Chairmans Letter – November 2019

Dear Kennet Beekeeper,

“Welcome to KBKA” is how I should start this Chairman’s newsletter for this is the month new members will have joined and all the rest of you will have, I hoped, rejoined – as membership fees are now due for the next year.  The Beekeepers year has always been from October to fit in with getting the full advantage from BBKA  (British Bee Keepers Association) and BDI (Bee Disease Insurance).  I always expect a small ‘churn’ of membership and wish those of you who are leaving us the very best.  I do hope that over the past year you all have found membership of KBKA a help and benefit – if not I would welcome any ideas to improve our Association.   We are now the biggest club within Wiltshire Beekeepers.

Our annual Skittles Night is at the Crown pub in Devizes on Friday 6^th December.  Tickets are £10 each and include a much improved buffet on previous years. This is the social event of the year for KBKA and I would like to encourage you to bring your better halves along and make it an enjoyable outing for others in your family,  where they meet other KBKA members and find we do have other interests as well as honey bees!  I am terrible a skittles but have really enjoyed trying to win the KBKA Skittles Cup – there will be stiff competition for this valued trophy so do come and try your luck. Those who wish to attend please send an email directly to Elaine, our secretary,  who will acknowledge and provide you with bank details of where your payment needs to be sent. Cheques or cash will be acceptable if you do not use online banking, but important to register in the first instance as we need to let the venue know our numbers. Email address elainelewis@hotmail.co.uk

Christmas Present suggestion.  Some of your will remember the excellent talks on Bumble Bees given to us by Brigit Strawbridge.  Well, she has a new book out, Dancing with Bees – just Google that name and you will find it for about £16.00.

On Wednesday 6^th November, at Bishops Cannings Village Hall SN10 2LA at 7.30 we have our first talk of the new season.  I have booked Norman Carrick to speak on Progress in improving honey bee lifelong health .  Norman is very involved in the University of Sussex programme in breeding hygienic honey bees, and the effect of hygiene on bee pests and diseases.  You may have heard him talk at the Wiltshire Honey show and this talk will cover totally different aspects of bee health.  I expect the hall will be full for this talk so get there early – or it might be standing room only!

With best wishes,