Dear Kennet Beekeeper,
At our last KBKA committee we discussed getting all members involved in helping the Association. Committee members felt that it was often the same people who volunteered and offered help and that some people we never have even seen! I know that some members really feel they only need the BBKA insurance which comes with our membership. So now is the time to step forward and send an email to this Chairman and say “Yes. put me on the list of helpers”. It may be I ask you to help at a show or our Apiary manager asks you to re-wax a box of supper frames.
When we have the County Honey Show in October we have been asked to make a bee related stand/exhibit. Maybe a stand of blown up photos of pollen – with a competition on guess which plant they came from, or a model of an apiary with all the related products that come from bees. This are just suggestions, but have you a good idea and would like to make the exhibit? If so I would really like to hear from you.
We base the hire of the Honey Extractor on a suggested this-years honey price and we have decided to keep it the same as last year. That is £6.00 for a 1lb/454g jar of honey or pro rata for smaller jars. I feel that is a fair price and hopefully you will all charge about that for your precious nectar! I do and I find people are very happy to buy it at that price. Talking of honey, if you have stocks to sell at the fetes and fairs we visit do contact Kate on email:- katriona.richardson@icloud.com she will try and sell it for you at the above price less 10%, which goes to the Association. The next fete the Association will be attending is the Rowdeford Garden Festival on Sunday 14th May.
I am hoping to have an Apiary Safari on Saturday 1 July – watch this space for further details.
During the year you will notice a new varroa treatment called VarroMed from BeeVital being offered for sale. This has passed the EU tests and now is an authorised medication for honeybees against varroa. Full details on :- https://www.beevital.com/products/#products-bv
There are still a few places left on the following courses:-
Apiary Skills Short Courses –
Sun. May 21st. – Swarming
Sat. July 8th.- Queen Finding
Sun. July 16th. – Varroa
Sat. July 22nd. – Extraction
Introduction to Beekeeping 2
Sat. June 17th. Sun. June18th.
Due to the high demand for our usual first course this is kindly being run for the Association at the Wiltshire Bee Centre by Terry and Fee. Anyone interested in any of these courses should please email Dick on email:- church175@btinternet.con
Our talk this Friday 5 May, (our last lecture till September) is on ‘The Small Hive Beetle‘ by Dan Etherbridge. Dan is the only person I know who has worked bees with this pest when he lived in the USA. So he comes with great experience of his subject and is also one of the Bee Inspectors for Wales. So please come and support him and this interesting talk.
All best wishes to all members
Robert Carpenter Turner
Chairman Kennet Beekeepers
Tel: – 01672 852265 email:- chairman@kennet-beekeepers.co.uk