Lincolnshire Beekeepers Association

First Asian Hornet of 2022 Confirmed
Friday 29 April 2022

The first Asian Hornet of 2022 on the British mainland has been confirmed at Felixstowe in Suffolk.

The National Bee Unit is carrying out enhanced monitoring and awareness raising together with local beekeepers after a single insect, confirmed to be Vespa velutina was killed at a sentinel apiary, reported by a beekeeper.

Last year there were 2 Asian Hornet nests found on the mainland at Ascot in Berkshire and Portsmouth in Hampshire in October.
There has only been one other spring sighting of Asian Hornets at Bury in Lancashire in 2018.
Beekeepers in Suffolk are asked to be on alert for hornets around their hives.

Notice of AGM Saturday 23rd April 2022 @ 10.00am via ZOOM
Agenda, 2021 minutes, zoom invite and the 2021 Accounts will be circulated week commencing 11th April 2022.

Election of Officers – Officer positions due for election are:

• Chair
• Vice-Chair
• Secretary
• Membership Secretary
• Treasurer
• Education Officer
• Examinations Secretary
• National Honey Show Representative
• Asian Hornet Coordinator
• ADM Delegate
• Welfare Officer
• Publicity Officer
• Webmaster
• Lincolnshire Show Committee – Secretary

If you would like any more information about any of the above roles, please contact AGM@nullbombercountybees.co.uk
Any nominations for any of the above officers with a proposer and seconder should
be emailed to AGM@nullbombercountybees.co.uk by Friday 1st April 2022
Any propositions members would like to propose for the meeting, please email to
AGM@nullbombercountybees.co.uk by Friday 1st April 2022.
Please can you ensure if you are making a proposal, you will be attending the
meeting to present your proposal. Your proposals need to be proposed and
seconded on submission.
Many thanks – Iain Burnley

The Annual Honey Show is planned to take place again at this years Lincolnshire Show at the showground 22nd & 23rd June, the Marquee will be in the usual place in the countryside area.

This is a full show with 51 classes so please read the schedule and have ago there are no entry fees but prizes for the successful. For your guidance I have included some notes on preparing your exhibits for showing you may find helpful and an entry form which can be completed online or downloaded and sent to the Entry Secretary.

Honey show schedule

Preparing for the honey show

Entry Form

You are invited to a Zoom meeting and the subject is Colony and Swarm Management by Checkerboarding delivered by John White who has co-authored a book on the subject.

Topic: Sleaford Beekeepers’ Checkerboarding Zoom Meeting

Time: Mar 29, 2022 07:30 PM

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86165232351?pwd=QURDOGV5N0lqbDg5cjRQNXc3NHNhZz09

Meeting ID: 861 6523 2351 Passcode: 896221

Advanced Husbandry Assessment Preparation Training

A programme of three days will cover both theoretical and practical aspects of the Advanced Husbandry Assessment, aiming to give the participants an understanding of what the assessment entails and what they need to do to be successful.

An intensive residential course, with high tutor to student ratio, providing time and space for both tutor to student, as well as student to student interactions.

The participants are required to hold the BBKA General Husbandry Certificate and to be eligible to take the Advanced Husbandry assessment in the near future.

Venue Location: Stoneleigh, Warwickshire

Course Dates: Friday 15th July, Saturday 16th July and Sunday 17th July 2022

Course Fee: £350.00 per person – including accommodation and meals

Maximum number of participants is 12

General Husbandry Assessment Preparation Training – Stoneleigh, Warwickshire

A programme of 20 hours over three days will cover both theoretical and practical aspects of the General Husbandry Assessment, aiming to give the participants an understanding of what the assessment entails and what they need to do to be successful.

The participants are required to hold the BBKA Basic Certificate and to be eligible to take the General Husbandry Assessment in 2023.

Venue Location: Stoneleigh, Warwickshire

Course Dates:

• Saturday 30th April 2022 – Theory
• Sunday 1st May 2022 – Theory
• Sunday 22nd May 2022 – Apiary Practical

Sarah Snelson – Deputy Manager/Examinations Officer

With just five weeks to the Convention at Harper Adams University, TF10 8NB, we are on track for a repeat of the sociable event that we have enjoyed before.  Three days immersion in ‘all things’ honeybees, with the opportunity to meet old friends and make friends we don’t yet know.  All in Harper Adams’ spacious campus in the Shropshire countryside and fuelled by their excellent, and reasonably priced, catering.

