January 2019
Dear Member
Happy New year to you and your family (and your bees!). Let us hope that 2019 is a good year for bees and their other pollinating buddies and that we beekeepers get a good honey harvest as a bonus.
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Newsletters
December 2018
Dear Member
At our November meeting Margaret Murdin gave an impassioned talk about the Asian Hornet and the threat it poses not only to beekeepers but to pollinators in general. Apparently in France it is estimated to have decimated the pollinator population by 30%. You can imagine the impact this will have on agriculture and the general economy, so she says the UK government has committed to a policy of total eradication of this non-native species. She outlined the panoply of agencies that come into play when a sighting of an Asian Hornet is confirmed, but essentially it will be down to the team of bee inspectors to do the detective work in finding and destroying nests.
November 2018
Dear Member
Well it has been a busy month for Honey shows and for those brave souls who have put in entries and received awards.
Congratulations also to those six people who gained their Basic Beekeeping Assessment certificates and badge: Fran Payne, Tim Belk, Gillian Berridge, Andrea Clark, Hayley Kenney, Martin Wibberley. This is a recognition that they are on the road to becoming good beekeepers and means they can continue their education through the BBKA modules or general husbandry route. With this ‘driving licence’ they are now safe on the road (and in the Apiary)!
October 2018
Dear Member
As the days shorten the active beekeeping season comes to an end, but really this is the start of the next beekeeping season as if we have healthy well fed bees going into winter they will have a good start next spring to build up to strong colonies once the warmer weather arrives.
September 2018
Dear Member
Our Summer social went off well this year with old and new beekeepers sharing lovely food; the weather was kind - no rain, no extreme temperatures, and Rowan once again provided a bright cherry red marquee to give it a festive edge.
Beebase
Beebase News Web feed-
Starvation Alert
29 November 2018Beekeepers should continue to monitor their colonies throughout the winter as temperatures in some regions of the UK have been unusually high for the winter months, allowing honey bee flight and forage of pollen. In some cases, small patches of brood are still being reared and the demand on the colony's food resources ongoing.
Where temperatures do not allow for a sugar syrup feed, fondant icing can be placed directly on the top bars of the colony, above the cluster and fed as required.
For further information, please see the ‘Best Practice Guidance No. 7 - Feeding Bees Sugar’ on the following BeeBase Page: http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/index.cfm?pageid=167
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Importing Animals and Animal Products If There’s No Brexit Deal
28 November 2018
Defra have published guidance on importing animals, which includes bees, if the UK leaves the EU with no deal. The information can be viewed by clicking on the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/importing-animals-and-animal-products-if-theres-no-brexit-deal
Specific honey bee information will be provided on BeeBase as soon as it is available.
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Northern Regional Bee Inspector Vacancy
06 November 2018A Regional Bee Inspector Vacancy is now live on the Civil Service Jobs website. The area we are recruiting in is:
Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Wirral and Merseyside, Lancashire, Cumbria, County Durham, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland (Northern Region) - Please contact the National Bee Inspector Julian Parker if you have any questions about the post. His contact details are as follows:
Email: Julian.Parker@apha.gov.uk
Phone: 07775 119469
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The National Hive Count 2018
01 November 2018The 2018 Hive Count launches today (1st November)!
More information can be found here.
This year the emails will be sent out using the Government Notify system and you will receive an email from national.hive.count@notifications.service.gov.uk. Please make a note of this mailbox and mark it as a friendly to prevent it from being blocked by your email provider. Any replies to this mailbox should still reach us directly. -
Seasonal Bee Inspector Vacancies in Greater London and Co. Durham
22 October 2018
Seasonal Bee Inspector Vacancies are now live on the Civil Service Jobs website. The areas we are recruiting in are:
Greater London, London, Kent (South Eastern Region) - Please contact the Regional Bee Inspector Sandra Gray if you have any questions about the post. Her contact details are as follows:
Email: Sandra.gray@apha.gov.uk
Phone: 07775119430
Northern Region - Co. Durham, Tyne & Wear and Northumberland. (Northern Region) - Please contact the National Bee Inpsector Julian Parker if you have any questions about the post. His contact details are as follows:
Email:Julian.parker@apha.gov.uk
Phone:07775119469
Kind regards,
National Bee Unit