August NEWSLETTER 2013
Ormskirk & Croston Beekeepers Branch
Chairman
Secretary
Treasurer
Ray Dowson
01704-892118
Penny Oakley 08445-867841
Margaret Wilson 01772-339936
Email: (ray.dowson@ormskirkbeekeepers.co.uk)
Email: (penny.oakley@ormskirkbeekeepers.co.uk)
Email: (Margaret@sector-security.net)
Website: http://www.ormskirkbeekeepers.co.uk
News Articles: http://blog.ormskirkbeekeepers.co.uk
E-mail Addresses
If you have an e-mail address please can you inform the secretary so that the Newsletter and other
information can be sent to you without incurring the really now expensive postage charges. As you
will know current rates for second class letters are now at 50 pence each which amounts to £5 per
year per member. If you can switch to email it all helps to keep down the cost of membership for all in
the branch.
Schedule of Events for 2013
15th - 18th August
Saturday 24th August 2pm
Saturday 14th September
Victoria Park
Out Apiary
Out Apiary
Southport Flower Show
Winter Preparation
Honey Show
We welcome any contributions for future newsletters and look forward to hearing from you.
Thoughts from Margaret Wilson
In the last few weeks I have used the MAQs treatment on my colonies of bees. One hive had a drop
of 4 Varroa over 2 days so I thought it was time to act even though the other colonies had either one
or no mite counts.
You have to do all the colonies together, so off we went to put these magic strips on. We checked
that the daytime temperature forecast did not reach the maximum declared on the instructions and
placed the strips according to the diagrams on the leaflet. We placed Varroa boards on each hive
and inspected two days later and I am pleased to say that most of the hives had fewer than 20 mites
with one having about 40 mites. Job well done we thought.
I have to add here, that three of my colonies had fantastic queens, laying floor to ceiling and wall to
wall on the frames, no food in the corners, just solid brood: fantastic.
A week later, we went in to remove the strips and inspect the colonies. At the first hive we could not
find a single egg or any unsealed brood, not looking good I thought at hive number one. We searched
for the queen and again, drew a blank despite going through the frames twice. We shut up and went
to the next colony, only to have a repeat performance, no eggs, no uncapped brood and no queen, in
fact this was the case on every colony, it was so depressing I thought of giving up beekeeping I was
so disappointed.
It was decided that we would close up the hives and wait. I read the leaflet again noting that we had
used the strips correctly and under the right circumstances. Reading further on, it said that it may
cause a queen to disappear or for the queen to stop laying. It did not make me feel much better
however we waited till the next week to check again.
Two of the hives had lost the queen (we know not how) and there were uncapped queen cells, the
next hive had eggs, unsealed and sealed brood, we still could not find the queen but knew she was
there. The remaining two hives had brightly marked queens in full flow of laying with unsealed and
sealed brood. What a relief.
So to anyone using the MAQs medication for the first time, be prepared to believe you have lost your
queens, even though after a couple of weeks they magically appear again. The bonus of course is
the fact that the Varroa mite does take a beating, all the better for the bees.
Request for unwanted beekeeping items
We have received this request:
I am a Trustee of an Orphans Charity in Malawi – Friends of Mulanje Orphans (or FOMO for short).
We are currently caring for 5500+ children.
We do not run Orphanages, but provide food, clothes, medical fees and school fees for all the
children in our care. We have a plot of land in Mulanje on which we grow vegetables to help feed the
children in our care, and also to educate them on how to grow crops. We have also just set up Bee
Hives (although they look a little different to British Bee Hives).
We urgently need Bee Keeping protective clothing and I wondered if you would be good enough to
ask anyone you know in the Bee Keeping World if they have any unwanted items. We have a
Container going to Malawi in October. If you want to know more about FOMO – please visit our
Website: www.fomo.co.uk
Thank you
Audrey Toft Tel: 01772 743047
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Examinations & Assessments
The BBKA Examination Board offer written and practical examinations to educate and set
standards for beekeepers.
The starting point and entry requirement for all other examinations and assessments is the Basic
Assessment in Beekeeping; this practical assessment tests the basic skills and knowledge of the
craft.
Correspondence Courses are available to help prepare for the Basic, the Microscopy or for the
Modules.
Most branches run study groups to assist with study for the modules.
For information see your Branch Education Officer.
Examination Dates 2013 - 14
Modules 1,2,3,5 & 7, on 9th November 2013 (Applications in by 30th September 2013)
All Modules, 22nd March 2014
(Applications in by 10th February 2014)
All Modules, 8th November 2014
(Applications in by 30th September 2014)
Basic and Junior (under 18’s) Certificate date by arrangement with the County
Examinations Secretary (Applications 1 month before assessment - last date of
assessment 31st August)
General Certificate in Beekeeping Husbandry date by arrangement with the Examinations
Board Secretary (Applications in by 28th February 2014)
Advanced Certificate in Beekeeping Husbandry – 14th/15th June 2014 and 28th/29th June
2014 depending on numbers (Applications in by 28th February 2014)
Microscopy date by arrangement with the Examinations Board Secretary (Applications in by
31st August 2013, Microscopy Assessment takes place in Autumn 2013)
Show Judge Certificate – there area a number of entry requirements – find out more here:
http://www.bbka.org.uk/learn/examinations__assessments/show_judge
Application forms and fee details for all examinations and assessments are available here:
http://www.bbka.org.uk/learn/examinations__assessments/fees
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This year, take a deep breath, face your fears, and
show the world what you can do……………..
ENTER…….
THE HONEY SHOW
Whether it’s a jar of honey, a cake baked by your
own fair hand or a candle from the fragrant
beeswax of your own bees, we want to see it!
We have a great speaker lined up, the Committee
and Education Officers will be in attendance and you
can ask questions, gain experience and talk bees all
day long.
Come to the Honey Show on 14 September 2013
The latest information will be on the website
The schedule is available here
http://www.bbka.org.uk/local/ormskirkandcroston/b
m~doc/honey-show-schedule-2013.pdf
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