It is with regret that I have to tell you of the death of Frank Arnold on 31 July at the age of 71. His funeral was held at St Mary’s church East Cottingwith on Monday 8th August. Our condolences go to his wife Stella and his family. Frank had been interested in bees from being a boy and was a member of York Beekeepers from about 1960. He was a regular attender at our meetings. He appeared in Who’s Who in "Combings in June 2004. Sue Hesp, Rob Coleman, Mike Hall, Alan Johnston, Tom Robinson, Rob Wilson and I attended Frank’s funeral. There was a large gathering of mourners at the small church – probably twice as many out side as in. The service was relayed out side for their benefit.

I wish to congratulate Alan Johnston. Alan recently passed Module 4 of the BBKA’s Examinations and in doing so obtained his Intermediate Theory Certificate. Well done. 

Since getting myself a computer to do "Combings" I have been urged by several members to get myself an e-mail address. This I have now done. My e-mail address is: japlusja@btinternet.com

I am hoping that those of you reluctant to put letters in the post will send me articles/comments on "Combings" by e-mail.

Our Annual Honey Show will be held on Wednesday 9th November at the Yorkshire Museum of Farming, Murton. This year’s show is to be an informal social gathering with out a speaker but possibly showing a video. The classes are the same as last year. Our judge will once again be Ivor Flatman. This year he will bring an assistant to speed the job along. Entries will be accepted from 1900 hrs. A copy of the schedule is enclosed with your copy of "Combings".

Our 6th Annual Auction was held at Murton on Saturday 21st May. Once again we had a dry day - which makes things so much easier. The number of lots was disappointing – at 67 was well down on previous years. This was made up for with a good crowd of buyers. Of interest was a spin drier modified to centrifuge heather honey, which sold for £15. A Thorne’s hand powered plastic extractor which fetched £60 and a Mountain Grey wax melter and clarifier badged "MGA Brough Yorks" which is where the company was founded. Looking at the way at has been constructed, I would say it could be a proto type and probably dates from the mid to late 40’s. It sold for £7.00. There where five lots of five national supers in fair condition complete with frames (some of which had split top bars) the selling prices for these five lots were between £30 and £58. The auction went without a hitch thanks to members who gave up their time to help – I salute them. The auction raised £ 97.50 for Association funds. In the past the Association has only charged buyers a 10% premium on their purchases. It was decided at a Committee meeting held on Wednesday 29th June, that sellers shall also be charged 10% on articles sold for them at the auction. This is with immediate effect.

There was an auction of beekeeping equipment held near Whitby of a gentleman retiring from beekeeping. The reports that I have heard say that his bees fetched between £80 for three frames in a brood box and £150 for a strong colony in a single brood box. Some will have been bought to replace winter losses, but I also think that there is a general shortage of bees and beekeepers are prepared to pay high prices for them.

This year’s barbeque was held at Jenny Smith’s home at Askham Bryan. Below is how she saw it.

Usually if I plan a BBQ it rains, in fact my family never mention the word BBQ and call it a 'sausage party' so as not to tempt fate! However on the morning of the York and District Beekeepers' BBQ the sun shone and by 6 p.m. people started arriving with their bags containing burgers, steaks, sausages etc and cooking commenced. The Association provided a variety of salads and contributions of mouth watering sweets kept arriving. One thing I know is that beekeepers have very healthy appetites as nothing went to waste and my chickens had a disappointing night as far as scraps were concerned. It was nice to see six of our new beekeepers especially ten year old Gregor who is very enthusiastic about his first hive of bees. We also welcomed a visitor from Lithuania whose father is a beekeeper. He brought a special Lithuanian sweet that his grandmother makes (difficult to describe but it was like a pile of sweet crisp pastry rings piled up and drizzled with honey and poppy seeds)- very sticky but delicious. About thirty beekeepers and their families attended and it was a very enjoyable evening. For those unable to come this year we hope you will make note of the date next year and join us. It is good to meet up socially with friends and family and we do talk about other things than bees - at least sometimes!

I was unable to attend, but speaking to Jenny afterwards, I feel our barbeques are becoming more popular, this one was one of the most successful we have held.

