Dear Member,

Once again while I am writing this we are being subjected to blisteringly cold winds from the East which will be putting our bees under some pressure as brood rearing has now begun in earnest to replace the winter bees, but the opportunities to forage have been curtailed by the extreme weather conditions. I hope you have been monitoring food levels in your hives and have not been tempted to disturb the bees by doing an inspection!

When it gets to March we all get itchy to look into the hive to see how the bees are doing, but if you can restrain yourself until the weather improves your bees will thank you. Opening the hive lets out an enormous amount of heat and the bees will need to work overtime to bring it back to the 35˚C that is needed around the brood to stop it being chilled.

Checking the varroa insert will give you clues as to what the bees are doing and where they are in the hive - and are they still alive! Also putting an ear to the hive will give you reassurance that they are still buzzing inside.

Hopefully some of you will be able to attend the BBKA Convention at Harper Adams University on 13,14,15th April, if not, I notice that the Welsh Beekeepers Association has their Conference in Aberystwyth in July with some very notable beekeepers giving lectures. People like Professor Tom Seeley and Professor Ratnieks. These days, or weekends, out provide valuable information on beekeeping if you are able to attend.

Somewhat nearer to home, there is a Bee Husbandry Day on the 19th May at Stoneleigh where our local bee inspectors will we running workshops to identify bee diseases. These days provide wonderful opportunities to meet other beekeepers and acquire new skills and information. If you are interested please contact Samantha Peckett.

Talking about information, if you're reading this on our website, please explore the site further from time to time to check to see what is happening in the branch (and sometimes further afield). The website was constructed, and is maintained, by Rowan who also gives freely of his time to organize and co-ordinate the Events where we give information to the public about beekeeping. In addition, Rowan mentors several new beekeepers. As a member of the committee, he, along with others help to keep the branch functioning, and the website has brought in several new people interested in beekeeping who we hope will eventually become active members of the branch.

Gail Plester who looks after the branch library has listed all the books in the library and this list will now be available on the Website for you to look through. If you want to borrow a book but are not able to come to a meeting, contact Gail and she will try and arrange for you to pick up the book.

Regards,

Margaret Holdsworth