THE ESSEX BEEKEEPER In this issue: Conference details Queen’s Birthday Honour Obituary - Ken Barker Obituary - Walter Gee Celebrating World Bee Day Fun with Pollen traps Workers moving eggs! Sad news from France Meeting Dates A splendid cut-away hive built by Peter Aldridge. Photo: Jean Smye Monthly Magazine of the Essex Beekeepers’ Association www.ebka.org Furthering the Craft of Beekeeping in Essex Registered Charity number 1031419 Issue No. 643 July 2018 16 Divisional Meetings - July and August 2018 WHO’S WHO & HOW TO CONTACT THEM President of EBKA Pat Allen Hon CLM Meetings in July: EBKA Trustees: Ian Nichols Chairman: 17 Dyers Hall Road, Leytonstone, London E11 4AD Tuesday Saffron Preparing for Winter. Thaxted Day Centre, 3 July email [email protected] tel. 0208 558 4733 / 07980 299 638 7.30pm Walden Vicarage Lane, CM6 2RL Secretary: [Position Vacant] Thursday Tbc. Kings Church, Red Willow, Harlow Tom Keeper Treasurer: Kingfishers, 2 Chandlers, Burnham-on-Crouch CM0 8NY 5 July Harlow 8.00pm CM19 5PA email [email protected] tel: 07722 454 974 / 01621 784 626 Stuart Mitson [email protected] Braintree Thursday Tbc. Chadwick Hall, Main Road, Gidea Park Jan Tutton [email protected] Chelmsford 5 July Romford 8.00pm RM2 5EL Tony Rand [email protected] Colchester Kate Tuerena [email protected] Dengie Hundred & Maldon 14 July Saturday Colchester Tbc Don McHale [email protected] Epping Forest Honey Show Preparation - Jim McNeill & WI Nick Holmes [email protected] Harlow Monday 16 July Chelmsford member. The Link, Rainsford Road, Chelms- Paul Wiltshire [email protected] Romford 7.30pm ford CM1 2XB Vanessa Wilkinson [email protected] Saffron Walden Jean Smye [email protected] Southend Wed Dengie 100 Requeening - is it too late? Carters Apiary, 18 July Divisional Contacts: 6.00pm & Maldon Maldon Braintree: Jan French 07725 166 609 Chelmsford: James Curtis 07940 757 831 Colchester: Morag Chase 01206 522 576 D.H. & Maldon: Carlie Mayes 07979 862 952 Saturday Saffron 21 July Apiary Meeting — High Roding CM6 1NN Harlow: Nick Holmes 07730 735 752 Epping Forest: Robin Harman 07971 237 312 2.30pm Walden Saffron Walden: Vanessa Wilkinson 01799 542 337 Romford: Pat Allen 01708 220 897 Saturday Epping 100 year celebration & BBQ - Wanstead Southend: Pat Holden 01702 477 592 21 July 2.30pm Forest Apiary. EBKA Education Secretary: Jane Ridler Old Barn House, 36 Walden Road, Sewards End, Saffron Walden, Essex CB10 2LF The Magic of Birds in Your Garden - 01799 218 023 [email protected] Wed Grahem Mee (RSPB South East Essex EBKA Examinations Secretary: Pat Allen 8 Franks Cottages, St Mary’s Lane, 25 July Southend 7.30pm Group). W.I. Hall, Bellingham Lane, Rayleigh Upminster, Essex RM14 3NU 01708 220 897 [email protected] SS6 7ED. The Essex Beekeeper Magazine: Apiary Meeting - Great Totham CM9 8BR Editor: David Smye email: [email protected] tel. 07710 197 078 Sunday 29 July Braintree Contact: Jean Gill 01621 891 422 3.00pm Advertising: Jean Smye email: [email protected] tel. 07731 856 361 or Joyce Wells 01376 518 541. Mailing Secretary: Michael Elliott email: [email protected] Printed by Streamset, 12 Rose Way, Purdeys Industrial Estate, Rochford, Essex SS4 1LY Book NOW ….. ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2018 Web site: Nick Holmes email: [email protected] Date and venue: Saturday 3rd November 2018 10 - 4pm Regional Bee Inspectors for EBKA Region: Chelmsford City Racecourse Epping Forest and Romford Divisions (excluding Brentwood): Peter Folge [email protected] tel. 07775 119 433 Great Leighs, CM3 1QP All other Divisions: Tickets £25 Details on page 4 Keith Morgan [email protected] tel. 01485 520 838 or 07919 004 215 2 15 Meetings in August: Alarming news from France ……. Thursday Tbc. Chadwick Hall, Main Road, Gidea Park 2 Aug Romford 8.00pm RM2 5EL [The Central Brittany Journal is an English language newspaper published for ex-pats in Brittany.] Thursday Honey Show. Kings Church, Red Willow, 2 Aug Harlow 8.00pm Harlow CM19 5PA Central Brittany Journal - June 2018 Saturday Saffron 4 Aug Hive Hygiene - Wimbish CB10 2UY Honey Bee Crisis 15 2.30pm Walden Honey Bee Crisis Saturday Epping 18 Aug Q’s + A’s + B’s - Wanstead Apiary. On April 6 my neighbour, Francois, went out to 2.30pm Forest visit his hives. A professional beekeeper, Francois kept his 350 hives in many different places around Apiary meeting and BBQ - Wethersfield Sunday RSVP for BBQ. the department. Varroa Destructor mites, Asiatic 19 Aug Braintree 3.00pm Contact John Barlow 01376 850 756 / 07889 hornets, viral fungal and bacterial infections, land 495 377 management practices that limit the quality and availability of food supplies and, of course, Monday Gardening for Bees - Darren Lerigo. The 20 Aug Chelmsford pesticides - all make for a hostile environment for 7.30pm Link, Rainsford Road, Chelmsford CM1 2XB bees and his practice of dispersing his hives had Bee Easy - a social information evening. kept his losses over winter to around 10% in the Wed 22 Aug Southend Come with questions or subjects to discuss. past. On April 6 this year he realised he had lost 7.30pm around 245 out of 350 hives. On the phone with W I Hall, Bellingham Lane, Rayleigh SS6 7ED. his syndicate he found that he was not the only Wed Dengie 100 Apiary Meeeting - Harvesting. Arcadia one. Beekeepers in Brittany lost 20,000 hives this 22 Aug Spring. 