The Committee have received a letter of resignation from Librarian John Bowes, to take effect at the AGM in October. John is only the second librarian the Association has had, and has held the post for the past ten years. His predecessor and founder of the library was John Rowbottom. A letter has been sent thanking John for the effort he has put in to the job. The Committee have also received a letter from Treasurer William Johnson tending his resignation from the post at the AGM. This vacancy will also have to be filled. Secretary Colin Hattee, having been in the position for four years now, has indicated that he is willing to step down. If you wish to take up this position, please contact Colin or any Committee Member.

Chimney stacks are a popular place for swarms to set up home causing some distress to the owner and perplexes the bee keeper when asked to remove it. A friend of mine (a non beekeeper) told me how he removed a swarm that had recently set up residence in his chimney. He made small bombs out of tissue paper filled with insecticide powder and just enough adhesive to hold it together and dropped them down the chimney. Being flimsy, the bombs burst on impact covering the bees with insect powder causing their demise.

I had another experience in early July that I had never come across before. I had moved four hives a couple of days previous to a field of borage and was in the process of un loading a further two. It was 9.15AM on a fine warm and sunny day when my attention was attracted to a lot of noise from two of my colonies. They looked and sounded as they where in the process of swarming. This I could not understand as I had been through them less than a week before and they where not showing any queen cells. Fifteen minutes later they had settled on the front of their hives or on the ground and were walking back in. Can any of you explain this?

When adding supers to colonies most of us put the second super directly over the first with the frames lined up. A strong colony will often build brace comb between the top bar of the bottom box and the bottom bar of the top box, you can then have hells delight splitting the two boxes. I read of an idea that is supposed to reduce that happening – put the second super at 90° to the first. In theory there will be less frame to frame area for the bees to join together.

Going back to the snippet in your last edition of "Combings" regarding the building of a refinery at Immingham to turn rape seed oil in motor fuel, I have heard that there is a proposal to build two power stations to generate electricity in the Darlington area that will burn rape seed oil. Apparently Government approval / money is wanted – neither of which come forth quickly. If these power stations materialise the whole country side will be blanketed in oil seed rape. One reason for the large amount of rape grown this year (I have been told ) is the low price farmers are getting for wheat.

Our Honey Show Judge Ivor Flatman commented after last years honey show that the mead exhibits, although good, where not 100%. I wrote to Ivor asking him to try and define good mead. This is not easy to do. You can taste meads and pass judgment, easier than it is to write down. Non the less, I print Ivor’s reply.

I didn't make full notes of the mead exhibits in this year's show but from what I remember all were a little lacking in bouquet. Most were nice and clear though one or two had a little sediment. One tasted a little 'off', possibly having been left too long before racking off (the dead yeast can taint the finished mead). One other fairly common problem that you encounter is a residual taste from campden tablets (sodium metabisulphite) that is often used to stop mead.

When judging mead I first look at the appearance - have the rules been complied with and the mead itself, looking for dirt especially at the base but also the sides of the bottle. If bits or small bubbles can be seen this may indicate that the mead is still working. The bottle is then twisted sharply to check for sediment. The cork is removed (any pressure?), examined for cleanliness and the aroma of the mead checked. A sample is poured out, swirled and the bouquet checked – should be clean and attractive and the feel of the honey should be there. Finally the taste (and after taste) - is it in the correct class? Free of off tastes? Not too acidic? Of sufficient strength? And of course a pleasant taste derived from honey alone. I am not an expert mead-maker myself, but I can appreciate a good one! I would recommend Harry Riches book 'Mead, Making, Exhibiting & Judging' for a more detailed study of the subject. One final thought - what type of honey to use? One with flavour & aroma for dry mead (borage doesn't make a good mead) and perhaps predominantly heather for the sweet mead.

One tends to think of judges as being critical of everything they set eyes upon, being all theory and no practice. So I would like to scotch that idea. If you have studied the November 2004 edition of Yorkshire BKA Newsletter you will have noticed that Ivor Flatman who has judged our Honey Show for the past few years did very well in the Great Yorkshire Show Honey Show. He came away with 21 prizes from 38 classes and three trophy’s. In the Yorkshire BKA Honey Show held at Egton near Whitby, Ivor won seven prizes out of 14 classes plus three trophies. From the foregoing, it can be seen that Ivor is not only a good judge but a practical exhibitor as well.

