East Lothian Beekeepers Association

 

Newsletter 132                                     March 2005

 

AGM and DIY hand cream demonstration by Mike Bain

The night of the AGM (24th February) was a filthy one, but there were fifteen brave souls attracted by the exiting agenda. Or possibly they were there for Mike Bain’s demonstration on making hand cream using beeswax. With his waterbath boiling, his whisks, bottles, jars and laboratory pipettes at the ready he looked like a cross between a celebrity chef and a domesticated scientist – but the creams he produced were succulent.

 

I have enclosed a copy of the draft minutes of the AGM. The President, Secretary and Treasurer were all re-elected and are George Barton, Donald Smith and Rosemary Carthy respectively. The committee comprises Colin McIntosh, Mike Bain, Gordon Biggar, Pat McErlean and David Marshall. The accounts are healthy and so the membership fee has been kept at £5.00. A committee meeting will be held in the next few months to arrange the program for the year. If you have suggestions there is a space on the membership form, or contact a committee member.

 

Honey Show

Our next meeting will be an informal honey show at 7.30pm in the Haddington Town House on the 17th March at which George Duncan will be the judge. The classes will be the same as the Gifford Honey Show (see Newsletters 127 or130, also available on the website). The more entries the merrier!

Varroa

A single mite has been found at Beech Hill from hives that had been taken to the heather at a site on the Gifford-Duns road. Varroa has also been found in one of George Barton’s hives at Jerusalem, near Pencaitland, after placing an Apistan strip inside over a mesh floor. Varroa is still a notifiable disease – send mites or floor scrapings in an envelope marked “Bee Diseases” to Susan Irvine, SASA, East Craigs, 82 Craigs Road, Edinburgh, EH12 8NJ. Apistan strips are available free from me (thanks to the COOP) for testing hives for Varroa.

 

Wanted

Small extractor – plastic or metal and settling tank. Contact Jane Will 01620 – 810608

 

For Sale

Oxalic acid vaporizer tubes as per Scottish beekeeper Feb 2004, page 40, £5 (proceeds to Association) Contact Gordon Biggar  01875 821611 (after 14th April).

 

Thornes visit

The collective visit to Thornes has been postponed until the end of April. Let me know if you would like to buy anything or exchange your wax for foundation or goods.

 

Money for old wax?

Rob Hedderwick is interested in buying beeswax for use in painting at £4.50 / kg – contact him on 01620 – 810226.

 

Basic Beemaster Group – Tyneside Tavern, Haddington

The next meetings are at 8pm on March 31st and April 14th

Veterinary Medicines

Under EU Directive EC2004/28/EC honeybee medications will only be available under prescription from a vet (for details see (www.bees-trees.demon.co.uk/Directive.htm). This will increase the cost of beekeeping without obvious benefits. If you would like to voice concerns you can write (before 5th May 2005) to Jennifer Prescott, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3LS, or e-mail j.prescott@vmd.defra.gsi.gov.uk or to your local MP.

 

Membership

We take a fairly lax view of membership, but it does help to have members! If you haven’t already, please could you complete and return the enclosed membership form to Rosemary Carthy. Rosemary will reward you with a membership card! If you provide me with an email address then I can send you newsletters and news flashes by email. On the other hand, if you would like to be taken off my mailing list, then please let me know so I can stop annoying you (and wasting stamps).

 

I have added a section to the membership form about SBA membership. Amongst the advantages of membership are free disease and liability insurance for up to 10 hives and hive products, access to the Moir beekeeping library in Edinburgh, and the monthly magazine. I receive a copy of the magazine on behalf of the Association – let me know if you would like to see it. I also hold several Moir library cards for use by those who are not members of the SBA. I am also looking for suggestions about things that the Association could do this year, books that you would like to see in our Library, and for volunteers to host a summer apiary visit.

 

Howatson

One of the books to be found in the Moir Library is: The Apiarian’s Manual:containing ALL THAT IS IMPORTANT IN THE NATURAL HISTORY OF BEES

OR USEFUL IN THEIR PROPER MANAGEMENT By T.M. HOWATSON Schoolmaster of Humbie, East Lothian, Published by Adam Black, North Bridge and William Tait, Prince’s Street, Printed by Anderson & Bryce 1827.

 

“A person may sit and observe his bees, or even walk steadily about in his apiary in safety, provided he adopt the precaution of keeping his lips close, breathing gently through his nostrils only, and when a bee approaches his face, let him remain perfectly motionless, and the wary insect will seldom commence actual hostilities.”

 

“A pretty effectual method of applying the smoke is that adopted by those roguish urchins, who go about on evenings with burning tow in a hollow cabbage stem, and set all their village a-coughing, by blowing smoke out of these rustic tubes, into the houses, through the key-holes, or other opening in door or window.”

 

Donald  Smith (Secretary)

Garden Cottage

Clerkington

Haddington       EH41 4NJ       

01620 822441             gardencottage@ntlworld.com