Dear Member,

Well our Honey Show in October was a success - thank you all who entered and came along to support.

Hopefully some of you will manage to attend the County lecture at Stoneleigh on the 6th November, if not put the date of the next one, 6th February 2016, in your diaries.

We are very fortunate to live so close to BBKA headquarters and to have the advantage of free educational talks about beekeeping on our doorstep. Do take advantage of these as they come up. You will find a friendly welcome from fellow beekeepers and usually a cup of something warm and a biscuit or two.

You should all be receiving your membership renewal forms soon, and these need to be returned to Sam Peckett with your subscription fees as soon as possible to give her time to submit them to WBKA before the end of December.

Hopefully all mouseguards are in place. Now is the time to also protect against woodpeckers if you have seen the large green woodpecker in the vicinity of your apiary.

September and October have provided some surprises weather-wise, and given the bees a little extra time to top up stores and pollen for the winter ahead. It is important now not to disturb the bees and let them form a cluster for the winter.

Remember to keep ‘hefting’ your hives through the winter. Although at first it is difficult to assess, the more you do this the better you get at assessing without opening the hive how the stores are being consumed. At this stage the hive should feel very heavy - almost impossible to lift. Gradually though the winter it will feel lighter and if at any stage it lifts easily, put a block of fondant/candy in a plastic take-away tub over the feed hole. David Stott (address in WB) has supplies of fondant if you need some in a hurry.

Put some insulation on your hives - a quilt or square of polystyrene above the crown board. This helps to stop condensation forming on the crown board (especially glass or poly crown boards). Some people put match sticks under the corners of the crown board to give ventilation and prevent mould forming in the brood box, but an open mesh floor and insulation seem to prevent this.

Margaret Holdsworth