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

Will Spencer gave notice of his wish to retire from the post of Hon.Treasurer at the 2001 AGM. At last year's AGM he announced that he did not wish to stand for re-election, but was persuaded to continue for another year in the absence of any volunteers for the job. He has now made it clear that he will definitely be retiring this year after completing eleven years in the post. Please consider whether you could fill this position. It is not particularly onerous and both Will and I would be happy to provide any assistance to the new treasurer during their first year (I was treasurer for the ten years before Will). The duties are:

• Keeping accurate accounts (our system is very simple and requires no previous experience of book-keeping);
• Receiving application and renewal forms, issuing receipts to members (the forms are computer generated and sent out by me) and banking receipts;
• Paying the appropriate sums to Bee Diseases Insurance, Bee Craft and BBKA etc.;
• Producing a year-end summary of the accounts, liaising with our auditor and writing a brief commentary on the accounts for the AGM (probably half a day's work in all).

If you are interested and would like to discuss the post further, do give Will, me or any other committee member a ring.
Peter Edwards

Every beekeeper should visit this show at least once to see the amazing range of exhibits based on hive products. The National is really much more than a 'National' honey show for it has classes open to the world, the Commonwealth, the EU and the British Isles including the Republic of Ireland - making it an international show. Some classes are open only to members of the National Honey Show and there are County classes open only to members of Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Essex, Middlesex and Buckinghamshire Beekeepers, as these counties combine their honey shows with the National. In all there are around one hundred and sixty classes. There is, of course, a huge display of honey of all colours - in jars, sections, cut comb, chunk - but perhaps the most stunning displays are those of wax modelling. All of this would be sufficient to make a good day out, but there is even more - a trade fair and a series of lectures. If you have never been, do try to get there.
Peter Edwards

Talking of honey shows, I see that Will Spencer has again been successful at the Royal with:

He also received several Highly Commended in other classes and was runner-up for the WBC Perpetual Challenge Cup. He tells me that he made a profit of £10 after paying entry fees and also received two free tickets for the show. Our congratulations to you, Will.
Peter Edwards

We have had more than our usual share of dry days this year, but it has to be said that July 26 was not one of them. I did ring Denis during the afternoon to confirm that our walk was still going ahead - although I was sure that anyone with a Ramblers background would not be stopped by the odd monsoon!

Fortunately, the rain eased as fourteen of us assembled in the car park at Yew Tree Farm. Although it was a bit muddy underfoot in places (master of the understatement!), we had a very enjoyable walk along the canal towpath, through Austy Wood, then across the Stratford Road and back down to the canal.

The walk was followed by supper organised by Shirley and Keith in the village hall, with Shirley's summer pudding rounding off an excellent meal.

Our thanks to Denis, Shirley and Keith for the work that they put into organising this event.
Peter Edwards

On returning recently from a week's holiday we found our 'Honey for Sale' sign had been removed from outside the house and was propped up by the back door. A note written on behalf of a firm called Amy Mouchel, who apparently manage our bit of road on behalf of the Highways Agency, was attached to it. It is an 'illegal non-prescribed sign' (it did not say why, despite us using variations of it for at least the last 10 years) and as such if it is spotted again on the highway it will be removed to their Strencham Depot and retained for 28 days or until collected. Presumably if not collected they will destroy it. Like many people I have a variety of unwanted junk, such as a wheel-less wheelbarrow. I am now considering standing bits of it outside the house, with 'Honey for Sale' painted on it, on the hope that it will be removed. Depending on how often they call I hope to have most of our rubbish cleared by Christmas!
Mike Osborne

At last year's event we were lucky to be able to find some shade to set up our stand and, although the weather was kind to us, I wondered how we would cope if we did have a shower - none of our display material would be improved by rain! Other organisations seemed to come equipped with gazebos or tents, so I raised this at our last committee meeting and approval was given for me to buy a gazebo for the Association. Fortunately, Homebase was having an end-of-season half-price sale on garden furniture and so I was able to buy a hexagonal one (that had to be the right shape!) complete with two-metre sides and four zipped doors for less than £50.

Although we did not recruit any new members (but may have sown the seed in a few people's minds), we certainly promoted local honey and the Association as well as having a very enjoyable day, even managing to have a look at the other attractions. This is certainly an excellent show.We also made a donation to the charities from our honey sales and received this letter from the organisers:

Dear Peter,

Many thanks for your letter and the cheque for £15 as a donation towards our charities, as a result of what was a very successful Show again this year. So please pass on my thanks, on behalf of the Lions, to all your members who helped on the day or in the run up preparations.

Hopefully, once our accounts have been settled, Wellesbourne & District Lions Club will be looking to making a sizeable cheque presentation to the "Jennifer Trust for spinal muscular atrophy" in the early Autumn, in addition to our own local, national and international charitable work.

Thanks again for the support from Stratford Beekeepers Association for this year's Rural Show we hope to be able to call on you for next year's event on July 11th, 2004!

Max Down
Peter Edwards

The National Trust 'Field Day' at Charlecote was very different from the Wellesbourne show. Again, Sue and I arrived early to erect the gazebo - rather faster this time! - before Mike and Moira arrived with the rest of the display material. When we arrived things seemed a bit quiet, to say the least, and we soon found that we were one of only three stands - the others being FWAG, with a small display about bats, and a willow weaver!

Although not as hectic as Wellesbourne, we were again kept busy for most of the two-day event, but were well supported by Terry and Denis, as well as two non-committee members, Keith Davies and Ewart James - our thanks to all. We have made a small donation to the Shakespeare Hospice from the profit on sales.
Peter Edwards

The following was posted to one of the beekeeping newsgroups:

'Elders a lot are sensitive to sting.

Sting ail depending on quantity toxin sub skin.

Responsible position is with deprive sting and wash puncture clean by water.

Interest: Professional beekeeper must before blood taking inform that being beekeeper.

On blood-transfusion could can take place allergic reaction with eventuality also exitus.'

So now you know!
Peter Edwards (who has to admit that his Czech is a lot worse than this man's English!)

During the first week of July I united two colonies at Snitterfield because a parent colony from an artificial swarm had failed to rear a new queen (probably lost a mating swarm). Having united them I picked up the spare floor and found a 3 foot long snake on the paving slab under it! I quickly realised that a green snake of this length was a grass snake, but it did stop me in my tracks for a few seconds. It slid away, but came back twice over the next few minutes - presumably to make sure that it had been in the right place. This is the first time that I have found a snake under a hive, usually it is either a bumblebee or shrew's nest. Anybody else found anything unusual?
Peter Edwards