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Newsletter Volume 10 — October 2019 Editor: Norman Dickinson BRIGHTON AND LEWES DIVISION OF THE SUSSEX BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION www.brightonlewesbeekeepers.co.uk First Winter Meeting held on 18th September The first meeting of the like in order to determine reason, amongst others winter season was a talk if we have a problem. A why you should not feed by David Rudland number of slides showing honey to a colony unless In this issue: entitled “Snap Shot of Bee the result of bad brood produced by that one. 4 Diseases” were shown with an NEVER feed commercially Asian Hornet Action Team 2 David gave a brief explanation of the sourced honey as this has (AHAT) summary of his bee probable cause and the been known to contain best course of action to AFB spores. Interesting Items from 2 experience and was a Gerald Legg take. David also stated seasonal bee inspector for David advised registering that most viral infections 9 years. His wife Celia is a ones apiaries on BeeBase, Apiary site available 2 were as a result of poor qualified teacher a Government Animal & varroa control making the Amanda Advises 3 although no longer Plant Health Agency. The bees more susceptible to teaching in schools. main benefit is that 'One kind of bee lives in 3 the viral infection. Together they run 200-250 should there be an snail shells' hives and carry out a It was explained that the outbreak of foul brood Turkish beekeeper finds 4 number of educational two “foul broods” EFB within a 5Km radius of thieving bears prefer courses associated with and AFB are both your apiary, then you will premium honey beekeeping. classified as notifiable receive a notification. Male honeybees inject 4 David started by stating diseases and MUST be Other benefits also queens with blinding toxins during sex that the biggest problem reported to the bee include the ability to inspector if it is suspected download various we face is Varroa with 18 Photo Corner: 6 months being the average that it is present. EFB is information publications Officers of the Division 7 time a colony will survive not always terminal and and see a map of your the bee inspector will location and surrounding if varroa is not treated. Divisional diary 7 The first question posed advise what action is apiary sites. Members can was “how do we know required. AFB is always sign-up at https:// Regional and Seasonal Bee 7 terminal and the hive secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/ Inspectors that we have a problem”, the simple answer being complete with bees and beebase/public/ that we need to know any honey extracted must register.cfm be destroyed. It is for this what healthy brood looks Forthcoming winter Wasps: If you can’t love them, at least admire them meetings: By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent BBC News 15 September 2019 October 2019: A year Beekeep- ing My Way with Mike Cullen Want to know the best your lair by the stump, charge of insect way to kill a cockroach? like a dog on a leash. collections at London's Well, first inject some You're going to bury this Natural History Museum, powerful neurotoxins zombie in a hole in the which means he's got directly into its brain. ground. plenty of material to work with. This will make the bug But just before you close compliant; it won't try to up the tomb, lay an egg The 'zombie fungus' and In next months fly away and will bend to on the bug. Your progeny the climbing dead edition: your will. can have the joy of Locations mapped of key Amanda Advises Second, slice off one of eating it alive. UK wasp species Asian Hornet Action Team its antennae and drink Dr Gavin Broad relishes the goo that comes out. these stories about how He has drawer after Contributions from our For snack purposes, you wasps will parasitise drawer of wasps, members understand. other critters. He's the gathered from all And then lead it off to principal curator in (Continued on page 5) Asian Hornet Action Team Report by Manek Dubash Autumn was the time of year Role of the public I'd suggest you make it known predicted by scientists and the among your friends and The key issue here is that members government's experts to be the acquaintances that you have this of the public have been the first to most likely time to find active information, as I've been contacted spot the insect (Vespa velutina), so Asian hornets, and so it has proved. by a number of people asking for it crucial that we as beekeepers help with identification; News update help with identification. To that fortunately, none of the insects I've end, I have a batch of identification The latest news is that an Asian been asked about were V. velutina. cards to give out, which you are hornet sighting was confirmed welcome to pick up at the next Finally, here's an update from an south west of Ashford in Kent on 9 meeting. You can also use the Asian ex B&L member in France: September 2019. That's not far hornet App, available on both away and, as far as I am aware, no "We have a friend whose son is a Apple and Android, to help with nest has yet been found and fireman, but part-time treats Asian identification. destroyed. hornet nests. In the last three Photos are central to such months he has dealt with 47 nests This follows an earlier confirmed identification but if that's not in and around Fecamp [on the sighting in the Tamworth area of possible, some guidelines are that northern French coast between Staffordshire on 2 September 2019, Asian hornets: Dieppe and Le Havre]. Quite where a nest was subsequently frightening news and amazing how located and destroyed. Earlier in have a dark brown or black quickly they have spread. Be the year a single hornet was velvety body prepared in the UK as you’ll be confirmed in New Milton, next.” Hampshire. In each case the have a yellow or orange band on Whilst on holiday in Jersey in hornets were spotted and reported fourth segment of abdomen August and visiting Jersey Zoo, I by a member of the public. have yellow tipped legs was (un)fortunate to see an Asian Since 2016, there have been a total Hornet as it landed on a plant close of 16 confirmed sightings of the are smaller than the native by but was unable to get the Asian hornet in England and seven European hornet camera on it before it flew off. I hope that is the last time I shall see nests have been destroyed. are not active at night a live Asian Hornet. Ed A couple of interesting items from Gerald Legg Spider venom used to kill pests but harm the bees as well. Now Elaine days, the larvae started "writhing". not bees Fitches and her colleagues at the Within a week, all the larvae and University of Durham, H, and Fera adults were dead. The team also Leo Benedictus NewScientist 14 Science, a firm co-owned by the UK placed beetle eggs on a piece of September 2019 Department for Environment, honeycomb containing bee brood, A bite from a funnel web spider Food and Rural Affairs, think which was then sprayed with the delivers neurotoxins that can kill funnel-web spiders may provides engineered compound. The an adult human in hours, or a child the weapon we need to stop the honeycomb and bees survived in minutes. Yet they might be our beetles. Spider venom contains a virtually untouched, but most of the friends in the fight against the cocktail of ingredients, and one of new beetle larvae died. " I was small hive beetle, a dangerous new the funnel-web's Hv1a is fatal to absolutely chuffed to bits with these threat to bees. most insects, including small hive results," Fitches says. beetle, but seems to have no effect In southern Africa, where it Honey can tell us all about lead on bees or humans. The trouble is originates, the small hive beetle pollution. (Aethina tumida) is a minor pest . that Hv1a needs to be injected. If NewScientist 31 August 2020 African honeybees defend their beetles swallow the toxin, it nests so aggressively that the degrades in their gut and has little Bees pick up pollution as they fly invader rarely gets a foothold. effect. So Fitches and her team around and some of it ends up in Outside Africa, however, nest of have bound Hv1a to a molecule their honey, although it is still safe to European honeybees (Apis found in the spring-flowering eat. Kate Smith at the University of mellifera) are often devastated by common snowdrop (Galanthus British Columbia in Canada found the beetle and its larvae, which nivalis), which effectively carries that analysing honey is as good a way devour the honey, pollen and brood, itd through the gut barrier. In the to check lead levels as using soil or destroy the combs and sometimes lab, the team fed this 'fusion air samples. It could be used to introduce diseases. Some pesticides protein' in a sugar solution to monitor remote areas. can kill the beetles, but they would beetles and their larvae. After two Apiary Site available An apiary site in a garden in New England Road, Brighton has been offered. Details from Hilary on 07713532285 Page 2 Amanda advises... As I write this on 22nd September opportunities present themselves.

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