Welcome to the October 2025 Newsletter from Rugby Beekeepers

Hello from Cathy
The latest stats on Asian Hornets from around the UK show an inexorable increase. Currently 130 nests have been found and destroyed. Most recently on the Scilly Isles in Tresco. There is some interesting research that suggests the increase in the population may slow due to the limited gene pool in the UK. A fair amount of inbreeding has resulted in some triploid drones, three sets of chromosomes, rendering them infertile.

This is the time of year when the mated queens leave the nests and look for places to overwinter and when leaves fall there is a greater chance of spotting nests.

There is also a new tool in the kitbag for tracking. Jersey the forerunner in so much of this work is using trackers. Once a Hornet is seen to be feeding at a bait station, and returning, it is caught and a tracker attached. All being well it will lead people directly to the nest. Very time consuming and labour intensive but perhaps less so than wandering around the countryside looking up. For anyone interested the Jersey Asian Hornet FB page is very interesting. Cathy Moore

Well, October is here, and we have just completed our second autumn/winter meeting. We were treated to an unusual talk this month by Sæunn Sigvaldadóttir, who explained the challenges associated with beekeeping in Iceland. Saeunn’s talk was absolutely inspirational, full of energy and enthusiasm in the ways she is trying to support beekeeping in Iceland. After attending a beginners course, run by the Warwick and Leamington branch, she built her own hives, invented heating mats to keep the bees warm, made her own foundation and managed to get a £14,500 grant from the Icelandic government to help her create sustainable beekeeping in a very inhospitable environment. She has also been trained in artificial queen insemination by one of the world's leading experts, Dr. Susan Cobey, as she felt that the lack of genetic diversity was causing a serious problem. If you didn’t make it to the talk, you missed a real treat, one of the most inspirational presenters we have had visit us.

Please attend the meetings if you can, each month provides an interesting bee related topic, with the opportunity to speak to experienced beekeepers and a social coffee break… so what is there not to enjoy?’

‘Gift Honey’ Each year at the county honey show one of the eight associations that are a part of the Warwickshire Beekeepers Association is chosen to receive ‘gift’ honey. This is a class where the entries are ‘gifted’ to an association and this year Rugby was selected. At our September committee meeting it was agreed that the ‘gift’ honey should be donated to The Rugby Myton Support Hub located in the grounds of St Cross Hospital, Barby Road. We are very grateful to Maurice West who made sure that we met the criteria to receive the ‘gift’ honey and who will also be delivering it. There is also an additional £80 donation as the entrants bought their own honey back and donated the amount they paid to the good cause that we decided upon.
Martin Wibberley

Points to consider this month

• Varroa treatment should really have been completed by now if deemed necessary as the winter bees will be weakened by its presence. [see National Bee Unit information if unsure]
  • Do check your bees have adequate stores to see them through wintertime, if unsure consider placing fondant on top of the crown board. Colonies should be heavy with at least 23 Kg of stores available over winter
  • Check your hives for leaks and damp areas, repair if necessary before the bad weather comes
  • Reduce the entrances and place a mouse guard in-situ to prevent vermin entering
  • Start to check and clean any equipment that is going to be stored over winter. Scorch and repair whatever needs addressing
  • If you have Woodpeckers in your area they can be a real nuisance. Wrapping chicken wire around your hives will prevent the serious damage they can cause to your hives
  • Check stands remain strong enough to hold the hive over winter and strap down hives or place a concrete block on the roof to prevent autumn/winter storms dislodging the hives
  • Be mindful of flooding risks. Last year, one of our members who had kept hives in the same location for many decades with no problem found them all floating in several feet of water. All the colonies were lost
  • Review your 2025 hive notes and plan changes you wish to make. Think about what you did last year and how it worked out, could you have done things differently and had a better outcome?
  • Consider study groups with or without exams at the end. It is quite amazing what you learn on these courses. The bees will benefit from your education, as will your confidence in keeping them.
    Gail Plester