David Aston ... Late Summer 2005 Healthcheck

September is the time to begin the preparations of colonies for the winter. Research now shows that reducing the number of varroa mites in a colony to as Iow a number as possible will significantly reduce the potential for colonies to succumb to viruses such as the slow paralysis virus. The higher the number of mites in the colony then the greater chance there is of the mite having mouthparts contaminated with virus particles inadvertently inoculating larvae and adult bees with viral particles during its feeding activities on the bee's haemolymph.

Bees that are going to over winter are physiologically different to summer bees in that they have well developed fat bodies which are reservoirs of storage proteins and energy sources such as glycogen. They will see the colony through to the next spring and so they must be as healthy and well fed (especially proteins from late pollen sources) and free from disease.

Ideally you will want to treat with a product that will give the highest knockdown of the mites in the colony. At present there is no evidence of pyrethroid resistant mites in the York and District area and so treatment with Apistan@ and Bayvoral@ is the preferred option in terms of knockdown effectiveness.

If you prefer to treat with thymol based products remember they do not have the same knockdown effectiveness as the pyrethroids and their effectiveness is dependent to some extent on the temperature during the application period. Whichever product you choose to use always read the instructions each time before you use the product and remember to record the date of treatment and the day when the spent strips or containers have to be removed from the colonies. Any feeding of bees with sugar syrup should ideally be completed by the end of September, but if the weather is warm this can be extended into early October. If you want to give the colonies combs containing honey for winter stores resist the temptation to give them comb in which there is granulated honey just to get rid of it. The bees cannot work this and if there is a lot of it in the comb as the crystals of granulation grow the sugar solution surrounding the crystals becomes weaker (i.e. increases in water content) there is a potential for this to ferment. Fermenting honey should not be fed to bees.

Open Mesh Floors

Part of the integrated pest management we are being urged to do is to use open mesh floors. The theory being that a live mite that falls off a bee will fall through the mesh and perish. With solid floors it will be able to climb onto the next passing bee and continue with it’s work.

For open mesh floors to be effective the hive must be on a stand with an open top. A hive stand that is some times advocated is two breeze blocks with a flag stone for the hive to sit on. This system allows debris to fall through and accumulate under the hive. This in turn provides a suitable breeding medium for wax moth. Leaving the tray in too long that you use to collect samples for a mite count also allows debris to collect. I have found that hiving a swarm into a brood box with an open mesh floor bees will collect under the floor. They will also do this on hot days. I strapped up a hive ready to move it to borage. When I came to pick it up, there was quite an accumulation of bees hanging underneath. Because open mesh floors allow a lot of ventilation around the bottom of the hive, bees are reluctant to build comb along the bottom edge of frames and during the winter tend to cluster higher up the frames to keep out of the draught. It is suggested that you put an empty super under your brood box to keep them out of this draught. I have heard it suggest that you insert the tray during the winter to keep draughts out, but then we are back to what I said earlier – debris accumulating on the tray and being used as a breeding ground for varroa. If you have treated for varroa in the autumn, there should be a minimum number of mites in the colony. For that reason I shall change my screen floors for solid floors for the winter.

Early in July I got hold of a copy of a new booklet from CSL entitled "Tropilaelaps: parasitic mites of honey bees"

Tropilaelaps is a parasitic mite of the giant Asian honey bee Apis dorsata that is able to infest Apis mellifera. It is also capable of infesting other species of Asian honey bee. It is a statutory notifiable pest and must be reported if you find any on your bees. In size it is given as 1.0mm long and 0.6mm wide. (as long as varroa is wide). It is like varroa in many ways. Its colour is the same, and prefers drone brood to reproduce feeding on the haemolymph of the developing bee. The main difference being in it’s reproductive rate. From the egg being laid to becoming adult is only six days. They also have a shorter period between reproductive cycles. This being the case Tropilaelaps can build up 25 times quicker than varroa. Unlike varroa, Tropilaelaps cannot feed on adult bees because it’s mouth parts cannot pierce the body wall membrane of adult bees. Tropilaelaps mites there fore need to have brood to survive, gravid females dieing within two days if no larvae are available. Therein lies our defence against them. Any broodless periods during the winter will starve any mites in the colony. Their spread is the usual way - on swarms or beekeepers moving bees between apiaries. Being a mite we can treat it with the miticides we use on varroa – Apistan and Bayvarol. The methods of detecting varroa can also be used for detecting Tropilaelaps. Tropilaelaps also move a lot faster of combs making them easier to detect. Because of varroa, bees now owe their survival to beekeepers. With varroa becoming resistant to synthetic pyrethroids, the threat of the small hive beetle and Tropilaelaps, make bees survival more problematic.

