·        First tip this month comes from Ettamarie Petersen from California who visited us last year:  At this time in California anything could catch fire.  A guy in our Association is a retired Forest Ranger and his tip for an emergency fire extinguisher is carry around a can of soda.  If you start a fire, shake the can, puncture it and squirt out the fire.

·        The best hive tools are drop-forged steel - the stainless ones bend too easily - but why do they have to paint them?  If you clean the paint off you will find that it is much easier to push them in between your boxes.  It is also a good idea to take a file and round off those sharp corners.

·        After all my nagging, I do hope that you have all now completed your varroa treatment and fed your bees if using syrup - if not, then you may not have any bees by the spring.

·        We have already had some woodpecker damage to the supers on a couple of hives.  Protect with wire-netting (20mm is ideal; do not use chicken netting - bees perch rather than fly through) or plastic sacks if you are in an area where they might be a problem.

·        Send your honey show entry form to Mike before the show.  Why not do it now?

·        There are more wasps around than you might think, so protect colonies by reducing entrances as necessary.

·        With the onset of rather more autumnal weather, it is time to make sure that our colonies have a safe, dry home for the winter.  Roofs can be kept on with the traditional couple of bricks (one may not be enough) and mouseguards will be required if your hive entrance is more than ¼” high - the EU says I can use Imperial units, but that is about 7mm if you must work in those foreign things!.  (Having converted to OMFs with narrow entrances, I now have a large number of mouseguards surplus to requirements if anyone wants some.)

·        Do remember that the Association has a very good library of books, slides and videos to keep you busy all winter!

·        Pay your subscription now!

Peter Edwards 30/09/2007