Winter Program

Alan and Ian ask "are your bees properly prepared for winter"

Monitoring your bees over the winter period

Election of officers.   Matters arising during the Summer season

Suggestions of subjects for the winter program.   Social discussions.  

Do please bring along a few cakes etc to share.   If they have a honey content all the better.

Queen rearing. Bronwen White, Master Beekeeper. Q&A’s as we go.

Asian Hornet. Rachel Hayes. A short update & see our web pages.

When to Extract your honey. Is it ready? Clearing your bees. Extracting, ripening & bottling.

Minutes

Swarms and Swarm management.

Catching swarms, isolating swarms, disease risk.  Risks of introducing swarms with badly bred bees.

A presentation by John Clarke.  Questions and discussion and opportunity for members to recount their own experiences of collecting swarms from unusual places.

Minutes

A 15 Minute talk by Maggie Hughes on Microscopy. Followed by Questions and discussion from the floor.

Dealing with Varroa and the spring build up of colonies.   Presented by Ian Cawley

Followed by Questions and discussion from the floor.

Climate and weather govern the lives of our bees.  It affects all their lives and their food supply.  Care for the end of winter and planning your year. Hefting and observing the hive entrance. Dangers when the weather warms up.  Pollen availability, establishing workers and food intake.  Rearing Drones, then Queens, then come swarms. Maintaining a strong colony of honey gatherers.   Presentation by John Clarke

A 15 minute presentation on winter care by Ian Cawley
Including questions and discussion from the floor.

Winter feeding and hive preparation.
Asking members what they would like
to be presented this winter.

Asian Hornet

Topic:- Preparing for the Basic Assessment. A useful refresher about Swarming, Disease and Life cycle of bees for those who do not wish to take the Assessment