Submitted by leedsbka on Saturday, June 20 @ 00:00:00 BST (58 reads)
Thorne's WRAGBY OPEN DAY will be held on Saturday 11th July 2009. Hundreds of equipment bargains at incredible prices. Free entry to all events and workshops commencing at 11am.
Contact: Phone: 01673 85855, Fax: 01673 857004, Email: sales@thorne.co.uk
Submitted by leedsbka on Friday, June 12 @ 00:00:00 BST (29 reads)
BBKA Newsletter No.177 June 2009 is now available for BBKA members to download in PDF format from the BBKA members area. The BBKA members area login details can be found on the back your BBKA 2008-09 membership card.
Submitted by leedsbka on Saturday, May 30 @ 00:00:00 BST (46 reads)
Maybe I am all fingers and thumbs but one area I have had a problem with in the past was inserting a small piece of foundation into Apidea frames. I melted wax and poured some along the top bar and the pieces of wax looked fine and
secure. That is until the bees clustered on it. Then several of them fell down. The bees were then free to build as they wished and they did not always respect the frames. Then I discovered a far quicker and easier way of doing the job. Simply use a squeeze of PVA glue along the top bar between the two ridges. Insert the wax and leave it to dry. No melting and possible spilling of wax. The glue dries to an almost invisible line and the bees have no objection to it. Later, when it comes to salvaging the comb, the thread of PVA will just pull off from the wax or the frame. It is far quicker and involves much less mess than using
melted wax. Jim Ryan, Galtee Bee Breeders Group
Submitted by LEEDSBKA on Tuesday, May 26 @ 00:00:00 BST (95 reads)
Almost 4000 of the UK's favourite cosmetics are under threat, including 643 brands of mascara, 589 lipsticks and at least 453 moisturisers.
The cosmetics all rely on beeswax, used as a preserve and barrier against air and moisture. [Original Article]
Submitted by LEEDSBKA on Friday, May 22 @ 00:00:00 BST (86 reads)
The Co-operative Group has launched a fund and donated £10,000 towards mapping the locations of the native British black honeybee and developing a breeding programme to increase their numbers . Dinah Sweet, the chairman of Bibba, said: "This is a much-needed and long overdue research study which could unlock the answer to the potentially catastrophic decline in the UK honeybee population. However, we have to identify where they can be found so that we can use them to expand the number of native black honeybee colonies and make them more available to beekeepers." [Original Article]
BBC Gardener's World Live & Good Food Show (NEC 10-14 Jun)
Submitted by LEEDSBKA on Wednesday, May 20 @ 00:00:00 BST (114 reads)
The 2009 BBC Gardener's World Live and BBC Summer Good Food Show takes place from 10-14 June at The NEC, Birmingham.
Book Tickets Online.
OFFER: If you have a Tesco Clubcard, then you can buy a token for admission to both shows for just £6 in clubcard vouchers (although you'll need to order by 29th May 2009). Tickets on the day are normally £22.50, so that's a fantastic saving!!
Order Tesco Admission Token for £6.
Submitted by leedsbka on Saturday, May 16 @ 00:00:00 BST (58 reads)
Bees for Development safaris are special holidays offering interesting beekeeping experiences with opportunities to meet local people and gain appreciation of the areas you visit. Their next safari will be hosted by Mr Gladstone Solomon, President of Tobago Apicultural Society and of the Association of Caribbean Beekeeping Organisations. Mr Gladstone has been a BfD partner for 14 years. With his great experience of beekeeping and as a guide you are ensured of a memorable visit. For further details on this and future safaris visit the www.beesfordevelopment.org website, phone: 0160 071 3648 or email: info@beesfordevelopment.org .
Submitted by LEEDSBKA on Thursday, May 14 @ 00:00:00 BST (55 reads)
Why do honeycombs have hexagonal cells? In the 18th century a French scientist, René de Réaumur, worked out that the hexagonal structure ensures that bees fill the volume efficiently yet limit the total wall area of the cells.Darwin used the beehive as an example of evolution, saying it “was absolutely perfect in economising labour and wax”. Thompson argued for a simpler physical explanation, saying that natural selection need not enter the picture at all. If one treated each individual cell as a bubble of wax created by a bee, and every bee was trying to create as large a cell as possible, the physics of surface tension would ensure that all the bubbles took on a hexagonal shape within the hive. [Original Economist.com article]
Submitted by leedsbka on Tuesday, May 12 @ 00:00:00 BST (72 reads)
We regret that this year's YBKA field day event, which was due to be hosted by Leeds BKA at Temple Newsam apiary on 13th June, has been cancelled. Problems with the venue, specifically health and safety issues with regard to animals in the pastures and the serving of food from marques in the pastures, means that we cannot offer any refreshments. We feel that this will make the day less pleasant for YBKA members who deserve high quality services,.
Submitted by LEEDSBKA on Saturday, May 09 @ 00:00:00 BST (48 reads)
It is increasingly being recognised that managed bees need food supplements. In some places, a decline in the area of pasture land on which they can forage, the loss of weedy borders and the growth of crop monocultures mean it is hard for bees to find a wide enough range of pollen sources to obtain all their essential amino acids. In extreme cases they may not even find enough basic protein. The suggestion is that poor nutrition has weakened the bees’ immune systems, making them more vulnerable to viruses and other parasites. Feeding bees supplements, rather than relying on their ability to forage in the wild, costs time and money. Many beekeepers therefore try to avoid it. Anecdote suggests, however, that those who do fork out find their colonies are far more resistant to CCD. [Original Economist.com article]
