Dear Member,

Beekeepers, like farmers, are always concerned about the effects of the weather, and this year has brought some interesting challenges. First we had cold, but dry weather, then rain and more recently very high temperatures with no rain. This has meant that many plants did not give their nectar freely, but also that plants seem to have come into flower earlier than usual.

Several beekeepers have reported that bees consumed what they had put into supers in June and I anticipate that by mid to late July the flow will be over as blackberries have already been flowering for some time in June, and I noticed that the rosebay willowherb was out much earlier than in previous years. So watch your colonies carefully over the next few weeks.

I have also come across several drone laying colonies, perhaps as a result of inadequate mating when the weather was inclement. I wonder how many of you heard the report on Radio 4 about a drone congregation area that has been documented as returning to the same area above a London common for the past 200 years! I wonder where our drone congregation areas are above Rugby and how we can introduce better tempered genetics into them.

We are coming to the end of the swarm season (usually, but who knows with bees and climate change!) but talking to people who call about swarms I am always struck by how little the public understands about bee behaviour, so it is a good opportunity to pass on information about why bees swarm, and crucially, why it is important for a beekeeper to be called if a swarm is spotted.

So many people seem to think they are doing the right thing by just leaving the bees alone if they see a swarm, so I take every opportunity to tell people how important it is to contact a beekeeper to retrieve a swarm rather than let the bees find their own new home in someone’s chimney or roof space, and then the bees may need to be destroyed.

The events like the Rotary Spring Fair, Dunchurch Fete and this year the Wolston Walkabout on the 7th July, provide us with a great opportunity to educate the public about bees and promote beekeeping as a positive activity.

If you are able to spare a couple of hours, do come along either to help out at the stall or just to participate in the event. It is always good to see familiar faces and chat about the state of everyone’s bees. Those who helped at the Dunchurch fair apparently almost melted in the heat but Andrea saved the day with a cooler packed with iced drinks. Some people deserve a medal!

On the 22nd July Cathy Moore has invited us all to her home for a cocktail party starting at 2.00pm and leading into a BBQ at 6.00pm. The address is included in your postal newsletter, so come along and join Cathy, her guests and bees for a good time. If you able to attend, let Cathy know.

Regards,

Margaret Holdsworth