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

There was a very disappointingly small turnout for this meeting - only seven members attended. The EGM took very little time - our treasurer summarised our current financial situation and suggested that there was no need to increase the subscription. We all agreed and so there is no change for the subscription, BDI or Bee Craft for the coming year. The reason that we are able to keep the subscription at the present very low rate is mainly because of the excellent crop from the Association apiary; our thanks are therefore due to Brian for his management and to those who have helped with the apiary work and the extraction of the crop. Renewal forms are in this month's mailing and I would urge you all to pay your subs now while you have the form in front of you. Chasing those who do not pay on time is an unpleasant, time-consuming and costly process.

The Brains Trust that followed the EGM was hastily rearranged into a round-table discussion, as it seemed a bit over the top to have a team of four experts with an audience of three! However, despite the numbers we covered a wide range of subjects with some lively debate. We were perhaps fortunate that the group included our newest member, as yet without hives or bees, and he had plenty of questions. Topics covered included:

• Hive types, with consideration of the Dartington long deep hive and comparison of National and Smith hives.
• Green woodpecker problems.
• Advantages of fondant for feeding, noting that laying it across frames might help prevent starvation if colonies move to one side of the box.
• Wax moths. It was generally agreed that there is an increasing problem particularly from the Greater Wax Moth.
• Varroa - coming problems with resistance to Bayvoral and Apistan, the use of thymol and the advantages of open mesh floors. (These will be the subject for a future article).
• Movement of hives to the heather, the necessity to ensure secure sites and a managed heather moor.

It was a good evening and I think that we were all surprised when Mike Helps reminded us that we had overrun our time.
Peter Edwards

Our honey show is the climax of our beekeeping year. With the crop gathered and safely stored, bees fed and bedded down for winter, this is the time to display and compare the results of all that hard work - especially by the bees!

The variety of exhibits reflect not just the past season - a predominance of light or dark honey, or perhaps a large entry of comb honey - but also the differing interests of our members. Some will concentrate on extracted honey, some comb honey, whilst others may be more interested in wax, candles, gadgets or photographs. Those intent on winning the Challenge Cup will have to work hard at a large number of classes and will need to demonstrate a range of skills.

However, even those whose names have appeared with regularity on our trophies started as beginners, probably entering a couple of jars in Class 8, which is for those who have never won a first prize in any show. So, if you are a beginner, do put in an entry or two (you are not restricted to Class 8) and, who knows, you might walk off with the Waldron Trophy!

The Honey Show schedule is enclosed with this month's mailing; why not fill in your entry slip right now and send it to Julia - early entries will make her life a great deal easier and will help to avoid the usual rush with staging the exhibits.
Peter Edwards

'Viet Nam[sic] was the largest importer [I think that should be 'exporter', PE] of honey to the U.S. last year with a small number of bee hives. Quite a feat, but the honey was accepted into the U.S. by the powers that be despite protests by U.S. beekeepers. We figured the Viet Nam crop average per hive must have been over a thousand pounds per colony. Hmmm.'

No prizes for guessing where that honey came from!
Peter Edwards

The number of visitors to our website has continued to grow and passed the 2,500 mark on 28 September.
Peter Edwards

Bringing in honey from one of our sites in August, I met the farmer in the yard and stopped for a few words. We both agreed that the weather had been excellent for our respective harvests and I asked him what we were going to complain about now. He stopped for a few seconds and then replied, 'we'll think of something - we're farmers!'

Well, I can find little to complain about - only perhaps the poor weather in early May when the rape was in flower, or the early end to the flow in July due to the drought. However, the excellent flow from the third week of May until the end of the first week in July more than compensated and the dry weather since then has enabled me to collect in the harvest, treat for varroa and feed all colonies by mid-September very easily.

Our crop per hive, although not a record, has been well above average despite splitting colonies to make a 50% increase this year - very satisfying after last year's disappointing efforts to get new queens mated.

If this is global warming then it may not be a bad thing for UK beekeeping!
Peter Edwards

Each year, the Central Association of Beekeepers hosts a weekend conference at the Manor House Hotel in Leamington Spa; I wrote about this previously in the January 2002 newsletter. The event is open to all, not just members of the Central Association, and is very informal except for the annual Central Association members' dinner on Saturday night.

There is one lecture on Friday evening at 8.30pm, then two in each of the sessions on Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning; on Sunday afternoon there is a Harvest Thanksgiving Service at Stoneleigh Parish Church, followed by tea with Warwickshire BKA at the Stoneleigh Village Hall.

This year the lectures again cover a wide range of topics:

• Beekeeping as a development tool (abroad)
• Mating and reproduction in the honeybee
• Better bees
• Beekeeping and public health
• Habitat restoration for bumblebees
• Resistant varroa in Devon and Pollen

Speakers are all experts in their field and there are plenty of opportunities for questions and to speak to the lecturers during the coffee breaks or over lunch.

Cost for the lectures only is a very reasonable £30 for non-members and lunch is £9.25 if required. Accommodation at the Manor House is available, but for most of our members travelling is easy. I can supply further details if you are interested.
Peter Edwards.

I recently visited one of our more senior members who told me that, although he enjoyed reading the newsletter, he has some difficulty because of problems with his eyesight. Of course this is easily overcome with today's technology and I will be producing a large-print version for him. If anyone else would like a large print version then please let me know. On the website the size can be changed by clicking on View/Text Size.
Peter Edwards

The damage caused by woodpeckers can be devastating and is best avoided by protecting hives, either with 1" mesh wire netting or heavy-duty plastic sacks cut into strips and pinned under the roof so that the strips cover the sides of the hives.

Roger White from Cyprus posted the following on BEE-L (Internet mailing list):

'Blue seems to be a better colour for scaring birds - they use blue plastic sacks to protect bananas here and in Israel. For grapes you should use long thin strips tied to the vines. Apparently they think that these are snakes when the move with the wind and do not then attack the grapes.' [… and when there is no wind? PE]
Peter Edwards