7.30pm & Maldon Apiary, Burnham-on-Crouch Reports have reached the Syndicate des Apiculteurs Professionnels de Bretagne from 26/27 Sunday/ Saffron Divisional Honey Show at the Countess of Aug Monday Walden Warwick’s Show, Little Easton CM6 2JJ Charente, Dordogre, Isere and Normandy of the same dreadful death toll, up to 80% in some Would each Division ensure that their meeting details - topic, venue and time cases. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is a new are notified to the editor at [email protected] by the 4th of the month so that name for an ancient mystery, when the majority of a comprehensive list is available to members. worker bees vanish from the hive, leaving the queen, immature bees and a few nurse bees. The The editor would welcome more news and reports of meetings around the new name for this kind of disappearance became county from Divisional members. Most Divisions are publishing a monthly necessary when, in 2006, it was recognised to be increasing across Europe, Newsletter, so why not spread the news wider by having it included in The but something quite frightening has happened this year. The 2018 losses in Essex Beekeeper? France may almost double the worst statistics of previous years, and bees Send articles, photographs, etc to David Smye at [email protected] are bio-indicators of the quality of our environment. The independent bee keepers of our region are on their last legs. They and … gathered together in Le Faouet on April 30 and set off in a convoy mortuaire If you have equipment, bees, nucs, etc for sale, as an EBKA member you for the Chamber of Agriculture in Rennes. Short of a miracle, it looks as if can advertise here free of charge and reach many more potential buyers. local honey will soon be disappearing from our supermarket shelves. Peter Denenberg, Cohiniac (22) 14 3 EBKA ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2018 This method of varroa control can slow the mite population by approximately 50%, but should be used with other methods to reduce the mite population ‘Bees and Well Being’ to safe levels. The theme of our conference is the ways in which bees enrich our lives and Now is the time make a difference to our world. Bees promote biodiversity by providing to start this, essential pollination for a wide range of crops. Honey is becoming a early in the powerful new weapon in the battle against hospital-acquired infections. season when Being around bees can raise a person’s self-esteem and the educational the colony benefits are now being recognised. begins drone Let’s learn more from our three speakers. rearing in April Speakers: and continue until July. Bunny Campione, Daws Hall Trust Many of you will know Bunny from the Antiques Roadshow, but you may not Drone brood be aware that she is a fellow beekeeper. takes about Dr Rowena Jenkins, Swansea University Medical School, nine days from Photo : Jean Smye Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. egg to cell sealing, therefore remove on alternate inspections during the Rowena is a lecturer in microbiology. swarming season. Do not leave for more than twenty two days to avoid the brood hatching, which would be counter productive. Chris Newenham, Managing Director, Wilkin & Sons Ltd Chris will be speaking about the importance of bees as pollinators and the If, towards the end of the period, the bees produce worker brood, move the collaboration between beekeepers and agriculturists. frame to the side of the chamber until hatched, then remove it for the remainder of the season. Payment: Date and venue: Saturday 3rd November 2018 By cheque payable to: adapted from information by the NBU with additional photographs. EBKA Braintree Division. 10 - 4pm Send to: Neil Reeve, Hilly Ley, High Chelmsford City Racecourse Easter, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 4QZ Great Leighs, CM3 1QP BACS Transfer: Tickets £25 Sort code 20-97-40 Account number The Bee Shed 80089230 Approved National Bee Supplies Stockist and Distributor • Registration and view trade Reference EBKA Conference. stands from 9am A Range of Frames and Foundation Send an email to • Three excellent speakers [email protected] Hives and Hive Parts, Tools and Equipment Open by Appointment: Please call Wendy on or • Coffee and Danish pastries on to advise transfer has been made and you 07764 609 803 will receive an e-ticket by return.