Local Asian Hornet Reports

West Suffolk Beekeepers’ Association Posted on by

The invasive species ‘Asian Hornet’ (Vespa velutina) poses a significant threat to bee keeping and public safety, it is an aggressive and voracious predator that has been spreading across Europe and now threatens to cross the channel. This danger is being taken very seriously and the NBU (DEFRA/APHA) teams respond rapidly to any reports of individual insects or nests. A local report, even an unconfirmed one is extremely worrying – please could we all association members familiarize themselves with the identification of this species, install the Asian Hornet Watch app on their phones and if local to the reported areas of Sudbury and Leavenheath set up traps/monitoring stations. Read on for further details.

The APHA writes “a member of the public has reported two sightings of Asian hornet, one near Sudbury and another near Leavenheath. It would be helpful if Beekeepers and Asian Hornet Team members could be on high alert to monitor between these areas, we don’t want to narrow surveillance too much as Asian hornet can fly considerable distances.”

Full report reads: “No photos. I’m afraid I was simply not quick enough with my phone in order to take a photograph, neither am I an entomologist by any means, but I am a professionally trained, wildlife sound recordist with a lifelong interest in wildlife. I am also a member of the Bumblebee Conservation Society among others. None of this makes me an expert in any way of course. My first response was to check your ID sheet along with other ID tools from reliable sources, and I have no doubt in my mind that these were both Asian hornets (I submitted 2 reports of sightings 1 day apart) Nonetheless, thank you for taking the time to check my reports and to reply to me. I will continue to keep an eye out and endeavour to be quicker with my camera or a container of some sort in the future.”

Setup of monitoring stations are described in this article: https://aphascience.blog.gov.uk/…/asian-hornet-week…/

This links takes you directly to a handy ID sheet:https://www.nationalbeeunit.com/…/01_ID_Vespa_velutina…
Links to the Asian Hornet Watch app:iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/…/asian-hornet-watch/id1161238813
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details…

Apiary Update

West Suffolk Beekeepers’ Association Posted on by

Thank you to all who came today to help with the work on the new apiary.

We first checked on the fondant and discovered that most of the colonies needed topping up, all sorted! If you haven’t checked your own bees for a while, we’d suggest you do ASAP, it was amazing how much fondant they had got through in the last month.

We also moved quite a lot of equipment into the storage boxes in the new site, the storage units work very well indeed.

The major piece of work today was putting up the screens on the fencing to encourage the bees to fly up and over any footpaths. Haven’t today’s volunteers done a wonderful job?

WSBKA Apiary Visitors

West Suffolk Beekeepers’ Association Posted on by

It was a lovely surprise to have the Colourbox Nursey children stop by at the new apiary site while we moving the hives on Wednesday. We welcomed them in to take a look (while the hives were still closed up!) and Jane did a great job of engaging with the budding beekeepers of tomorrow. We hope they’ll be back again later this year, eager to learn more.

New WSBKA apiary taking shape

West Suffolk Beekeepers’ Association Posted on by

A huge thank you to all the volunteers yesterday who braved the freezing mud and, along with the Nowton Park Rangers, assisted us with moving into our new apiary location. It’s going to be a great site for the association, with much improved public visibility and we are really looking forward to seeing it develop over the rest of the season. If you think you could spare even just a few hours to join in with the work please do get in touch.

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Annual Bee Safari

West Suffolk Beekeepers’ Association Posted on by

Last Sunday was our annual ‘Bee Safari’, with the NBU regional inspector Chris Milton leading the sessions. A thoroughly fascinating, educational and social day was had by all as we visited 3 very different setups: covering full disease inspections, through queen rearing, grafting, mating nucs etc and even taking a look at a fancy new Flow Hive. Our deep gratitude to everyone who gave up their time and expertise hosting us, a great day all round.

Apiary Open Sessions

West Suffolk Beekeepers’ Association Posted on by

A reminder that all are welcome to attend the Nowton Park apiary from 13:00 every Sunday – get hand-on experience, help out with the inspections, meet and chat to other beekeepers and please also feel free to get in touch with any specific requests for demos etc of techniques or equipment you’re interested in seeing. We also have some themed sessions planned (Queen clipping, disease checks etc), dates of those will be posted as they come up.