On a different but related topic. There is a article in August’s Beecraft on the percentages of queens that get mated. Apparently 15 to 20 years ago 90% of queens got mated. Today the figure is 50%. This is born out by a conversation I had with Tom Robinson on the subject. He reckons that he only has a 50% success rate, like wise bee breeders in Denmark that he is in touch with who raise queens by the thousand. With all these problems, I am some times quite pessimistic about the future of our craft.

Yorkshire Beekeepers Association Spring Field Day

Colin and Debbie Hattee attended Yorkshire Beekeepers Association Spring Field Day at Thrybergh on Saturday 10th June 2005. This how they saw it.

The site at Thrybergh was an excellent venue for the 2005 Spring Field day and all of us were made very welcome. It was very obvious that a lot of time had gone into the preparation of the venue especially in the erection of two large marquees and a netted bee viewing area. A very interesting talk on Nuclei and general beekeeping was given here. In one of the marquees a beekeeper demonstrated grafting of queen larvae into queen cups which we found truly amazing, extremely interesting and informative. One gasped at the skill and knowledge of some of the veteran beekeepers. This was a notable trait - all the speakers were of mature years and one wonders where their successors are going to come from.

South Yorkshire Beekeepers are to be congratulated on a pleasant day, spoilt in part by confused timekeeping and lack of definite structure. The lakeside setting provided a wonderful backdrop to the very excellent barbeque lunch which certainly exceeded our expectations. Some of us enjoyed a walk round the lake during lunch time and after this the raffle was drawn. Out of the 10 members of YDBKA who enjoyed the day, 3 won raffle prizes of marked queen bees - a very good end to our day!

In previous editions of "Combings" I have mentioned contacts I have had with East Riding Trading Standards. They also send me a news letter from time to time. In the latest one is a short article on labelling which I reproduce below.

Understanding Labels - How Important is it?

Understanding food labelling is important, both to consumers and food businesses. Easily understandable labels are vital if consumers or businesses are to make informed choices about the food they buy, and how to store and handle it safely after purchase. The consequences of misunderstanding what labels are trying to tell us can involve:

Making unhealthy food choices. Causing food poisoning if storage, cooking or reheating instructions are not accurately followed. Buying food which does not meet the purchasers’ expectations.

Surveys by the Food Standards Agency have indicated the public is concerned about how food is labelled, both regarding its accuracy and with regard to the understanding of these labels. Locally the Food Services Team is carrying out research work in the area of label comprehension, and how perhaps it can be improved. Better comprehension of product labelling is a two way process. Consumers and purchasers need to be better educated regarding the information carried on labels, whilst product manufacturers need to make labels readily understandable.

In your June edition of "Combings" I promised more information on Kashmir Bee Virus. Foul Brood Officer Mike Booth gave me the following. The day after he gave it to me I received my spring edition of "The Beekeeping Quarterly" to find the same article in there. Non the less I reproduce it for those of you who do not get the magazine.

Kashmir Bee Virus

Background

Kashmir Bee Virus (KBV) was diagnosed in the Fraser Valley in the spring of 2004/in a commercial operation whose honeybee colonies had declined and subsequently died. It has also been recently found in colonies that appear healthy. The virus had previously been diagnosed in British Columbia in the early 1980s, in honeybee stock originally imported from Australia and New Zealand. At that time, well before the Varroa mite arrived, no symptoms had been observed and therefore, KBV was not a concern.

In the late 1980s, researchers in Europe and the US reported that KBV was a highly contagious and virulent pathogen in the presence of Varroa mites. Over the years, little information became available about KBV and its distribution and impact, since colony losses were mostly attributed to mite parasitism or other causes without proof. KBV and other viral honeybee agents may not have received much attention because disease symptoms were generally not as definitive as others, while laboratory analysis required expertise and resources.

The precise distribution of KBV in North America is not known. KBV was detected in 1995 in a small US survey of seven states. All states were positive: California, Florida, Maine, Minnesota, New York, Texas, and Washington. It has been suggested that the virus is endemically present throughout most of North America's honeybee population.

