Don’t forget the frame-making session at the apiary on Saturday morning (9.30am – 12.30pm or anytime in between)! This is an ideal opportunity for new-ish beekeepers to learn how to make frames up with expert support and, for those who have done this many, many, many times before 😊, an opportunity to support the apiary by helping build a supply of frames to see us through the year!!
Frames, hammers etc will be supplied, but – if you can – please bring a piece of wood / chopping board that you can hammer on rather than straight onto the Village Hall tables.
See you there!!
Here we are in the middle of January already – how time flies!! As a club we are already making progress compared to where we left off at the end of 2025: a band of volunteers came along to the apiary on the 3rd and spent a few hours spreading stone in the apiary itself as well as making a dent in tidying / reorganising the beekeeping kit etc in the outbuilding. Jeremy also gave a simulated demonstration of drizzling oxalic acid for varroa control and an instructive conversation of varroa treatment ensued! Every day is a learning opportunity……
The more is always the merrier in tasks like this: if you have a few hours to spare now again, please keep an eye on the apiary WhatsApp for future upcoming apiary work parties and come along if you can!
On the 7th January Dan Basterfield from Blackbury Honey Farm gave a timely and informative Zoom talk about preparing for the upcoming beekeeping season. He considered tasks according to the season (noting the influence of weather, queen and colony health (or otherwise) and also the timing of tasks) as well as highlighting the importance of having a supply of drawn comb and, for novices, how to get it! Sonia has placed a link to the talk in the club’s WhatsApp – if you didn’t make it last week, its worth a watch before the season gets going!!
Brrrrr! The recent cold snap reminds us to check our hives for insulation, stability in strong winds, water tightness and of course sufficient stores.
On the latter point, whilst hefting is the traditional way of assessing stores, it is an inexact science and importantly does not tell us anything about the state of reserves other than their weight. There was for many of us, a significant harvest of Ivy nectar by the bees at the end of the Autumn last year and this has resulted in quite hard honey for which the bees need a supply of water to make it useable. Feeding is always a balance between providing syrup / fondant as necessary to ensure the bees’ survival over the winter, not overfeeding so that the Queen has somewhere to lay and at the same time hoping that the bees store what you feed them to top up their natural supplies rather than with Ivy. On that basis, it is this time of year that we should consider putting some fondant over the feed hole as a precaution, the benefit being that if they want it they will use it but the reverse is also true and fondant can be wrapped up for use later in the year if not consumed. [The Association has a stock of fondant available at cost to members]. It is a simple operation, prepare your fondant by cutting a hole in the package or putting some in a takeaway container, remove whatever is covering the feed hole and slap the fondant on as quickly as possible. In this way you shouldn’t lose a single bee, or have your smoker ready to deter bees from flying up during the process if necessary [follow the old adage that if you light your smoker you won’t need it but if you don’t you will].
The other consideration now is your Varroa count. I will be treating all Association colonies via oxalic acid sublimation in the next few days to knock back any increases in varroa and especially now after the cold snap as it is the best chance to treat a colony without uncapped larvae as the Queen will have stopped laying for the few days of freezing temperatures [most Varroa treatments, including sublimation kill uncapped brood].
And finally, re: Dan Basterfield’s talk [aimed primarily at early years beekeepers – do watch it]: he made a couple of comments that need some context. As a commercial beekeeper, Dan does 10-day inspections. I wouldn’t like our newer beekeepers to think that this is ok for them – Dan clips his Queens [and there is a debate to be had on that subject!] thereby delaying swarming but not preventing it. So, if you don’t clip then 5-day checks are necessary during the swarming season. Also, Dan runs double National brood boxes below queen excluders and said that his method of looking for signs of swarming is to simply lift one side of the top brood box as the bees will tend to put queen cells along the bottom of the top box. If, as a newish beekeeper you are running on either double brood or brood and a half, please do not rely on this approach. It may be ok in a large apiary with bait hives scattered around but it is by no means an infallible method of swarm prevention [as Dan admitted].
For other views / thoughts on varroa have a read of the following blogs (28/11/25) from The Beelistener and The Apiarist:
Follow BBKA for all links
In 2026 the NBU will not be allowed to participate in spring queen trapping (DEFRA). All beekeepers will need to be vigilant in monitoring for YLH from early spring.
Wednesday February 4th 7.00pm for 7.30pm, Bishops Cannings Village Hall
We’d like to develop a library of photographs and images taken by and for the use of club members that could be used in talks and presentations, newsletters and publications. If you have photos and / or images that you’d be willing to share &, it goes without saying, always be credited for then please let me know and we can have a think about how to develop and look after such a resource.
That’s all for now – here’s to a successful and productive beekeeping year for all of you! If you’ve got thoughts about items you’d like to see noted or covered in this newsletter, please get in touch.
Andrea
Andrea Waylen
Chair, Kennet Beekeepers Association
Email: andrea.waylen@gmail.com Tel: 07876 157826
