BeeInfo - information about honey bees and beekeeping.
Many a time I have been determined to learn more about beekeeping over the winter period. Each year something gets in the way. Usual pressures - paint this room, get that shopping, prepare for Xmas, clear up after Xmas and so on.
This year I am making a more determined effort than usual. One route I am taking is to create a set of pages of notes . These will help me in preparation for taking the new BBKA modules. More importantly I am hoping those same pages will make me a better beekeeper. Probably my bees are equally optimistic!
The pages are all to be found at dorsetbka.com/BeeInfo. Simple as that. I have used a similar layout to that on the main page but missed some of the links on the right hand side. At present there are not a huge number of pages on there but as I write more content then I can add more pages and I am optimistic that this will grow to be a useful resource for all.
BBKA Module Exams 2022 If you are considering taking a BBKA module exam in 2022 then do be certain to check the new syllabus. There are significant differences between the November 2021 exams and the exams for 2022.
Just as an example the 2021 syllabus for Module 1 Honey Bee Management Syllabus says the syllabus covers the use of wax foundation, ways of getting wax fully drawn.
The new syllabus specifies that the syllabus now covers materials employed to emulate foundation as well as the use of wax foundation. It also requires the candidate to also know of the works of J.Mehring, E.B.Weed and Captain J.E. Hetherington.
It helps that the changes are in bold on the 2022 syllabus and this makes it much easier to see the changes. Personally I find the new syllabus much more informative and I now know where to direct my studies.
That is just looking at wax in Module 1. There are a lot more changes than this and rather than list the changes I suggest anyone considering taking one of the modules looks at the new syllabus on the BBKA website. More information on the exams can be found on the BBKA site
This is the time of year when there may be visitors to this site who have read about bees, possibly bought some honey at the local market, and now they are thinking "Shall I keep bees?"
Deciding to keep bees is not a decision to take lightly. It is not just puting a hive in the garden and taking off honey when ever you need it. There is a lot more involved than that and it is a lot more rewarding.
If you are thinking of keeping bees then I have written a new page on this site which explains some of the points you have to consider such as where to keep the extra equipment.
Anyone who knows beekeepers will know that every beekeeper has a different answer to the same question so there will be things on the page which others think are not important and there are things missed out. Read it and let me know what you think.
Just got back from a well known discount store with the offers for next week. There are some really good offers but amongst them is one that really caught my eye. A jar of honey - a 454 gram or 1 lb jar is reduced from 89p to 69p. Now I don't know about you but I am certain my bees would go out on a swarm if that is all I were getting for all their hard work. In fact in my cases the jars cost nearly that much.
Honey Pot with Honey Stick
Whilst I am on the subject of honey sales I was in the market of a Somerset city recently and there was honey on sale. The label advised me it was "Honey from Romania" and that was all it told me. I know for a fact that my bees would not be happy if I were not to say on my labels where the bees were and who looks after them.
What I do know is that those people who have tasted my honey - well actually the honey from my bees - have been amazed at the depth of flavour. Perhaps the bees and I are doing it right.
This week is Asian Hornet Week in the UK. Thus it is a time when we can raise public awareness of the threat which the "Yellow Legged Hornet" poses to the UK. This is a threat to pollinating insects which fly not just our bees.
We tend to think of the Asian Hornet as a predator on our bees. As the picture below shows they are also keen on rotten apples . If you see any ripe fruit look carefully. Are they wasps or is it an Asian Hornet?
Asian Hornet on a rotten apple Courtesy The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Crown Copyright
The BBKA have a whole page of links to YouTube videos. They bring us up to date with some of the latest research. and are well worth having a look at. The National Bee Unit also has some interesting data, links and videos on their Asian Hornet page.
In addition the BBC has run an item on BBC1 "The One Show". This is available on BBC iPlayer and will be available for about 30 days. The item is well worth watching and for those not keen on the rest of the show then you will find the item from 25 minutes to 30 minutes.
