The apiary meeting last Saturday got off to a slow start due to the weather, but as it improved more attendees showed up. The shop was doing a brisk trade in the end with people picking up supplies. The new season is almost upon us! Are you prepared?
Spring is definitely in the air.... Andy Gowdy popped down the Leeds BKA apiary last Saturday morning to check on the fondant levels on the association bee hives. Some were light and needed fondant adding and others were fine. It is important this time of year to pay close attention to the weight of the hives to make sure they have enough stores to keep them alive. The bees are now rearing brood and are consuming stores much faster than they can bring them in. Heft your own hives to check your bees have enough supplies at this critical time of year. Andy also had a quick look at the Asian Hornet traps that are hung around the apiary and is happy to report they they are empty of any Asian
It's official - Andy Gowdy has more gadgets than James Bond! That was evident last Wednesday evening when it was Andy's turn to give the monthly Winter talk. The subject was Beekeeping Gadgets and Andy didn't disappoint us. Andy has an engineering background and likes both manufacturing his own (he loves wooden pallets!), as well as buying interesting items when he sees them (an Oxalic Acid vaporiser attachment for a blow torch). Andy took us through the history of his beekeeping gadget making and buying, starting with the frame holder he made to aid inspections after he had an operation on his hand. Andy had brought a great deal of his gadgets along with him and showed us both the succes
