. Awe-inspiring tales from
the past of full supers of honey (about 20-30lbs) being removed from hives every other night are unlikely
to be repeated these days. Bees are also very vulnerable to insecticides used on flowering crops and good
communication between farmers and
beekeepers is needed to prevent hives being decimated.
Coming right up-to-date, Mr Simpson talked about how beekeeping is having to adapt to infection with Varroa.
This mite lives within sealed brood where the bee larvae are pupating and will eventually destroy untreated colonies.
Varroa arrived in
not
yet been detected in
chemical treatments, although Mr
Simpson has noticed an increased number of colonies absconding from their
hives.
Swarming Season - Donald Smith
At a recent meeting of the East Lothian Beekeepers Association, preparations for swarming were noticed in several hives
The spell of good weather in May has meant that honeybees have been bringing back large quantities of nectar,
especially from fields of oil seed rape. As a hive fills up with honey there becomes less empty space and the bees
begin making preparations to swarm.
The reason why bees swarm is to reproduce. The queen bee takes the chance that she will be able to set up a new
colony and store enough honey before winter arrives. In the hive that she leaves there are several “queen cells” in which
the next generation of queens are developing. These begin hatching about week after the swarm leaves and one of these
new queens will inherit the hive and honey stores that the swarm left behind. So if you see a swarm, marvel at the feat of
organisation involved and think of
it as the insect equivalent of lambs in the spring, swallows in the summer and
acorns in the autumn.
Swarming is a remarkable sight – on a sunny afternoon thousands of bees stream out of a hive and circle about filling the air
with their swirling and buzzing. Within a few minutes they settle on a support such as a bush or a tree. The cluster of bees
is usually teardrop shaped and anywhere in size from a grapefruit to a basketball. Although a swarm can contain tens of
thousands of bees, it is much less dangerous than one might think. The bees no longer have stores of honey to defend and
they are disinclined to sting since they gorge themselves with honey before swarming. However, a swarm should not be
disturbed and it would be wise to keep children and pets indoors. If the swarm is causing you problems, any beekeeper
you know will probably be happy to come and collect it from you. Commercial pest control firms will also perform the
service for a fee. If you do nothing then within a few hours, or possibly after a day or two, the swarm will noisily take to
the
air and be gone to its new home.
When a swarm seems likely to cause an immediate risk to the public for example, if it is in a busy street or in a public area
then you should contact the Environmental Protection Section of East Lothian Council (01620-827365). If appropriate they
will arrange the removal of the swarm.
January Meeting 2005
COOP Grant helps Beekeepers fight Varroa
A packed meeting of East Lothian beekeepers held on 13 th January in the Haddington Town House heard about the threat posed to their bees and their honey crop by the deadly Varroa mite. This mite, which originates from Asia , is a parasite of honeybees that gradually weakens and eventually kills colonies. The mites suck the blood of adult bees and lay eggs in the brood where the offspring feed off the developing honeybees. The result of severe infections is weakened bees that have a shorter life span and develop severe wing and body abnormalities.
The speaker, Graeme Sharpe from the Scottish Agricultural College , Auchincruive, Ayr , described how in the initial stages of infection hives could appear healthy and even produce a normal honey crop. However, if the infection is not treated then within two or three years the continual loss of adult bees leads to the complete collapse of the colony. This often leads to the spread of infection as the bees from other colonies rob out any honey left in the hive.
Varroa has been present in Scotland for almost 10 years now but has only reached Edinburgh in the last couple of years. The first report of Varroa in East Lothian came last summer when it was detected in beehives near East Linton. It is also present at several sites along the western edge of the county. Beekeepers in East Lothian are dealing with the threat of Varroa by mapping the position of local apiaries, sharing information about the presence of Varroa and learning about techniques for detecting and treating infection.
A selection of the handouts from this meeting have been placed on the website. Please click on the appropriate link to view
Integrated Varroa Management (Measurement of mite levels
Using Drone Brood as Varroa Control
Varroa Open Mesh Floors
Late Autumn Treatment (Oxalic Acid)
(Do remember that,at present,the use of oxalic acid is not licensed in UK and could be illegal)