East Lothian Beekeepers Association

(Founded 1887 - Scotland’s oldest Local Association?) (www.eastlothianbeekeepers.org.uk)

 

Newsletter 139                                     August 2006

 

There has been no lack of sunshine this summer! There was a frenzy of swarming at the beginning of June with daily calls from East Lothian Council and Pest Control firms, but the Association found most of them homes (and relocated a bumblebee nest).

 

Forthcoming events

Sunday 13th August – Heather picnic 1pm. Take the B6355 Gifford – Duns road for about 4 miles. You will see a sign for a fishery and cross a cattle grid just before you pass Darent House. Take the next turn off on the right down a track towards a sheep fank. Bring your own picnic. Non-beekeepers welcome and safe!

 

Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th August – Gifford Flower Show. The Honey Section Categories are:

222. 1lb jar clear blossom honey

223. 1lb jar naturally granulated honey

224. 1lb jar soft set honey

225. 1lb jar heather honey

226. one piece cut comb blossom honey (approx 8 oz)

227. one piece cut comb heather honey (approx 8 oz)

228. one section flower honey

229. one section heather honey

230. one shallow frame blossom honey

231. one shallow frame heather honey

232. one bottle wine-type mead (not fortified)

233. one piece beeswax 8 to 12 ozs.

234. honey cake (no set recipe, but see our website for one)

 

Exhibits can be set up on the evening of the 18th or before 10am on the 19th. There are prizes and cups to be won!

 

Saturday 23rd October – SBA autumn convention, Dewar’s Conference and sports centre, Glover Street, Perth. 8.45 – 5.10. (£23 including coffee, lunch and tea) There will be talks on plants and bees, enjoyable beekeeping, varroa and requeening.

 

Wednesday 4th October – Edinburgh and Midlothian BKA are hosting the SBA Lecture this year. The speaker will be Claire Chavasse and her title is “Trouble shooting, re-queening cross colonies, Queen introduction”. Contact Allister Guy 01506 654968 for details.

 

November – Beekeeper’s dinner with a honey theme and

December - a practical demonstration of oxalic acid trickle treatment by Gordon Biggar – details in the next newsletter.

 

Thornes relocation

As of 7th August, Thornes are moving from Tayport to Newburgh Industrial Estate, Cupar Road, Newburgh, Fife, KY14 6HA, tel 01337 842596 with sale days on 11th (3-5pm) and 12th (9.30 to 1.00pm). Mike Bain and I are planning a trip there in the near future, so if there is anything you would like to place an order for, let one of us know.

 

Torness survey

I had an unusual inquiry from Cefas asking for the names of beekeepers in the vicinity of Torness – I have given them the names of the four nearest apiaries – it will be interesting to get feedback from them or the beekeepers involved.

Past Meetings

April seems a long time past now, but perhaps by now some members have made their first Dartington Long Deep hive after Graham White’s inspirational talk. The first summer meeting at George Barton’s apiary in May found the Association hive in dire need of a Varroa treatment – a useful reminder to us all to keep checking for the numbers of falling mites. If you don’t manage and treat for Varroa then your colonies will collapse. John de Pree reports that the mite fall in his hives in July exceeded 30 a day and so he had had to treat them. We had hopes of finding a temporary site for the Association apiary at Alderston, but East Lothian Council have again stymied this – we are still looking for a suitable site, and this has to be the top priority for the Association before next season.

 

Mike Bain and I had a busy afternoon at a cub scout camp at East Fortune at the end of May fielding a flurry of questions about the observation hive. The highlight of the summer visits was our trip to John de Pree’s apiary at Beech Hill in June where everyone was impressed with the quality of the frames and their ease of manipulation due to John’s complicated, but effective methods for managing swarming and his abundant honey crop. The sun was out for the Haddington show where Mike Bain, Gordon Biggar, Pat McErlean, David Marshall, Bill Fife and myself manned the display and took over £200 in honey sales. The following week a small band of beekeepers came to my apiary and were kind enough to keep their thoughts about my brace-combed, propolised, queenless, ill-fitting hives, to themselves, though the strawberries were judged to be very good!

 

Heather

A reminder if you are taking your bees to the heather to arrange permission and a location from the land owner or estate manager.

 

Evening News

One of our new members, Douglas Kerr, got himself in the Evening News collecting a swarm in George Street, Edinburgh. (http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1004642006)

 

William Young

One of our oldest honorary members, William Young, died earlier this year. He became the honorary auditor in 1952, President in 1957 and a regular committee member until the end of the 1970s.

 

For Sale

- Colonies with or without bees – contact Gordon Biggar 01875 821611

- Ozzie Skene had four hives in poor condition for sale (2 Smiths, 2 Nationals) Tel: 01620 823715

- A novice beekeeper with basic theory would like to assist an experienced beekeeper to gain further beekeeping knowledge / practical experience.  Ideal locations:  Edinburgh/East Lothian. Please contact Jennie Fraser on 07800 997 470 or 0131 477 1662.

 

Winter Program

If you have any suggestions of topics or speakers for our winter meetings please let me know.

 

New members

We welcome Finn Warholm and Douglas Kerr.

 

Donald  Smith (Secretary)

Garden Cottage

Clerkington

Haddington       EH41 4NJ       

01620 822441             gardencottage@ntlworld.com