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Published on Leave a comment on May – Asian Hornets Awake!

Been a busy time and a lot going on. What can we say of the weather - one moment it is warm and we put away our winter clothes and the queen starts to lay. Next it is cold and the winter clothes have to be got out and the workers do not want to go out. It is for this reason that the NBU have issued a starvation alert. Check your hives and if you suspect low stores then now is the time to give them some food. More details can be found on our Bee Info page and at the NBU site.

This was before we got started.

Last weekend was the Dorset Spring Show at Kingston Maurward. The picture above shows what it was like before the gates opened. The picture below shows what happened when the gates opened.

And this is what happened when the gates opened.

For a full report of what we did go to our new events page and link from there.

As the weather warms up - which surely it will - we must be ever more alert to the risk from an Asian Hornet invasion. At the moment the fertile queens will be emerging from hibernation. They are making a small nest in sheltered locations like a shed roof. Check all your sheds.

The queen will be laying eggs and seeking food for the larvae that hatch. Her need is for carbohydrate so any bait stations or traps should have sweet bait. There are many suggestions on the web but basically anything sweet smelling and full of sugar will do. The French recipes often include a sweet liqueur such as Cointreau. I leave it up to you to decide.

If we can catch one queen now then we might be prevent up to 350 fertile queens going into next winter.

There is an excellent video from the BBKA at YouTube.

Finally a reminder that there is a DWBKA Social at the Colliton Club on Wednesday 8th May at the Colliton Club in Dorchester. The socials consist of beekeepers sitting around chatting about whatever is on their mind. Usually the chat is about bees but not always. It is an ideal chance to find out how local beekeepers are faring in this up and down weather. I hope to see you there.

Published on Leave a comment on Simon is back!

Just got back from the BBKA convention in Shropshire and had a wonderful time. If you get a chance to go then take it.

One reason for going is to top up your stocks of frames and foundation and be tempted by other items to buy - and I was.

The good news : Simon the Beekeeper was there and doing a lot of business. I had heard they were no more but chatting to the staff they told me they closed and reopened in the same day and are now going well. Judging by the number of people at their counter then they are certainly are doing well.

So if you are looking for "stuff" then Simon the Beekeeper is one to consider.

Published on Leave a comment on Gard d’Apis : How to set it up and bait it.

Those of you who are now the owners of a Gard d'Apis Asian Hornet Trap may be just a little confused as to what to do next. Hopefully this helps.

Setting up the trap:
There is an excellent YouTube video here. There is another one here.

Where to put the bait:
One approach is to use a piece of kitchen sponge. Use one of those with a green scouring part - and cut that part of. Place the yellow sponge part in a little cup and gently pour in the bait. Note that these sponges are not the most absorbent and the bait should be poured in slowly.

The pictures above show the bait on a bit of sponge ready to go into the trap.

What bait to use:
One problem you may have is what to use as a bait. Trappit, formerly known as Suterra, is not readily available. I suspect that it is because it is stocked as a wasp bait and at this time of year there is not much call for wasp bait. So what do we use?

In the spring the Asian Hornet Queen is waking from a period of dormancy and her main requirement is carbohydrates. Only once she starts egg laying and rearing young will she require protein.

The National Bee Unit suggests a mixture of dark beer, strawberry desert sauce and orange liqueur. In practice it has been found that any sweet, smelly mixture will suffice. Alcoholic drinks seem to attract the Asian Hornet. I would go for a few mls of dark beer mixed with a few mls of wine and then add a sweet desert sauce. Do not under any circumstances use honey. If it is your own honey then there are better places to use it. If it is shop bought honey there is a very high possibility it was sourced from somewhere that has EFB or AFB. It is not worth the risk.