Dear Member,

Hopefully many of you will be in the throes of extracting and processing honey from your hives. Remember we have a Honey Show coming up on the 7th October so think about putting aside some of your best honey to show off. This will be Fran Payne’s first Honey show so let’s all make sure we all try to enter something to make it a success.

Those of you who have used the Branch extractor this year will have noticed it is showing signs of wear. We have agreed to purchase a new one and are waiting for Simon the Beekeeper to get in new stock. So apologies if you have struggled with the old one, next year will be better.

Some exciting news happened recently for two of our newer beekeepers - Lizzie and Greg Windsor. A new baby, Maggie, arrived at the end of June, so congratulations all three of you!

Those of us who attended Cathy’s party in July were treated to wonderful cocktails and scrumptious food. A shame that the weather, which has been so warm and sunny, turned rather wet and windy. Thank you Cathy for your hospitality and the chance to nose around your colourful beehives. Hope this next year is an auspicious one after a special birthday! Dick was introduced to his first Mojito and much to my surprise, as he is a rather staid Englishman, he thoroughly enjoyed it. There is always something new to learn in life.

You will see from the 2017 dates below that we are expecting David Bonner the seasonal bee inspector to lead our September Question and Answer session about the last beekeeping year, so do come along with your queries about things that have happened with your bees this season (or any other time) for a lively discussion.

Celia Davis, our current Warwickshire Beekeepers Association chair, will be visiting our Branch Apiary shortly. The 5th August had been planned but due to a double booking this will be rearranged. Please come along and chat to her once the date is decided upon. You can revisit this page for details when they are available. Celia is one of the most knowledgeable beekeepers in the country and we are privileged to have her knowledge and expertise so accessible to us.

Martin Taylor has outgrown his first bee suit and has kindly donated it to the Branch for use in the apiary so that if interested people come along and do not yet have a suit we have one available. I imagine Martin has done well with his honey harvest if he has needed a new suit, and we are very appreciative of his generosity. Thank you Martin.

Please check our Events Page for the dates of meetings and events.

Regards,

Margaret Holdsworth