Events

Pub Meeting Wed 2nd Oct

The local beekeepers will be meeting in the back bar of the Neidpath Inn Peebles on Wednesday 2nd October at 7.30pm.

Winter preparations are under way. Lucky beekeepers may have some honey crop. Find out the latest news at the regular pub meeting.

All welcome as usual for news, tips and general chat.

September Meeting Tue 24th

Venue: Community Centre (Drill Hall) Peebles 7.30pm

An introduction to the associations newest and most expensive acquisition – a Konigin 12 frame electric extractor.

We have recently bought a brand new electric extractor. Before lending it out for general use we would like to demonstrate the correct use of the machine. It has several programmable options and a few quirks that are worth knowing.

We will bring the machine along to the hall so we can see it in operation (no actual honey will be involved). There is an instruction video that we will show, as well as paper instructions.

Konigin-Extractors-V2 Download

Refreshments (contributions welcome) and chat afterwards as usual .

Apiary Report 18th Sept

Elaine, Wilma and Peter visited the association apiary on Wednesday 18th.

The main job was to put Apivar strips in for varroa treatment.

For the records we used 500mg strips – Lot: 190344, Expiry: 02/2021

Minimum date for removal will be 30th October, Max date 27th November.

Report

Hive 2

Varroa count 4 (in 4 days) = rate 1 per day

Super was about half filled with stores – some uncapped. This was moved to below the brood box. Queen excluder was removed. 2 x apivar strips in brood box. Crown board and large feeder on top with syrup.

Hive 3

Varroa count approx 60 (in 4 days) = rate 15 per day

2 x apivar strips in brood box. Feeder refilled.

Hive 4

Varroa count 4 (in 4 days) = rate 1 per day

2 x apivar strips in brood box. Feeder refilled.

Hive 5

Varroa count 1 (in 4 days) = rate 0.25 per day

2 x apivar strips in brood box. Feeder refilled.

Nuc 3

1 x apivar strip applied. Feeder refilled

Black Queen Nuc

1 x apivar strip applied. Feeder refilled

Association Apiary Visit

Wed 18th Sept 2019 1.30pm

(Confirmed)

Leader: Peter

Exact date and time will be confirmed by email.

Please contact Mandy Tel: 01721 720563 Mob: 07563 185993 beforehand for details so you can be notified of any changes to the schedule due to weather or other circumstances.

Our regular visit to inspect the association colonies.

All welcome, particularly beginners.

Clean beesuits, gloves and footwear are required. Suits are available to borrow on request.

Apiary Visit Report

Sat 7th September

We had a good visit to the association apiary. A few regulars and some welcome guests turned up including some junior bee enthusiasts. Scroll down for the photos.

Thanks to Janet for the notes.

Inspection Notes from Apiary visit 7th September 2019

Hive 4

Queen not seen.
Brood box – three frames with small amount of sealed brood.
Lots of bees.
One super with lots of sealed honey, another super with a smaller amount of sealed and unsealed honey.

Action taken:

Super with smaller amount of honey moved to below the brood box.
Clearing board put in between brood box and super with sealed honey (super above brood box).
Queen excluder removed.

Next visit:

Take top super off.
Feed with syrup.

Hive 2

Queen, eggs and brood seen.

Actions taken:

Frames with sealed honey moved to the sides, and unsealed frames moved towards middle.

Hive 3

Two supers, both partially filled. Third, empty super on top to accommodate fondant feed.

Actions taken:

Fondant feed (almost all gone) removed.
Best frames from both supers transferred to one super. This was left above brood box with excluder removed and replaced with a clearing board.
Less filled frames put in the other super which was then placed under the brood box.
The empty spare super (from the fondant feed) left on top of the clearing board).

Hive 5

No super. Queen seen. Some sealed brood – no eggs or unsealed brood. Frames very full of stores.

Nuc 3

Queen seen – still laying.

Actions taken:

Syrup added.

Black Queen Nuc

Lots of sealed brood, larvae and eggs. Queen seen.

Action taken:

Reservoir at the side of the nuc filled with syrup and stick added for bees to climb on.

Update Sun 8th

Richard and Peter removed the cleared supers from Hives 3 and 4 and replaced with feeders in an empty super as eke. Feeders were filled with syrup.

A swarm has taken up residence rather near the storage sheds

Tabitha and Daisy enjoyed their visit to the bees.

These are building up from a native bee mating nuc.

A native dark bee queen courtesy of Kate Atchley laying well in the nuc.

Association Apiary Visit

7th Sept 2019 1.30pm

(Confirmed)

Leader: Wilma and Peter

Exact date and time will be confirmed by email.

Please contact Mandy Tel: 01721 720563 Mob: 07563 185993 beforehand for details so you can be notified of any changes to the schedule due to weather or other circumstances.

Our regular visit to inspect the association colonies.

All welcome, particularly beginners.

Clean beesuits, gloves and footwear are required. Suits are available to borrow on request.

Dark Bee Queen Rearing

Here are some photos from Wilma showing some the action from this seasons attempts at raising native dark queens from the associations native bee stock. The hard work here has mainly been done by Wilma, Linda and David.

These were taken when they were moving the black amm queen that was mated at Kate Atchleys apiary from an apidea into a nuc box.

Kate delivering the Apideas with the mated queens

Pub Meeting Wed 4th Sept

The local beekeepers will be meeting in the back bar of the Neidpath Inn Peebles on Wednesday 4th September at 7.30pm.

September already and its time to think about honey harvest (if you’re lucky), winter preparations and varroa treatments.

Come along for the usual association news, tips, advice and gossip.

Honey Picnic Photos

We enjoyed the afternoon at Wilma and Jocks heather honey site. The weather was mixed as the photos will show. The bees looked good and had produced some really nice frames of heather honey. The picnic got rained on but since its Scotland so we carried on regardless.