Just because we have not seen them so far this does not mean we will not be seeing them soon. I suspect that this summer the lack of tourist traffic from the South of France crossing the Channel has been one of the reason why we have not been troubled. It may also be the fact that much of the wind has blown from a Northerly direction or t may be that it has just been too cold. We do not know. What we can say is that the Asian Hornet is a serious threat and it is as far North as the Channel coast. This is not a time to relax.
This is always a busy time for bees and the last few months seem to have been really busy all round. However the good news is that as the pandemic seems to be taking a back seat we can start reserving front seats.
It is for this reason I am adding a new post to the web site. Two events have been brought to my attention
The National Honey Show 21st to 23rd of October - not just any honey show but the 90th. Things are a bit different this year and only pre-booked tickets will let you into the show. This is an excellent opportunity to meet up with old friends and also new friends. I have had a look at the lecture programme and it looks very interesting. For those who cannot get to the show there will be tickets available to watch all the lectures on line. Who knows what we we will be facing come October but the organisers have confidence and so should we.
Royal Bath and West Show has been cancelled - but it is not all bad news. In its place there is a Country Festival from Friday 27th - Sunday 29th August. Not only a Country Festival but a Honey Competition so if you have ever thought of entering your honey at the Royal Bath and West Show then now is your chance. Schedule, Regulations and Entry Form are now live on the Bath and West Show website.
OK so you do not think your honey is good enough - well think again. There are classes for many other products of our bee keeping. You could enter a bottle of Mead or a bottle of Methaglin or even a bottle of Melomel. If that is not something you can turn your hand to then there are photographic class or for the inventors amongst us there is a class for new or innovative equipment. Download the schedule and see what you could bring to the show.
To encourage you for this year only there are no entry fees - it does mean there are no cash prizes but there are prize cards and be honest it was always about the taking part rather than the cash prize.
What are we to make of this weather? Last week I was in North Wales freezing cold in the wind and baking in the sun. The only way to stay comfortable was to rotate slowly like meat on a spit - and for a vegetarian that does not come easily!
This week we have more of the same except that as the week progresses the weather, for a time, will get colder. Cold weather means bees have less energy to gather food but the longer days and shelter in the hive mean the Queen could be busy laying. Do check your hives and see that there are enough stores. It may be necessary to top up the reserves.
Another problem with this weather is the lack of rainfall. April has not been a month of showers - in fact some areas have had almost no precipitation all month and what they have had was snow! Bees need water. Make certain that there is water available near the hive. National Bee Supplies do a fancy water trough or you could make your own with a plant pot tray with some pebbles in it and then some means to support a bottle upside down.
Varroa
From the 21st April we, as bee keepers, are required to notify DEFRA if we have varroa in our apiary. DEFRA see Varroa as a serious threat to bee keeping in this country and now require us to supply information so that they can monitor the problem. The reporting process is very simple - a tick box on the BeeBase web site. At the moment this is not in place but I expect it to be up by April 21st. For those who resist putting their details on BeeBase there will be an alternative method of notifying the presence of varroa in your apiary.
Beebase If you are not aware of Beebase then now is the time to become aware of it. It is run by Animal and Plant Health Agency and contains a wealth of information on bee keeping. It is also where you register your apiaries so that the Bee Inspector can keep you informed of problems in your area. It also includes a record keeping section where you can enter your own records of apiary visits. I know that there are some out there who see any registration of their hobby as an intrusion on their privacy. If the hobby were painting toy soldiers or lace-making I could understand the reluctance to register. In the case of bee keeping it is important to register. If my bees were to get A.F.B. or E.F.B. then I can call on the bee inspector to advise me. If the bee inspectors know of other colonies close by they can easily notify them of the problem. If you are not on BeeBase then the Bee Inspector has no way of contacting you.
And for those of you who do not a varroa mite - this is what it looks like though much enlarged. For more details then do look on BeeBase.
Close Up of Varroa Mite
Courtesy The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Crown Copyright
Not a nice day out there again today. Certainly not warm enough to be opening up the hive. Anyway it has given me an opportunity to file all the emails or act on them - or even delete them. However amongst the emails I have come across a survey for the government's Healthy Bee Plan. The survey is available on this link and has to be completed by 21st April. It only takes a few minutes to fill in and if we all fill it in then the government will be able to make informed decisions.