KBV Origin and Classification

The Kashmir Bee Virus is a natural disease of the eastern honeybee Apis cerana. After the introduction of the western honeybee Apis mellifera into the distribution range of A. cerana in southern Asia, the virus made a "species-jump" and began to parasitize its new host. KBV of honeybees is a RNA-virus in the newly established family Dicistroviridae. RNA viruses (in comparison to DNA-viruses) are very small and associated with the mitochondria of host cells.

Disease Spread

KBV's virulence is made possible because of its association with the Varroa mite. Mites carry the viruses externally and internally. By piercing the honeybee's cuticle, they transfer viral particles into the host's tissue. The bee's pupal stage appears most susceptible to infection. In the confined space of the capped pupal cell, viruses are not only transferred from mite to bee but also from mite to mite. After several mite generations in the honeybee colony, the majority of mites will be KBV carriers. As more bees become infected, the transfer of food, grooming and other physical contact between bees facilitates the further spread of the virus.

It is not known whether the honey bee tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi) and Nosema (Nosema apis) are viral vectors as well. Since these pathogens cause tissue damage in the tracheal tubes and epithelial cell wall of the midgut of adult bees respectively, they may play a role in the introduction of viral agents into the host's body cavity.

Expression of Virulence

At this time, the causes that trigger virulence are unclear. Throughout the 1980’s the presence of KBV in BC colonies was an academic curiosity, as the virus remained non-virulent or in a latent state. Even after the introduction of Varroa in British Columbia in 1990, there were no reports of viral infestations. In recent years, occasional incidents of colony losses that could not be attributed to common honeybee diseases may have involved KBV.

Some studies have shown that high mite levels result in high virulence. This correlation can be readily accepted as large numbers of KBV-carrying mites contribute to the rapid spread of the virus throughout the bee population, while stress caused by mite parasitism increases the honeybee's susceptibility to viral infection. However, surveys carried out by MAFF indicate that KBV virulence also occurs when Varroa infestation levels are low or non-detectable.

Field Symptoms

There is no prescribed set of symptoms confirming KBV in the field. Definitive diagnosis is carried out in the laboratory through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) analysis. However, beekeepers may observe various symptoms that may point to viral infection. These include:

	Weakening of the colony without any apparent presence of brood diseases and mites
	Increasing numbers of dead or dying bees on the inner cover, landing board or in front of the hive. Dying bees may be trembling and display uncoordinated movemen
	Affected bees are partly or completely hairless where the upper surface of the thorax is especially dark
	Older adult bees have a greasy or oily appearance while recently emerged bees may appear opaque as if pigmentation of the tissue had not been completed prior to emergence.

Sample Collection and Diagnosis

For definitive identification, whole adult bees must be analyzed in the laboratory. Adult bees are highly perishable and need to be preserved as best as possible after collection. The following collection method is recommended:

	Collect live bees from the hive entrance or in front of the hive. Select bees that appear hairless and greasy
	Collect 10 live adult bees by squeezing their head-thorax and place in a paper lunch bag or paper envelope. Do not place bees in a plastic bag, wrapping or container
	Mark the sample bag or envelope with your name and corresponding hive number or apiary and place in a freezer for 24 hours
	Submit sample bag(s) to the Abbotsford Agriculture Center for analysis

KBV diagnosis of a sample of bees collected from one colony does not mean the viral infestation is limited to that single colony. Due to the highly contagious nature of KBV, the entire apiary is suspect and should be considered KBV positive. As a result, a single composite apiary sample can also be collected, with a number of colonies contributing bees to the sample.

Remedial Action

There is no product available for KBV control. Most viral infections become evident when bees have been stressed due to other diseases, weather conditions or management practices. Some bee stocks have shown higher susceptibility to viral infection than others; this can be remedied by replacing the queen with a queen from another source.

To minimize the impact of KBV and other viral infections:

	Reduce stress to bees by applying good management practices
	Provide plenty of food stores, especially pollen
	Keep mite levels low through frequent monitoring and applying mite control products when necessary
	Apply hygienic management practices in the apiary

The "S" Beekeeper ... compiled by Robin Tomlinson, Leeds & Barkston Ash BKA

Strains of Bees

This is perhaps one of the most neglected subjects of the craft by most bee keepers and again causes many new bee keepers to leave the craft. We all know that some strains of Apis Mellifera can be extremely testy, along with following, swarming and robbing .Also we know that there is no perfect strain. That said, why oh why do some bee keepers persist in keeping testy bees year after year? One beekeeper told me they are hardy and good foragers and that's all that matters! Is it?