Many workshops are now fully booked, so several extra have been opened to meet demand.  Any places remaining after 29^th March (when bookings close)  can be reserved at the Convention from Friday 8th.

Key dates:

29^th March – last date for advance bookings of Wristband Tickets, Workshops, Dinners & Tent/Camper/Caravan pitches. Whilst Wristbands are available on-the-day, these are cheaper in advance.

Saturday 9^th April 08.30 – 16.30: Convention Trade Show – One Day Only

THE major Trade Show of the year. Meet the traders; inspect the kit; handle the hive tools; try on that new bee-suit; trade-in beeswax; collect pre-orders; learn from Speakers Corner, and so much more.  Tickets available only on-the-day, just £6.  

NB Card payments only at the Convention for Wristbands, Catering etc. 

For full details and to book, see: www.bbka.org.uk/spring-convention-2022-updates

Joyce Nisbet – BBKA Trustee & Spring Convention Committee Chair

Lincolnshire Beekeepers’ Association
Registered Charity Number 500360
www.lincsbka.org.uk

Notice of AGM
Saturday 23rd April 2022 @ 10.00am via ZOOM

Agenda, 2021 minutes, zoom invite and the 2021 Accounts will be circulated week commencing 11th April 2022.

Election of Officers – Officers positions due for election are:

• Chair
• Vice-Chair
• Secretary
• Membership Secretary
• Treasurer
• Education Officer
• Examinations Secretary
• National Honey Show Representative
• Asian Hornet Coordinator
• ADM Delegate
• Welfare Officer
• Publicity Officer
• Webmaster
• Lincolnshire Show Committee – Secretary

If you would like any more information about any of the above roles, please
contact AGM@nullbombercountybees.co.uk

Any nominations for any of the above officers with a proposer and seconder should
be emailed to AGM@nullbombercountybees.co.uk by Friday 1st April 2022

Any propositions members would like to propose for the meeting, please email to
AGM@nullbombercountybees.co.uk by Friday 1st April 2022.

Please can you ensure if you are making a proposal, you will be attending the
meeting to present your proposal. Your proposals need to be proposed and
seconded on submission.

Lincolnshire Beekeepers Annual Equipment Auction

Saturday 26th March 2022

At the Lincolnshire Showground, Grange-de-Lings, Lincoln, LN2 2NA

Just off the A15 north of Lincoln

Bees and equipment accepted for sale from 1:30pm till 5:30pm on Friday 25th March and 8:30am to 10:00am on the day of the sale Viewing from 09:00am Saturday

12½% Sellers commission – 10% Buyers premium £1 registration – Raffle ticket will be given for each registration.

BUYERS CAN PAY WITH DEBIT/CREDIT CARD

To sell or buy, you need to register at the desk before the sale begins and obtain a customer number. Further details can be obtained from lincolngroupsec@nullgmail.com

Government Publish New Implementation Plan

“A new implementation plan has been published which sets out how Defra and the Welsh Government will work together with stakeholders to deliver the Healthy Bees Plan 2030 to improve honey bee health and husbandry in England & Wales.  More than fifty actions have been developed in partnership with industry and stakeholders for beekeepers, bee farmers, bee associations and government to work on together, to protect honey bees from a variety of pests, diseases and environmental threats over the next 10 years.” There are many references to local association and the BBKA that officers of the LBKA should be aware of.  There will be training opportunities and may be funding available. https://www.nationalbeeunit.com/downloadDocument.cfm?id=1454

The Honey Show Results

On the 4th September we held the Extraordinary LBKA County Honey show at Thornes at Wragby. The results and a few photos are available on our events page.

Swarm Information

If you have a swarm of honey bees please visit this site for more information and to find your nearest swarm collector

The Bee Diseases and Pests Control (England) (Amendment) Order 2021

The BBKA published the following on their Facebook page on the 11th April 2021.

The reporting of varroa in your hives will come in on April 21st – you report for each apiary you have and we think it will be via Beebase but we will get back to you on this. Not too onerous because you look for it on every inspection #bees https://legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2021/420/made

Defra Survey about training for beekeepers and bee farmers

It is not often that government asks us directly what we want.  The Defra Survey is one of these occasions.  The questionnaire only takes about 10 mins.
Defra Survey about training for beekeepers and bee farmers

Defra launches the Healthy Bees Plan 2030 to help protect honey bees

The Government have launched a ten year plan to protect and improve the health of honey bees in England and Wales.  Nice to see something else coming out of Westminster. Full details here with links to the actual plan

Lincolnshire Beekeepers Associations wins TWO trophies at the County Show.  

