EEPE R BE EK S RICT CIREN C T E R & DI ST ES OCTOBER NEWSLETTER Hi Everyone, We have been very lucky will the weather over the past month but it looks as if next week will see a return to ‘normal’ Autumn temperatures, so, it really is time to make sure your winter preparations are well under way. Below are some tips from Margaret Murdin, a Master Beekeeper. Hive ventilation Colonies need good ventilation as it is dampness rather than cold which will kill the bees. So, make sure they are not in frost pockets or under a canopy of trees and that the hive is well ventilated – if you have open mesh floors this should not be a problem. Check the varroa load Although you will have completed your varroa treatment by now, it is a good idea to put your varroa board back in at the end of the month to check the natural mite fall over one week. This will give you an indication of whether you need to treat with oxalic acid in December (the club will be buying some Oxalic Acid and doing a demo in mid-winter). Heft hives to assess stores Having already checked your bees’ stores and fed if necessary, now is the time to heft your hive and get an idea what of what a hive full of stores feels like. Remember what it feels like and use it to compare with the hefted weight in January to give you an indication of whether or not you have to feed in early spring. Allow free movement of the cluster It’s a good idea to remove your queen excluder because your colony might need to move up into a super during winter to be nearer the stores. The bees will not leave the queen, they will stay down in the brood box and starve rather than go without her so you need to make sure she can go with them! Store the excluder on top of the crown board so it is readily available to be replaced in the spring. Reduce the entrance size The entrance will need to be reduced and the entrance block turned so that the opening is at the top(so that bees that die in winter and fall off the cluster do not block the entrance). Mouseguards can be added towards the end of this month too. If you have green woodpeckers in your area it may be time to buy in some chicken wire as well! Our AGM on Thursday 2nd October was well attended with over half of our members present. Our retiring Chair, Alex, highlighted what a busy year the club has had, with moving the apiary (twice!), setting up and manning stands at the Cotswold Show and the 3 Counties Show, running the CDB Honey Show, organizing Healthy Bee Day, talks, demos, workshops, exams, swarm collecting and the BBQ! The club is gradually growing in size, increasing the services provided to members and managing a growing revenue, so, more than ever, we need to know what the members want from the CDB. If you didn’t get to the AGM, please return your questionnaires so that we know what you think about CDB. Alex Bayliss and Susan Brown stood down this year from their roles as Chair and Treasurer. Alex has been Chair for 3 years and we thank her for all her help and guidance over the years. Susan has been manning the accounts for 2 years and is looking forward to a rest from all those figures! On behalf of the members, thank you both for all the hours you have put into the club. (Memo from Susan - membership - still an amazing bargain at £30 – is due in and your hives are not insured from the beginning of October without it.) Club Roles 2014 - 2016 Chair: Susan Sarna Vice Chair: David Best Secretary: Patsy Ward Treasurer: John Stevens Delegate to GBKA: Susan Brown Committee members: John B, Alex B, Jon D, Jan F, Liz G, Bill M, Richard O, Becky Winning, Chris Strudwick, Derek W, Training Manager: Liz Gardner Apiary Managers: Bill Mead, John Barrett Newsletter: Jan Sparrow Swarm Collection Coordinator: Corinne Hilditch Spray Liaison: Scott Carpenter continued C EEPE R BE EK S RICT CIREN T E R & DI ST ES OCTOBER NEWSLETTER The meeting finished with a short talk from Chris Strudwick on mead making and brewing beer with honey. Not sure we all managed to take detailed notes, but as Chris took a load of honey home to get brewing for our Christmas get together we may yet get to taste the recipes! Cheers Chris. The next Newsletter will be coming from the typewriter (computer really but doesn’t sound so good) of Jan Federlein – good luck Jan. Dates for your diary: 16th October 7pm Winter Training Starts Rural Innovation Centre 16th October GBKA Meeting Uckington and Elmstone Village Hall 22nd October 6pm Cirencester & District Beekeepers Committee meeting Rural Innovation Centre 30th October/1st November 83rd National Honey Show St George’s College, Weybridge, Surrey, KT15 2QS The Committee