Surely it is better to have a docile strain that is hardy and a good forager. This sounds hard to achieve and perhaps complicated, not so. However, there is a downside that many bee keepers view with dismay, it involves spending money! It is always worth buying a Queen from a reputable breeder, seeing whether you are happy with her progeny and if so requeening all your colonies in an apiary the following, or even at the end of the season if they are still available. Unfortunately many bee keepers buy a Queen and when satisfied go onto breed from it or let nature take it's course and wonder why they end up with bees as testy or worse than the ones they had before. When you stop and consider what a Queen costs compared to items of equipment and the effort we put into the craft and when you consider how much depends on her it seems madness that we don't place more emphasis on this procedure. Of course if you continue with testy bees it does give you the opportunity of sharing them with your neighbours, passers by, the landlord and his associates, on whose land you have an apiary and other bee keepers, because of course when they kick off and don't they just, they sting anything that moves and when they swarm other bee keepers have the joy of collecting them if they are unlucky! Answer these questions; do some colonies worry you?

Do you get anxious when going into them? Do you worry about screams, doors slamming, the sound of breaking glass, raised voices with certain expletives, unprintable here? Do you feel less motivated to go through further colonies, although you know you should? Are you concerned about taking your bee suit off when you are some distance from the hive/s? Do you have any or one of these experiences every time you go into your colony/s? If you have answered yes to anyone then you are doing something wrong or you have got the wrong sort of bees. Think about it, because testy bees are dangerous bees. Swarming strains are just a nuisance, not very productive and hard to manage. Robbers are a curse, but as long as you keep your colonies at equal strengths, small entrances and careful when manipulating and feeding they can be useful, personally I would rather not have them.

Stands

Over the years I have seen hives standing on all sorts of things and surfaces. Apiaries that area joy to behold and others that are akin to junk yards with all sorts of innovative stands. Hives placed straight on the ground, on wooden lats, single bricks at each corner, to being stood on tubs and old wash boilers, milk crates, seem to have a big place in bee keeping! Of course, apart from being unsightly and inefficient much of what I have described harbours and provides cover for vermin, allows damp and is not conducive to comfortable manipulations, the preservation of equipment and health of the bees and bee keepers back.

Hive stands are not cheap to buy; however, they are easily made and needn't be too sophisticated. The height needs to be decided by you, but I would advise a minimum of one foot in height. The simple solution is usually concrete building blocks and two pieces of three by two timber, easy to build and requiring little maintenance. The only reason I can see for not having decent hive stands is expense. False economy in the long term.

The Smug Beekeeper

This is me, I am a smug bee keeper. I delight in how much honey I get and I like telling other bee keepers about it. The joy of telling people about the enormous swarms I have collected and how easy it was. Having thirty years of mistakes behind me in the knowledge that I will not to make them again. The joy of passing on my experiences to other bee keepers, especially those new to the craft. Seeming not to feel the pain of stings, well I suppose being smug is all right, while everything is all right, but that it is not possible in bee keeping because the bottom line is that; it is not an exact science or craft and changes are taking place all the time. We can learn so much from each others mistakes and successes and where we are successful we can allow ourselves the satisfaction that comes with it and be proud. What we cannot do is keep our bees in isolation and the experiences we have with them from other people.

Are you an "S" Beekeeper?  Happy Beekeeping!

What you all wanted to know ...

You have all seen house martins nests stuck to a wall just under the eves of the roof. These nests are made from mud pellets collected by the birds. A person with a quiet moment took a nest apart and counted 2575 pellets!

Past Events

Saturday 21st May

Our annual auction was held at Murton. See my report at the beginnings of you magazine.

Wednesday 25th May

This was the first of our summer apiary visits. It was to the home apiary of Colin and Debbie Hattee at Holme on Spalding Moor. It was a fine evening with two dozen members – old and new attending. We were show Colin and Debbie’s extracting facilities, transferring a nucleus into a full hive and putting a queen cell into an apidea. The evening finished in a most convivial manner with refreshments on the patio.

