Chairman’s letter – May 2023

Dear Kennet Beekeeper,

On Wednesday 3rd May Richard Oliver is going to give us a talk on simple Queen rearing. So this is the time to get prepared for your own Coronations in your apiary, unless you are so blasé and have been invited to the real thing on 6 May! It is so good to have one of our members talking to KBKA and showing us the way he keeps his colonies up to scrath with new Queens. I do hope that you can make the time for this talk for it will save you over £45 a time if you always have to buy in new stock. All at Bishop Cannings Village Hall – doors open at 7.00 for tea or coffee talk starts about 7.30. Hope to see you there.

On Monday 1st May at Bushton Village Hall, Clyffe Pypard, SN4 7PX we are attending the Bushton Fete with our own KBKA stall selling honey and talking about bees. It may well be too cold to fill the Observation Hive but should you fancy a Bank Holiday Fete this is where to come. Bee auction on 1^st May, been cancelled, so if you are at a loose end you know where to go – Bushton Fete – I hope to see some of you there.

Every so often someone gives something to our association and I would wish to thank Terri Fosker for the kind donation of a queen rearing kit, tangential extractor and a honey warming cabinet – thanks Terri.

The weather has been so cold that I have yet to look at my own bees – slacking! I have however looked at two other peoples and they were and put a box of sections on one that I look after, hoping that they draw out the wax but don’t fill it with OSR!

We still need volunteers for tea/coffee at the May and July club nights. June is already covered. Let Elaine Know if you can do either.

Don’t forget Bath and West show entries from Kennet deadline for entries 1st May see flyer already sent out to members – all details here:- https://www.bathandwest.com/bees-honey-competition and at the bottom of this email.

Apiary open again on Saturday 29^th April, TODAY all are welcome, starts prompt at 1.00pm at What3Words:(see email for code). will take you to the farm entrance. Please park up and in front of the Apiary Barn and do not wander across the yard to other barns as we need to be respectful of biosecurity.

Hope to see many of you at Richard’s talk next Wednesday.

All best wishes

Robert

About KBKA

Kennet Beekeepers Association (KBKA) draws members from the Calne, Chippenham, Devizes and Marlborough areas of Wiltshire. We strive to promote and further the craft of beekeeping and to represent the interests of beekeepers in the local area. We are affiliated to both the Wiltshire Beekeeping Association and the British Beekeepers Association, representing members at county and national levels.

We welcome potential members from all walks of life and can offer many benefits to both the established beekeeper and the complete novice. Some of our members have many years of practical beekeeping experience and this valuable resource is available to new beekeepers.