Bucks County BKA Spring Seminar 2020
The 24th annual spring seminar hosted by Bucks County Beekeepers will take place at the Wendover Memorial Hall on Saturday 8 February, 2020 from 10am
The speakers are:
Bob Smith: 8mm of nothing – the importance of bee space.
Dr Seirian Sumner: Wasps – the neglected darlings of the insect world.
Dr Nick Isaac: Where have all the pollinators gone?
There will be a second hand equipment stall – please contact Steve Adkins if you have something you’d like to sell – treasurer@buckscountybeekeepers.co.uk. If you have items you wish to offer for sale please bring them on the day between 9:45am – 10:20am clearly marked with your name and price required. (all un sold equipment must be removed by the owner at the end of the day)
There will also be a raffle and stalls to browse: Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Bees Abroad, BBKA, Central Association of Bee Keepers, the Bucks Microscopy Group and a secondhand beekeeping bookstall.
Tea, coffee, cakes and a ploughman’s lunch is included for those who pre book so please register so that we can cater for everyone. The cost for the event is £15
The Bucks County Beekeepers AGM will be held at the end of the meeting.
For bookings CLICK HERE
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Practical Workshop for Beginners
25 January 2020
This workshop is being held to help guide our new beekeepers through the process of assembling their equipment ready for the new season, if anyone is interested in helping please contact Lilian
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Congratulations to all those who passed their Basic Assessment in Beekeeping in 2019!
The BBKA have published their exam results for 2019 and once again we are delighted for our members who passed with Credit.
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The first of our Member evening winter meetings of 2020 will be on Friday 17 January 2020, starting at 7.30pm, at East Challow Village Hall.
For those new to the association or who haven’t been there before – the full address is Main Street (A417), East Challow, Wantage OX12 9SR. The village hall is on the right hand side as you come down the hill in East Challow from Wantage, and there is parking in the car park at the hall.
We have invited Derek Mitchell back for a return visit. Some of you may remember Derek from his talk at a winter meeting a few years ago where he gave a fascinating insight in to the results of his research in to the thermodynamics of the hive (he is a physicist by training, and uses his wife’s hives for his research!).
The subject of his talk this year is “The invisible world of honey bees or How bees beat beavers at dam building”, and we look forward to seeing you there.
December 2019 – NBU – Smarter Rules for Safer Food – Official Controls Regulation
The new Official Controls Regulation (OCR) will apply directly to the UK from 14th December 2019. Please read the OCR Factsheet for further information.
Learning about Asian hornets from Jersey Beekeepers
Mark White of EDBKA is working with the Asian hornet team on the island of Jersey, learning how to track a suspected nest. Mark is actually allergic to stings so will be taking care not to get stung. He will be putting out regular blogs on the East Dorset Beekeepers page and here is the first:
Asian Hornet Alert – from the NBU:
On Friday 4th October a nest was destroyed following the confirmed sighting of an Asian hornet near Christchurch, Dorset after it was reported by a member of the public. It is imperative that any Asian hornet colonies in the UK are detected and destroyed before queens are released. This is the time of year when colonies have been previously detected and we depend on alert beekeepers and members of the public to report sightings. As we have an abundant insect population, Asian hornets may not just be found in apiaries, they could also be at places where insects congregate – stands of ivy, for example, and on decaying fruit. At any sunny, warm period, take a little extra time – 20 minutes or more – to look around your apiary, any ivy and garden generally to help early detection of this alien insect.
What Else Can I Do?
- Monitor your apiaries and observe local forage sites using monitoring traps:
We have produced a useful guidance note and video on how to make a monitoring trap.
- Ensure your BeeBase records are up to date with apiary locations and contact information:
We encourage you to use the online functionality to update your apiary records and also record if Asian hornet traps are situated in an apiary. Guidance on how to update your records can be found here.
- Cooperate with your local Bee Inspectors:
Beekeepers within the area of the outbreak may be contacted by NBU Inspectors in order to carry out apiary surveillance, we kindly ask for full your co-operation with these visits.
- Report any suspect sightings:
- with your smart phone or tablet, by using the ‘Asian hornet Watch’ app: for Android and iOS devices.
- online at: http://www.brc.ac.uk/risc/alert.php?species=asian_hornet
- by email to: alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk . Please include as much information as possible in your email; where you saw the sighting, your name and contact details and if possible an image.
Please note that during outbreaks the NBU receive high numbers of calls and emails, we therefore ask that you use the signposting information above to report sightings, where possible preferencing the app or electronic form.
We thank you in advance for your co-operation and continued vigilance.
Kind regards,
National Bee Unit.
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Dear Member,
VDBKA FUN HONEY SHOW
Please find below a link to download our Honey Show Poster and the Honey Show Schedule for Saturday 12th October, 2019:
Fun Honey Show Poster
Honey Show Schedule
This will give you an idea of proceedings that have been arranged for the afternoon; please try to exhibit as many exhibits as possible.
This year, to help cut down on landfill, we are asking you to bring along your own cups & plates. Don’t worry if you can’t, we will have a selection of catering disposables made from plants using renewable, lower carbon, recycled or reclaimed materials, which can all be commercially composted after the event.
Please remember to let Heather Burford know what food you will be bringing along on the day, and please let Simon Rogers know if you can donate a raffle prize.
We very much look forward to seeing you on the 12th October.
Best wishes from your Committee
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Dear members,
Important – due to potential structural issues with the roof at East Challow Village Hall we have had to move our upcoming winter association meeting on Friday 22nd March 2019.
Our meeting will now start at 7.45pm in The Millennium Room at Steventon Village Hall, The Green, Steventon, Abingdon OX13 6RR.
Matt Richards will be leading our session with a talk on How to use a ‘Public Access Defibrillator’ and will also cover CPR.
When someone suffers cardiac arrest, for every minute that passes without defibrillation a person’s chances of survival can decrease by up to 10%. By performing CPR and using a defibrillator, you’ll give someone the best possible chance of survival. Particularly in rural areas, early defibrillation is absolutely vital while the patient waits for the ambulance to arrive.
Matt will explain how defibrillators work and debunk some of the misunderstandings about when to use a defibrillator. This will be an opportunity for you to learn how to use an External Automatic Defibrillator, and Matt will also bring a couple of Resuscitation Manikins (or “Resusci Annie”) for you to practice CPR on, so the evening is a combination of talk/demo and practical for those who wish it.
This is a chance to refresh and learn valuable skills that will not only be of use in the apiary, but also in your day-to-day life, and we look forward to seeing you there.
Many thanks
Samantha
V&DBKA Programme Secretary