Tuesday 7th May

This meeting was held at Rob Coleman’s home apiary at Wiggington on a warm dry evening. The meeting was aimed primarily at the beginner’s class who turned up en mass plus some older hands. Rob talked about beekeeping in general plus swarm management and introducing a caged queen into a colony. Rob’s wife Myra put on refreshments to round off the evening.

Saturday 25th June

John Acheson has compiled this report for me on our programmed visit to Ken Baran’s apiary. All morning the sky had been very overcast and was threatening rain, but in spite of this, eight brave souls assembled at the Anchor Inn at Burn. Ken led the way to the place where he had hidden all his bees and nucleus hives and we found John Greenhow already checking the bees, which showed just how strong colonies could be. Examination of the other colonies provided evidence of swarming intentions with large numbers of queen cells, and suitable treatment was demonstrated. A search for a new queen was conducted through a number of mating hives but it was in vain. It is always interesting to watch some one else working their bees and there are always tips to learn. Afterwards we adjourned to the Wheatsheaf Inn for refreshments. It did not rain.

Wednesday 29th June

The Committee met at the Bee Pavilion at Murton. Among the topics discussed where:

Auction report - with a decision that both buyers and sellers to pay 10% to the Association. I understand it is normal auction practice to do this.

Treasurer’s report - We have been approached by an American BKA in northern California to form some sort of link between our Associations.  Also discussed was a proposal for us to host next years Yorkshire Field Day. Secretary Colin Hattee will approach both Yorkshire and Murton. (20th August – this is on hold for the time being).  The resignation of John Bowes as librarian also the resignation of Treasurer William Johnson. It was also mentioned that Members of the Association are welcome to attend Committee meetings.

Wednesday 6th July

Only seven Members turned up for the apiary meeting at the home of William and Ann Johnson at Moor Monkton – but hat is not surprising as it was a filthy evening with continuous heavy rain. Ann always puts on a nice supper, so those that did attend spent a pleasant evening inside enjoying Ann’s supper and watching Ken Barran’s video of a trip he took to Lithuania.

Saturday 9th July

Our annual BBQ was at the home of Jenny Smith at Askham Bryan.

Thursday 21st July

Jenny Smith was in the limelight again this evening when she was the host for the Association’s penultimate evening apiary visit. There was a good turn out of old and new Members on a cool cloudy evening. We split in to two groups. One going to look at a new Members bees that were thought to be heavily infested with varroa, and the second to reduce one of Jenny’s hive s from a double brood box to a single. This was ably done for her by Ken Barran. The hives thought to be heavily infested with varroa where not as bad as first thought.

Thursday 4th August

A Committee meeting was called at short notice to discuss an approach Sue Hesp had received from a group of Chilean beekeepers to visit York Beekeepers on Wednesday 17th August. A programme was worked out for their visit. There will be a detailed report on their visit in December s "Combings"

Saturday 6th August

The last of the seasons apiary meetings was held at Tom Robinson’s apiary on his allotment in a Victorian walled garden. It was well attended with fifteen members being there including some of this years beginners class. It was the beginners that did all the work. One task they under took was to find out how many frames of brood a swarm hived on the 7th July would produce in a double brood box.

Saturday 6th August

David Aston and I attended Tockwith show on behalf of York BKA. We took an observation hive and samples of honey. We started at 10am and where still talking when the show finished at 5 pm. Our aim was to educate the public on bees and their ways (although we probably spent as much time talking about bumble bees and wasps) and how diverse honey is, when most people only get honey from supermarkets.

For Sale

1lb squat honey jars complete with lids are available from Colin Hattee at £28.00 per gross. Lids are also available separately at £4.40 per half gross. Colin will bring them to meetings or they can be collected from his home by prior arrangement. Contact him on 01 430 860 972.

Forthcoming Events

Wednesday 21st September

Farming Museum, Murton. Bee Inspector Bob Mould is the first of our winter speakers. His topic – "Winter Management"

Wednesday 19th October (1930 hrs)

York BKA Annual General Meeting will be held at the Farming Museum, Murton.

Thursday 20th, Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd October

The National Honey Show will be held at the Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon north London. It is not just a honey show, dealers in beekeeping equipment, protective clothing and books will all be there. Entry will cost you £7.00 per day.

Wednesday 9th November

Farming Museum, Murton. York BKA social evening and Honey Show.

