Dear Member,
Driving to the BBKA Spring Convention at Harper Adams University in Shropshire, the roads were lined with clouds of Blackthorn blossom and the fields of Rape were beginning to yellow, but temperatures were still stubbornly below double figures centigrade. With such low temperatures blossoms will not be producing as much nectar as expected. Not such good news for our bees.
Dear Member,
I know some of you attended the Tradex exhibition at Stoneleigh last month because I bumped into you, and hopefully some of you managed to attend some of the lectures. I unfortunately missed the lectures for several reasons, but I am sure both Margaret Murdin and Roger Patterson gave value for money. Do think about attending next year as it is a good opportunity to hear good speakers and see what is currently on offer in the beekeeping fraternity.
Dear Member,
The sharp-eyed amongst you, like Bruce, will have noticed two errors in last month’s newsletter - the date for Tradex at Stoneleigh is the 5th of March (not the 10th’) and our AGM was on the 17th February, not the 18th’ Apologies to all those misled by my errors.
Dear Member,
Those of you who attended Celia Davis’ talk in January are now all aware of how important pollen is for both winter and summer bees. She stressed that pollen, both in quantity and variety was crucially important for the production of a protein vitellogenin which is essential to sustain bees, and which may even act as a protective agent against disease. So, make sure your hives have access throughout the seasons to different plants rich in pollen.
Dear Member,
Well as we come into the new year, I hope you all have a happy and successful beekeeping year in 2016!
Our Christmas social meeting in December went off well despite missing Steve Brown’s delicious smoked salmon, members excelled themselves in providing a wonderful spread of delicious food, ranging from home-made bread to scrummy chocolate fudge cake. Dave Bonner ran an enjoyable quiz, pitting 4 teams against one another.