Membership renewals

This is a quick reminder that the annual memberships are now due. Please remember that if you don’t renew you will no-longer be covered by the BBKA’s personal liability insurance and you will stop getting your copy of the BBKA magazine, as well as all the other membership benefits. If you want to renew and you can’t find the reminder in your inbox please contact Tim our membership secretary using tim.slaven@btinternet.com.

This Month in the Apiary – December

West Suffolk Beekeepers’ Association Posted on by

Check the weight of the hive / level of stores and add fondant if needed.
Quite often beekeepers give their bees a Christmas present of fondant on Boxing day.
With the entrance narrowed down it’s important to check that the entrance is clear as there is a danger that bees that have died in the hive can start blocking this entrance.
Worth doing a Varroa drop count, the National Bee Unit (BeeBase) has a very useful Varroa calculator that allows you to enter the date, the number of mites found on your Varroa board over a number of days and estimates the likely infestation level and whether you should treat for them.
During this month the amount of capped brood is low and the mites are forced to exist on the bodies of the bees, leaving them more vulnerable to a Varroa treatment such as Api-bioxal, using a trickle method or the evaporation method.
In the trickle method the treatment is trickled between two brood frames whereas the evaporation method involves a small rodlike pan which you heat with a car battery placed in the entrance with the oxalic crystals and leave for a few minutes to allow the crystals to vapourise.
During these winter months check your hives to make sure they and any stored equipment are safe from wax moth, rodents and other pests.

This Month in the Apiary – November

West Suffolk Beekeepers’ Association Posted on by
  • Varroa treatments should now be complete remove strips such as Amitraz to avoid  building resistance by varroa mites
  • Mouseguards should be in place along with woodpecker protection 
  • Heft the hive to judge the level of  stores. It is now too late to feed syrup as it cannot be processed, only use fondant wrapped in cling film and placed over the crownboard hole
  • Ensure the hives are pest proof and weighted down with bricks against winds 
  • Ensure under the hives are clear of weeds etc to reduce damp
  • Insulate the roof or place on top of the crownboard  in order to help the cluster  maintain an ambient temperature
  • Watch for continuous frosts in order to treat with oxalic in a broodless period towards the end of the month
  • Now is the time to clean and repair equipment
  • Spend the winter months planning for next year and reading up on topics to improve your knowledge

This Month in the Apiary – October

West Suffolk Beekeepers’ Association Posted on by
  1. All feeding should be finished as the bees cannot process the syrup in low temperatures
  2. Clean feeders and store
  3. Up date records if you have united colonies / update BeeBase
  4. Check hives for gaps or damage
  5. Remove vegetation under hives to avoid damp
  6. Repair then store equipment
  7. Fit mouseguards
  8. Prepare insulation if using
  9. Protect hives from pests especially in out apiaries
  10. Continue to monitor for Asian Hornets

This Month in the Apiary – September

West Suffolk Beekeepers’ Association Posted on by
  • Treatments should have been completed, making sure you have read the instructions and know if and when you need to remove them to avoid resistance.
  • Boards should have been monitored and a note made of the best and worst colonies for varroa loads. use this information next year when rearing queens.
  • Unite small colonies. They are unlikely to survive if they are small. Make sure they are disease free.
  • If taking nucs through the winter keep checking they have sufficient stores.
  • Feeding should be finished by at least the middle of September. As temperatures drop the bees cannot remove the water in the feed and it may ferment and cause dysentery.
  • If still feeding use a thick syrup with a rapid feeder. feed all colonies in the evening to avoid robbing and don’t spill syrup.
  • Wasps may be a problem so set out traps away from the hives use jam or fizzy drink never use syrup or honey. Close entrances to one bee space to enable them to be defended more easily.
  • To prevent wax moth destroying supers, clean and scorch the boxes and either freeze then air frames or treat with a 80% acetic acid.
  • Check hives are sound and joints are tight for the winter. Think about insulation ahead of needing it.
  • Asian hornet traps need to be monitored.