Dear Member,

We are now well into the beekeeping season and I understand that some people (presumably near Oil Seed Rape), have already harvested some Spring honey. Well done, but be careful that stores in the hive have not run low during the 'June gap'. I have not in previous years seen a noticeable 'June gap' where I kept my bees in Hillmorton, presumably because of the plentiful forage in nearby gardens, but this year I have noticed a shortage of stores in different apiaries I visited in June.

I think the 'unsettled' weather we have had since early spring could have contributed to this. The recommendation is that on inspection a hive should have available the equivalent of two brood-frames of stores, or its equivalent in the supers, in case the weather prevents foraging in the week ahead.

Fortunately this year the Dunchurch Fete was not rained off. As usual Rowan's organisation of the event went extremely well. Several of our newer beekeepers – Greg and Lizzie, Martin and Vincent came to help with the (always new) challenge of setting up the marquee and the display boards – young brains and tall stature always prove a great boon! Several people expressed an interest in beekeeping – unfortunately not all from this area, but as usual the general public were fascinated by the live bees (thanks Bruce), and enjoyed the honey tasting and candle rolling. Thanks to Sam, Daphne, Linda and Cathy, and Steve Martin who made this another successful event. It is a good opportunity to support the educational aims of our organisation and spend time with other beekeepers and of course sell some honey, so do consider volunteering for this event next year. I can recommend the cakes and the plants on sale.

Some of our members also volunteered to help steward at Gardener’s World at the NEC in June. This is another great opportunity to talk to the public about beekeeping and of course you get free entry for yourself and a friend - not something to be sneezed at with the price of tickets.

At our regular third Wednesday of the month meeting in June, we watched Gill Sentinella's DVD on 'The Honeybee' which gives a good overview of the work a colony carries out, and a rundown of the life of the colony during the year. We had a good discussion following this. Remember that our next meeting will not be at Friend's Meeting House but at ‘The Bell’ in Hillmorton from 7.00pm (if you are planning to eat there, otherwise 7.30 onwards). Come and chat about bees or anything else that moves you.

Daphne Hall has a new Thorne's swarm trap suitable for a National Hive for sale. If you have a look at the current Thorne's catalogue on pg 25 you will see it is priced at £48.48. She will accept a reasonable offer. If you are interested please email her. These traps prevent the queen from leaving with a swarm and are very convenient, particularly for someone who is working during the day, and is concerned that they may lose a swarm - but do inspect daily or your poor queen may be trapped in the cold outside the hive.

Kim and Rowan have been monitoring the Branch apiary which has now expanded into 4 hives. Although the Apiary sessions are aimed at supporting newer beekeepers and demonstrating different aspects of beekeeping, I think the more exposure any beekeeper has to different bees and styles of beekeeping, the better beekeeper they become, so if you would like to attend a session, let Kim or Rowan know and they can forward you information about the next session.

Margaret Holdsworth