In addition I have been looking at the BIBBA lectures on YouTube. Excellent material. If you subscribe then you will receive notifications when there is a new lecture released.
My attention has also been drawn to a calendar of bee events in the UK. This is to be found at bee events.
It seems that the government has had second thoughts. The permission to use neonicotinoids on sugar beet this year has been withdrawn. The official reason is that the recent cold snap has affected the aphids. The number of aphids has fallen below a critical level and as a result the government has decided that neonicotinoids are not to be used this year. It is good to see that government policy is being "driven by the data not the dates."
However it is possible that next year the aphid population may not be affected by the cold and government decisions may not be driven by Honey Bee data. We must, for the sake of the bees and all the other pollinators under threat, make certain that permission to use neonicotinoids is not granted in Spring 2022.
Just watched an interesting debate on YouTube between a farmer who feels he has to use neonicotinoids and opponents of the decision.
It was chaired by the Wild Life Trusts. It is a long video, some 100 minutes, so for those who do not have the time to watch it I thought I would summarise the key points I got from it:
The sugar beet industry is worth some £208 million per year to Britain
Sugar beet plays an important role in the 1 in 4 or 1 in 6 crop rotation.
This crop rotation is not allowed under this derogation.
It is planted in the spring.
It is harvested between October and February.
It is harvested before it flowers so is not a source of food for bees.
The Beet Yellows Virus is carried by aphids.
The Beet Yellows Virus can reduce crop yields by up to 80%
The neonicotinoid is applied as a pelleted seed.
Protection lasts 10 to 14 weeks whilst the seedling is tender.
The neonicotinoid lasts a lot longer in the soil.
Warmer winters are resulting in more aphids hence more virus.
The UK has tighter restrictions than the EU on the use of Neonicotinoids.
We would import sugar beet from Brazil or Australia.
Imports may contain pesticides our farmers may not use.
Work to produce Beet Yellows Virus resistant strains is ongoing.
Use of lace wings to eat the aphids is also being investigated.
It is anticipated the aphid load will result in Neonicotinoids being used next year as well.
Neonicotinoids were introduced to the UK in 1994 as a seed dressing.
LD50 is Lethal dose 50% and is the amount of a pesticide required to kill 50% of the population.
This is calculated in laboratory tests
The LD50 value for thiamethoxam is 4 billionths of a gram per honey bee.
That is one teaspoon (5 grams) will kill 1.25 billion bees
That is 125 tons of dead bees or 4 large lorry loads - and all from a teaspoon of pesticide.
In the last year before the ban the UK spread 110 tonnes of Neonicotinoids on the land.
There is a lot of evidence that sublethal dose of Neonicotinoids severely affects insects.
A sublethal dose can affect their navigation system
A sublethal dose can damage their immune system.
It is a systemic insecticide so it is taken up by the whole plant- leaves, flowers, pollen, nectar, fruit.
If spread on pelleted seeds only 5% is taken up by that plant.
95% remains in the soil or washed into streams and aquifers.
It is not just bees that are affected - all insects are affected.
It is an insecticide - it is designed to kill insects.
Bees can be seen as the equivalent of the canary in the coal mine.
This derogation may mean there is less incentive to find alternatives.
So far we have selectively bred Sugar Beet strains for yield not resistance.
This is a prophylactic use of insecticide - apply it in case we get get a problem.
Why not grow less sugar and replace it with fruit and veg?
Obesity is costing this country £27 billion per year.
Carbon footprint of sugar beet less than that of sugar cane.
Farmers are advised by agronomists on crop treatments.
Between 50% and 80% are tied to chemical companies.
Alternatives include:
Accept a lower yield
Grow something else instead
Breed different varieties of sugar beet
Use natural aphid predators.
Use less sugar - and that is down to all of us.
DEFRA have advised the removal of flowering plants from treated field margins.
This is to prevent insects being poisoned
Instead of them being poisoned they can be starved!
A scorched earth policy!
There may be alternatives to neonicotinoids but there are no alternatives to bees.