The Gamekeeper Cup for best stand in the Countryside Area and also The Witham Group Cup for runner up best stand in the showground (over 600 stands).  A new report available with photos

Bart Batley from Boston shows a series of photographs and a video about how he made a nuc from old kitchen cabinets doors.

During June/July 2019 LBKA members were asked to to complete an online survey about the Quarterly Review.

I have closed the online survey and compiled the results (link to document in green below). 

In total there were 177 responses however one member from Sleaford had completed twice, one each from Market Rasen and Louth had not provided a valid name or membership number so these have been removed.

Hopefully the attached results are self explanatory and can help influence discussion at the Central Council meeting next Tuesday (9th July 2019).

If anyone has any questions please feel free to drop me a line.

Graham – Could we put these on Facebook / Website?

Kind regards,

Iain Burnley

Publications Survey Graphs.pdf

In association with the National Bee Unit and supported by BDI, North Lincolnshire Beekeepers District held a Bee Health Day on Saturday 8th June 2019 at Broughton Village Hall, High Street, Broughton DN20 0JX. The day started with a presentation on Exotics by Keith Morgan, then the attendees were split into groups who rotated between demonstrations of inspections by the bee inspectors at the apiary, live examples of diseased combs and a presentation on varroa and its treatments. All activities ere organised and run by Keith Morgan, our Regional Bee Inspector together with his team of seasonal bee inspectors.

Many thanks go North Lincs District for running it well and for the use of their apiary, Keith Morgan (the inspector) being generous with his time, the chance to see inspectors and get instruction and to have a go. And all of this for a fiver.  There should be more of this sort of training.

More soon.

Pictures by Will Hamilton

The Lincolnshire Show 2019, one of, if not the, main event of the Lincolnshire Beekeepers Calendar, only possible because of the efforts of a team of volunteers.  With hundreds of entries in forty nine classes this provided visitors with a colourful display along with stalls and stands to taste honey, skep making, display hives, candle rolling, information on beekeeping, information on the Asian Hornet and more.  As always it was extremely popular with members of the public, there was also an impressive array of different honeys from the hopefuls. Look at the different colours! As a result LBKA won Trophies for Best stand in the countryside area and and Second Best in the whole show.

Photos from William Hamilton:

LBKA Members have posted a considerable number of photos on social media.  Here is a selection.  See how many people you know.

The main source of photos is The Lincolnshire Beekeepers Annual Show Facebook page.  Includes photos of full results.

LBKA -Horncastle Beekeepers District Facebook page.

Lincolnshire Beekeeping Association- Sleaford District

Boston district beekeepers association

At a meeting of my local district a visitor from Grantham Beekeepers expressed her desire for a see-through quilt. This appealed to me. I often want a quick look to see if comb is being drawn or filled. Can I justify the expense when I already have reasonably new crown boards? Peak Hives (www.peak-hives.co.uk) do one for £17 + £10 postage, but that is for a national hive and I’m on Langstroths.

Then it occurred to me that I might be able to replace the wood in my existing crown boards with plastic. It proved to be the simpler then I thought. Most crown boards are stapled together. If you prise the staples out, the central piece of wood will slide out.

Now, I may have mentioned it before, but I can not saw straight. So I looked up “acrylic sheet cut to size uk” on Google and there are loads. I settled on simplyplastics.com because I liked the look of their web site. Select the type of plastic you want. I used Cast Acrylic otherwise known as Perspex. Measure the length, width and thickness of the wooden sheet removed from the crown board and enter these measurement into the website. If you want a hole in the sheet you will have to specify its diameter and its position. I also wanted a plug for the hole so bought two disks of the same material, one smaller than the hole and one larger. Paid for the goods and a week later they arrived.

Now the difficult bit, removing the protective film. It’s really fiddly to get started. Try running your finger along the edge. That really is the most difficult part. Once you get it started it’s easy.

The large sheet simple slid into the frame. Screwed the frame back together. Stick the small disk to the large disk and job done. Apart from waiting for the glue to dry, the construction only took 20 minutes and another ten on the Internet.

It really is that simple.

The cost? With delivery just under £20. It will not be much more for the full size Langstroth or National box as it’s the work you mainly pay for.