Saturday 12th November

Yorkshire BKA ‘s Annual General Meeting is to be held at the Buckles Inn on the A64 between York and Tadcaster. The speaker will be Clair Waring and her topic - "Big bees, little bees and those that don’t sting".   The date for this event was incorrectly given in March "Combings" 2006

Saturday 22nd April (0900 - 1700 hrs)

BBKA Spring Lecture Convention and Exhibition will be held at Stoneleigh Park Exhibition and Conference Centre, near Coventry. More details from Mary Dartnall on 023 8077 5445.

Saturday 29th April 2006

The Bishop Burton Conference will be held this day at the Bishop Burton Agricultural College, Bishop Burton. The College is some five miles west of Beverley on the A 1079. There will again be a guest speaker from America.

Saturday 20th May 2006

York BKA will be holding their 7th Annual Auction at Murton.

Saturday 22nd April (0900 - 1700 hrs)

BBKA Spring Lecture Convention and Exhibition will be held at Stoneleigh Park Exhibition and Conference Centre, near Coventry. More details from Mary Dartnall on 023 8077 5445.

Saturday 29th April

The Bishop Burton Conference will be held this day at the Bishop Burton Agricultural College, Bishop Burton. The College is some five miles west of Beverley on the A 1079. There will again be a guest speaker from America.

Saturday 20th May

York BKA will be holding their 7th Annual Auction at Murton.

York & District Beekeepers Association - Honey Show 2005

The Association's annual honey show will be held at the Yorkshire Museum of Farming, Murton on Wednesday 9th November 2005. Entries will be accepted from 1900 hours.

Schedule of classes:

Class 1.   Honey light clear
Class 1a.  Honey light clear. Novice.
Class 2.   Honey medium clear.
Class 2a. Honey medium clear. Novice.
Class 3. Honey dark clear.
Class 3a. Honey dark clear. Novice.
Class 4. Honey naturally set. Not stirred.
Class 5. Honey soft set.
Class 6. Heather honey.
Class 7. Jar of honey for sale.
Class 8. 8 oz cut comb.
Class 9. Dry mead.
Class 10. Sweet mead.
Class 11. Block of beeswax less than 1 lb.
Class 12. Block of beeswax more than 1 lb.
Class 13. Honey fruit cake made to the standard recipe.
Class 14. Honey cake to your own recipe.
Class 15. Plain moulded beeswax candle. Minimum dimensions to be 1½ in diameter and 3" high (excluding the wick).
Class 16. Beeswax candle. Any shape or size or method of production.
Class 17. One shallow frame suitable for extraction.

Notes:

Classes 1 - 6 To be in 1lb round squat honey jars.
Class 7 Can be any shape or size.
Classes 9/10 To be shown in 26 oz clear glass bottles of round section, with rounded shoulders. White flanged corks to be used.
Classes 11/12 Moulds without a pattern are to be used.
Class 13 The honey fruit cake is to be made to the following recipe taken from the 70th National Honey Show 2001 schedule

Ingredients :

225 gr ( 8 oz ) self raising flour.
175 gr ( 6 oz ) honey.
110 gr ( 4 oz ) butter or margarine.
175 gr ( 6 oz ) sultanas.
Two medium sized eggs and a pinch of salt.

Method :- Cream butter and honey together well. Beat eggs well and add them alternately with sifted flour and salt (save a little flour to add with the sultanas). Beat all well and lightly. A little milk may be added if necessary. Fold in the sultanas and stir well. Transfer to a 2lb loaf tin. Pre heat the oven to 180° C, 350° F, or gas mark 4. Bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

General

1. The Honey Show is open to paid up members of the YDBKA
2. A novice is a person who has taken up beekeeping since the previous years Honey Show. Novices may also enter classes 4 to 20 on equal terms with experienced exhibitors
3. Only one entry per person per class
4. Candles entered in classes 15 and 16 may be lit at the judges discretion.
5. The honey and wax used in exhibits shall be from the exhibitors own bees.
6. Points will be awarded to prize winners thus :- 3 points to the winner of each class, 2 points will go to second place and 1 point to third place.
7. John Fuller’s Trophy will be awarded to the winner of Class 12
8. The Alf Race Memorial Cup will be awarded to the member with the most points. In the event of a draw, the member with the highest number of first places will be the winner.
9. The judges decision will be final.