Peeblesshire Beekeepers Association

Apiary Inspection Report 10th July 2018

Shirley, Bill, Mark, Lynda and Jon helped Peter with the apiary inspection on Tuesday.

There were four full hives and two nucs to be looked at so we split into pairs to do the work. Sun was shining and the bees seemed happy so things looked good. Sure enough the first 3 hives all had laying queens and needed 2nd supers. Shirley and Lynda found a new queen who was duly marked (red).

The two nucs had come from Dankas apiary beyond Drumelzier where the remote location is causing mating difficulties. The good news was that one of the nucs now has a laying queen – the red pen was in action again. The bad news was that the 2nd nuc was drone laying. Still a good result overall and the queen right nuc can go back home.

Shirley took some photos of the drone layer comb. You can just about see the eggs but can you tell if its drone laying queen or laying workers? Are the eggs central in the cell or stuck to the sides, are there multiple eggs?

The final hive caused the most work. No sign of the yellow marked queen that should have been in there. Soon we spotted a queen cell that was almost hatching as we watched, and a few more besides. We put the nearly hatched one in a nuc box with an extra frame of brood and one of stores. Mark took the nuc away to be looked after. Next we put another cell in an apidea – Peter took the apidea plus an extra couple of cells for apidea at home. Finally Jons persistent queen hunting paid off when he spotted a queen out and about. He nabbed her to take away for safe keeping. Still a couple of cells left in the original hive to keep it going.

That seemed like a good afternoons work so we called it a day. The bees seem happy in their new site and hopefully have got the swarming urge out their system by now and can get down to making some honey to pay the rent.

Here’s an interesting video – again many thanks to Shirley – showing 2 workers attending to partially capped brood cells. What are they up to?

Association Apiary Maintenance 10th July (Confirmed)

Peter will be leading this visit.

We will meet at the new apiary location at 2pm on Tuesday 10th July. Please contact Peter if you need more information.

A rota of experienced beekeepers will check the association colonies roughly every 10 days.

Beginners will be welcome to come along to these sessions.

This way the visits can be shared, and place less of a burden on the usual small core of volunteers.

Buzzy Bees at St Ronans Wells Sunday 8th July 1-4pm

PBKA will have educational material there – would anyone like to volunteer to come and tell youngsters (mostly primary school age) about bees and beekeeping?

Why do bees dance and how do they make honey and wax?

Discover the work they do in the garden and plant some seeds to take home.

A hands-on, drop in activity suitable for children 5yrs plus, who must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: £2 per child.

 

Association Apiary Maintenance Sunday 1st July (Provisional)

A rota of experienced beekeepers will check the association colonies roughly every 10 days. Mandy will be leading this visit.

Beginners will be welcome to come along to these sessions.

Visits should not take more than an hour. The midweek visits are suggested for the Tuesday-Thursday.

This way the visits can be shared, and place less of a burden on the usual small core of volunteers.

Apiary Visit Sunday 24th June 2pm (Confirmed)

We will be visiting an apiary near Drumelzier.

Our hosts Danka and David started beekeeping a year ago and have a lovely apiary site near the river Tweed.

Please wear clean beesuits, gloves and footwear. The association has spare suits – please contact Mandy if you need to borrow one.

A contribution to refreshments would be welcome.

If the visit is to be cancelled because of poor weather, then a notice will be posted here and by email before 11am on Sunday 24th.

Directions From Peebles :

Take the A72 west to Lyne and then turn off on the B712 through Stobo and on to Drumelzier.

Just after Drumelzier village, the road crosses the Tweed on an iron bridge. Someone will be on hand at the bridge to give final directions.

All welcome and please try and car share if possible – email Mandy or Peter to arrange and if you have any questions.

Apiary Visit 19th June 2018

Report from David on the latest from the association apiary:-

After watching the weather forecast, I went along to the bees at 1.30pm today and was helped by Mandy and assisted by Shirley Sharpe and Elaine and Alan Murrison.

Hive 1 (the furthest away) was very grumpy! They had very little stores, so Mandy gave them some syrup trickled over a couple of frames. We closed them up and after a short while they were noticeably calmer. Our short opening and closing of the hive will have released a few drones from above the excluder, but we didn’t go through the brood box. It can be checked on the next visit – but be well suited up!

Hive 2 had quite a few queen cells, so we made up two Apideas which I have here to hopefully hatch, mate an start laying. We removed all but one remaining sealed queen cell.

Hive 3 looked as though the queen cell had been pulled down by the bees. It didn’t have a lot of bees and no brood, so we placed in two of the queen cells we had removed from Hive 2, in the hope that at least one of them is viable and hatches out alright.

As we headed back to the cars, Shirley was carefully carrying the Apideas and remarked “one of them was quacking, like a duck”!  She was quite right, it was a queen piping . . . what an extraordinary sound. I recorded it on my phone and have attached a copy. Maybe it could go on the web site?

Queen piping in apidea 19 06 18

 

 

Association Apiary Maintenance 19-21st June (Provisional)

Date and time provisional. Details will be posted here and by email when confirmed.

A rota of experienced beekeepers will check the association colonies roughly every 10 days. David will be leading this visit.

Beginners will be welcome to come along to these sessions.

Visits should not take more than an hour. The midweek visits are suggested for the Tuesday-Thursday.

This way the visits can be shared, and place less of a burden on the usual small core of volunteers.

PBKA AGM Tuesday 12th June

7.30PM at the Drill Hall/Community Centre, Peebles, followed by refreshments and social evening. The Committee hopes you can all make it.

The 2017 Draft Minutes are attached, also the 2018 Agenda.

IF YOU HAVE ANY ITEMS TO BE ADDED TO THE AGENDA, PLEASE CONTACT MANDY BY 5TH JUNE.

This year’s AGM was postponed due to snow, change of date for speaker and then absence of office-holders: normally it would take place on the last Tuesday of March, so that any increase in subscriptions can be decided before they come up for renewal on 1st April.

Still, better late than never – look forward to seeing you there. If you can, then do please bring something to share for the refreshment table. And if you can;t, just bring yourselves!

All the best, and see you there.
Mandy

2018 AGM Agenda

2017 AGM Minutes draft

 

 

Association Apiary Maintenance Sunday 10th June Help Required

Apiary Relocation Day

 

We need to shift the spare hive equipment, plus the storage sheds and their contents, and prepare the sheds and hive locations at the new site. The bees are at a temporary location at the moment and will be moved back when the new site is ready.

We will have use of a van to do the heavy carrying but manpower will be the most useful thing. The odd toolkit and spade might be handy, and bring some refreshments for afters. If you need a lift or want to car share please email Peter.

The scheduled inspection of the association hives will be happening the day before, Saturday 9th also at 2pm, at the temporary apiary. Beginners are welcome as usual to help with the inspections. If you want to come along for the inspection please contact either Mandy or Peter.