Members are welcome to attend the Association Apiary meetings as advertised.. If you would like to go along, please check timings and remember to take clean gloves and boots. There are always plenty of suits available to borrow from the apiary.
Remember that the weather can lead to last minute changes … a quick phone call could save a wasted journey!
Details of weekly visits and leaders can be found on the calendar and home page of our website.
The Apiary Management Committee -AMC – have agreed to stand for another year. They are in the process of updating our written a policy for the new season. Please take time to have a read … it explains the aims and management approach we hope to achieve!
Click here to see a copy of the current Apiary Risk Assessment document. Please take time to read and follow the advice it contains. You will be asked to sign a register on your first visit to the Apiary.
The full Apiary Rota was sent out with the April Newsletter. It might be useful to print your own copy!
Here is the latest report from the Apiary Management Committee –
May 2019
All the May sessions at the Apiary have been well attended and the bees are doing well.
Three out of the four colonies built queen cells at the end of April/early May despite having 2018 queens, and plenty of brood space.
Three out of the four colonies built queen cells at the end of April/early May despite having 2018 queens, and plenty of brood space.
Hive 7, which is on the smallest brood space, a single National brood box, now with nine frames of brood, is the only colony to show no sign of swarm preparations so far – possibly her native black bee genes.
We have two other queenright colonies – the original queens from Hive 1 and Hive 3 (Exmoor Bees Queens). Both of these have three supers on, with at least one on each with sealed honey. These hives were artificialled to form additional Hives 2 and 4, and both had emerged queen cells in mid May.
The queen in Colony 5, which was from the Beaminster swarm last year, seemed to gradually fail in early May. As this hive was on double brood, the boxes were split to make two hives and queen cells left in each. These had emerged at the last check on the 19th May.
So we now have four hives with emerged queen cells waiting for signs of new queens starting to lay. All the new foundation used for the artificial swarms has been drawn out with minimal feeding needed.
At the next members session on the Ist June there will four hives to check for eggs/new queens.
Varroa mite drops have been low apart from Hive 2 which was treated with VarroMed on 19th May.
Varroa mite drops have been low apart from Hive 2 which was treated with VarroMed on 19th May.
March 2019In contrast to this time last year all four hives at the Apiary are doing well and we had a brilliant sunny morning on the 24th March for the first student (Group A ) session.
The bees were very active, bringing in masses of dpollen. Although we tried not to have the hives open too long as it was still quite cool, under the expert guidance of Carole Brown and Brian Godfrey the students were able to see healthy brood of all stages in each hive as well as being introduced to two of the queens.
The AMC (Apiary Management Committee) have decided to try to keep colonies on a variety of National hive configurations this year. Colony 1 is on in a 14×12 poly hive, 3 on a National Brood and a half, 5 will be managed on a National double brood box and 7 on a single National Brood box. Hopefully this will allow students and members to make comparisons.
The priority will be to replace comb in the brood boxes of Hive 1 and Hive 5 over the next few weeks to help them build up into clean comb. Hive 3 is currently the most active with plenty of brood in both the deep and the shallow brood boxes and now has her first honey super on. Hive 7 has a smaller brood nest than the others, still has lots of stores and small black bees most likely the result of the queen’s Isle of Man ancestors. Hive 5 is already producing drones!
The AMC have agreed a rota for all the apiary meetings this season and the first members meeting will be on Saturday 6th April at 2pm. We are hoping it will be warm enough for a full inspection to take place.
Carole Astbury AMCMonday 14th JanuaryTwo weeks after the Api-Bioxal treatment the following mite drops were recorded –Hive 1 – 200Hive 3 – 200Hive 5 – 40 and 1kg fondant addedHive 7 – 10
For further details contact the Association Secretary by email or telephone: secretary@westdorsetbees.org.uk Tel 01308 456210