Newsletter August 2019

Posted on1st August 20193rd August 2019AuthorJohn Farrow3 Comments

Summary of contents: Keeping Track of the Queens at Barrwood , Help with Honey Extraction, Bee Handling for Beginners at Read More …

Newsletter July 2019

Posted on1st July 201930th July 2019AuthorJohn FarrowLeave a comment

Summary of contents: Visit to Belinda’s Apiary, The Trials of Queen Rearing at Barrwood, Flying the Flag at Weald Fete, Read More …

Newsletter June 2019

Posted on1st June 20193rd June 2019Authoradmin2 Comments

Summary of contents: Queen rearing demonstration at a member’s apiary, honey bees for children, natural comb building by a swarm, Read More …

Notice Board.

Next Apiary Meetings:

Hilbert Road: All meetings start at 2 – 4.00 pm and will be held on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of March through to June. Check with Barry Chaseley or here for late cancellations due to weather.

Barrwood: All meetings start at 2 – 4.00 pm and will be held on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of March through to June. Check with Cliff Hayward or here for late cancellations due to weather.

Our MEETINGS page gives more complete detail.

Website Editors:

John Farrow assisted by Sarah Rapley.

Site Visits since 1st Jan. 2019:

Tips for August.

Set up wasp traps a few metres from your hives (jam jars containing water and a spoonful of jam work well).
Honey can be harvested in early August allowing the bees to keep what more they make for themselves.
After the honey has been harvested, remove the queen excluder, and put a crown board below any supers that you are leaving on to be cleaned out.
Treat the brood box for varroa. MAQS strips, Apiguard gel or ApiLife Var strips are curently recommended. (Make sure your hives are well ventilated when using MAQ strips. Record the varroa drop in the following two weeks so that you know how badly your colonies are infested.
In early August reduce the size of the entrance so the diminishing colony can defend itself against wasps.

Tips for September.

Time to feed the colony for the winter, replacing the honey taken. Feed continuously with standard strength sugar syrup (1 kg added to one pint of water). The colony will need at least 15kg of syrup (more for the bigger hives) to take it through the cold months ahead.
Feeding needs to be completed before the end of the month to give the colony time to drive off the excess water.
Remove varroa gel or strips when treatment is completed.
Reduce entrances to 6mm or fit a mouse guards to the hive entrances.

Swarms: If you have a swarm of honeybees land in your garden, and they look like this:

: go to our SWARM PAGE to check if in fact they are honeybees and to find a list of beekeepers who are prepared to collect them.

Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells Beekeepers

A branch of the Kent Bee-Keepers Association

Category: Newsletters

Newsletter August 2019

Newsletter July 2019

Newsletter June 2019