Dorchester and Weymouth Bee Keepers Association

On the 19th May we have a social at the Colliton Club in Dorchester. This one will be upstairs where we will join in a Zoom lecture on Practical Swarm Collection. As someone who has collected many swarms I am looking forward to seeing how others do it.

There are a couple more dates to add to your diary. On the 19th June we are running a trip to Robert Field's Honey plant. I have been there and it is well worth a visit. If you want more details contact our secretary.

Then on the 20th June we have a special session at the apiary at Stinsford. Our recently retired Seasonal Bee Inspector, Kevin Pope, will be checking the apiary. To watch and listen to Kevin do an inspection is well worth it. If you think you know it all then come to this inspection and learn more. If you are still unsure of how much you know then come along and learn more.

On the 26th July we will be at Warmwell Fete and 12th August will be a social at the Colliton Club. This one is timed to allow you to chat about the Dorset County Show. It will be an opportunity for you to grade your honey as "light", "medium" or "dark" using our grading glasses.

Hopefully we will see you at one of these events.

This is a busy time for beekeepers so why not take a break and visit us at the Dorset Spring Show in Puddletown on the 9th or 10th of may. We will be there noth days though you only need be there for one!

We will be talking about bees and how we look after them. There will also be an opportunity to roll a candle. Who knows what else we might be demonstrating. We were there last year and it is a most enjoyable show with lots going on.

If you miss that one then the following week on Saturday 16^th May  we'll be on Weymouth seafront for the Weymouth Community Expo event, talking to the public about the Yellow legged Hornet and how to find them.

There has also been a lot of interest in our For Sale page and I am pleased to say a National Hive went from there in less than a week.  I have added some more stuff and expect there will be even more added and sold in the next few days.

New goodies on the For Sale page. Do have a look after you have read this post.

Last Thursday we had at least three swarm collection requests in Weymouth. All were dealt with by some of our most experienced bee keepers.

Collecting swarms is an important activity. The swarm holder is keen to get rid of a swarm which they may feel is a threat to every other living thing within several miles! The swarm collector is keen to obtain another colony.

It is also an ideal opportunity to educate the public. Once you have smoothly got most of the swarm into your skep you have time to educate Joe or Josephine Public about bees. In many cases this may be the only time they meet a beekeeper so make maximum use of the time.

The swarm I collected last week was, as ever, just out of reach up a tree and just as I described in a recent lecture. I was up a ladder which did not quite reach and I had to lean out with skep in one hand and then let go of the ladder so that I could use the other hand to knock the branch. Why is it always so awkward. Not only that but whilst I was up the ladder my phone rang. Needless to say it was not in my bee suit pocket but in my jeans pocket. That was exactly what I had told the beginners not to do!

The bees are now housed in a hive in the garden. They are the smallest bees I have ever seen! The only explanation I can come up with is that they are from a hive that has been chronically neglected. The worker bees clean out the cells from which adult bees have emerged but they cannot clean them completely. Over several brood cycles these cells fill up with discarded moults and pupa cases and the next occupant has less space to grow into so we end up with small bees. This is not good for the colony as a small bee cannot travel as far and cannot carry such a load of pollen, nectar or water.

Hopefully after a complete brood cycle I will see bigger bees emerge - I will let you know.

Meanwhile do check out the For Sale page where there are new adverts for a National Hive and a nucleus the a Buckfast Queen. Just what the enthusiastic beginner needs.