Hon. Newsletter Editor:
Peter Edwards
E-mail: beekeepers@stratford-upon-avon.freeserve.co.uk

Lack of space (paper version of this newsletter!) has again forced me to defer some promised articles (and I lied about having a disease-free newsletter this month!).

About six of us turned up at Hampton Wood for the first apiary meeting of the season. Without the apiary manager - or anyone else in charge - we paired off and simultaneously went through the six colonies, which makes reporting difficult. Four stocks were prospering, with wall-to-wall brood in most cases. Some had been wintered with a super above the queen excluder; a second super was added to these, though I am not sure what will become of the old stores in the bottom super. There seemed to be a shortage of useful super combs. Those of us who have used the same super combs for 45 years [Our RBI may have something to say about that! PE] can't quite come to terms with the practice of sacrificing the combs as a means of extracting OSR honey! Of the two weaker stocks, one had still got six frames of undrawn foundation in the brood chamber, but that should soon build up well. The other stock, which was recorded as being OK on 30 March, seemed to have a failing or failed queen - I hope she wasn't the one we bought last year!

There is a huge acreage of oilseed rape, just coming into flower on 13 April, within a mile of Hampton Wood, so all looks set for a good harvest - and maybe a swarm or two. We can expect to see considerable changes when we next meet at the apiary on 18 May.
Denis Keyte

BEES AT THE TAJ MAHAL
(continued from March)

Our next stop was the ancient capital of Fatehpur Sikri, near Agra, where we collected our guide for rest of the day, Shrikha. She asked if we were enjoying the tour; we said that we were and told her about the added bonus of seeing the apiaries. She said, 'You will see bees at the Taj Mahal later!' After visiting the palaces of Fatehpur Sikri, now known as the deserted city, we made our way to Agra and the Taj Mahal.

It is an unfortunate fact that hives do get stolen. If you are making up new frames these can be security marked very easily, e.g. with your initials, using a spirit-based permanent marker. (You could also add the date so that you know when they are 45 years old!) The ink will soak into the wood and the bees will varnish it with propolis. These markers can also be used on the outside of the boxes.
Peter Edwards

I have been reading some interesting research on the relationship between the amount of drone comb in a hive and the surplus crop produced. The desirability of drones - and therefore drone comb - has been the subject of many debates in the past with beekeepers falling into one of two schools of thought. One school will argue that drones are of no economic value, or even that they are a drain on colony resources, and should be kept to a minimum. Workers gather the honey and therefore the beekeeper should ensure that drone comb is eliminated so that the maximum numbers of workers are produced. The other school argues that the bees know best, that drones are essential to the overall balance and well-being of the colony and so the colony should be allowed to produce as many drones as it wishes.

Tom Seeley, of Cornell University, now has the answer. He divided his colonies into two groups, one that was allowed to produce as much drone comb as it wished and the other where drone comb was eliminated as much as possible. Records of honey yields were then kept for three years and he reports his results as follows:

'When I tallied the results from all three years, I found that the weight gains, between mid May and late August, of colonies with and without drone comb differed markedly.

Colonies with drone comb, 55lb ± 35lb; colonies without drone comb, 107lb ± 33lb.

Thus, there was an average difference of 52 lb. of honey.

A year-by-year comparison shows the same trend. Each year, the mean weight gain of colonies with drone comb was less than that of colonies without drone comb:

1998: 46lb vs. 101lb

1999: 38lb vs. 108lb

2000: 82lb vs. 114lb'

The research is particularly relevant because there is considerable anecdotal evidence at present that the regular renewal of old comb gives increased honey production. It may well be that, as well as the obvious benefit of the reduction of pathogens carried on old comb, the drawing of new worker comb and the consequent reduction in drone comb is responsible for this increased production.

It is also interesting to note that this research required no specialised equipment or scientific knowledge and could easily have been carried out by any beekeeper (or group of beekeepers) with a couple of dozen hives or so!
Peter Edwards

I am pleased to be able to report that, so far, we seem to be clear of EFB. Two very thorough inspections at Ailstone were both clear and the two colonies that were shook swarmed and then moved to an isolation apiary last year are both doing well with no sign of disease. Too soon to claim victory yet, but the early signs are encouraging.
Peter Edwards

I will be ordering honey jars again within the next month or two. If you need jars and would like to take advantage of the very low prices that I get by buying in bulk then it is essential that you contact me by 15 May with your order. I should by then be able to give a firm price for both jars and additional lids.

I must stress that this will be your only opportunity this year!
Peter Edwards

I have had very few responses from you all, so the safari for May is cancelled. I am willing to have one more try, so if you would like to volunteer your apiary for a safari on a Saturday in June, please contact me by 24 May so that I can organise the date and route.
Peter Edwards

It is good to know that Stratford members are so confident that either they have no disease in their colonies, or that they know how to recognise and deal with it if they do have any! This would seem to be the only conclusion that I can find for the poor attendance - only three members - for this free course. It was particularly disappointing because it was a very good day. Robin Hall gave an illustrated presentation on disease and apiary hygiene in the morning and after lunch beekeepers were able to inspect and handle diseased combs (disposable gloves were provided!). Robin and his team of SBIs were on hand to answer questions.

Of particular interest was the new field-testing kit for AFB, demonstrated by Richard Lindsey. The device is, I am told, similar to a pregnancy testing kit and should enable any beekeeper to obtain an accurate diagnosis in the field. Suspect material is shaken with liquid in the small bottle provided and a couple of drops are then placed in a small well at one end of the plastic strip. The liquid travels along a channel and very quickly shows one or two blue lines - one line indicates all clear, two lines indicate AFB (no lines indicates that the test was not performed correctly). However, it has to be said that it took three attempts to obtain two lines from a known source of AFB, so there is obviously further work to do! Of greater interest will be the version for EFB which is, of course, much harder to diagnose.
Peter Edwards