Conwy Beekeepers' Association – Cymdeithas Gwenynwyr Conwy

Hallo beekeepers

Prize Photo

Congratulations to member Cordelia Molloy, Cwm y Glo, whose photo of the Honeybees’ Tea Party is a prizewinner in BeeCraft magazine Calendar Competition. The photo was taken at an apiary meeting at Tal y Cafn. There were 134 entries and 13 winners, who each win a Payne’s poly nuc hive.

Thorne’s Sale

Thorne’s annual on-line sale starts on Monday 21st November at 9am. We suggest you should be ready to order as soon as the site goes live, to avoid a long wait for your order.

Bodnant Welsh Food Centre

Bodnant Welsh Food Centre is starting to recruit staff for the Furnace Farm project, opening in Spring 2012 near Tal y Cafn. Click here for info and scroll down to Gallery for some good pics of the work in progress. Also, see info on Bees at Furnace Farm.

Next Talk – Tuesday 29th November

Craig y Don Community Centre, 7.20pm tea and coffee for a 7.40pm start.
An updated talk by Wally Shaw Anglesey BKA on Beekeeping in New Zealand.

Here is a fascinating video on skep making and an article about bee sting vaccines from The Telegraph.

Tuesday 27th September – Secrets of the Showbench

Craig y Don Community Centre. Welcome tea and coffee at 7.20pm. Meeting starts at 7.40pm.
Geoff Critchley restarts our evening meetings by leading an informal evening on Secrets of the Showbench. Please bring jars of your best honey, light, medium, granulated etc. in 454g labelled jars, plus beeswax blocks, candles etc. We will compare our honeys and share tips and hints about how to reach Honey Show standard. We all have honey this year, and we hope the meeting will encourage you to support our Association Honey Show on Tuesday 18th October. More details are on the association honey show schedule 2011.

also on Tuesday 27th September – Conwy Rural Development Roadshow

Rowen Memorial Hall, Conwy Valley LL32 8YA, 2pm to 7pm.
Information on grants for farm diversification, rural business support, rural tourism projects and village renewal. All welcome.

New members

Welcome to Myfanwy and Geraint Roberts, Llanbedr y Cennin, Conwy Valley.

Apiguard

is still available from Chris Clarke. There are widespread supply problems elsewhere, but we have enough in stock for Conwy BKA members.

Conwy Honey Fair

Sorry, stall space is now full up.

Thornes

See Thorne’s interesting new Facebook page with some good pics of their new factory. Thorne’s winter online sale starts mid-November.

Beekeeping takes flight in primary school…

Learning to look after bees has transformed the behaviour of unruly pupils, says headteacher according to this article in The Guardian.

Looking ahead

The April 2012 BBKA Spring Convention will be held in a new venue at Newport, Shropshire. Much nearer than Stoneleigh!

Happy beekeeping.
Peter McFadden

Sunday 21st August—Apiary Meeting

Tal y Cafn at 2.30pm
Our last open apiary meeting of the summer. Assessing the hives for winter… queenright, healthy, well-fed?
Thanks to everybody who has supported the apiary meetings this summer, and many thanks to the team of instructors.

Apiguard—Please order from Chris Clarke for collection at the meeting.

Saturday 27th August—Taster Day 3

Rowen and Tal y Cafn
Spaces available, please spread the word. More details here.

Tuesday 6th September—Basic Beekeeping Course 6

Henfaes
Spaces available, please spread the word. More details here.

Tuesday 13th September—Conwy Honey Fair

High Street, Conwy 9am to 4pm
Our 22nd Honey Fair. See the fairs page for stallholders info and the history of the event. We need one more marshall to help control the traffic barrier please, from 2pm to 4pm.

Plus…Conwy Farmers’ Market on the Quay

We suggest a basic price of £5 per 454g jar of honey. Other sizes at your own price.
Please let the association secretary know if you wish to sell honey. We cannot accommodate sellers who just turn up without booking.

Tuesday and Thursday 16th and 18th August

Dolgarrog Aluminium Company archives on display at the Rowen Young Farmers Club hall, Ffordd Rowen, Ty’n y Groes, 6pm to 8pm. Free admission.

We regret to report that American Foul Brood (AFB) has been found in two hives of bees in two apiaries in St. Asaph belonging to one beekeeper. Both colonies have been destroyed by burning by Seasonal Bee Inspector David Hards.

If you have bees within 10km of St. Asaph, please contact the association secretary on 01492 650851 to arrange an urgent inspection.

AFB is the most virulent of all the bee diseases. North West Wales has a very good record of keeping AFB away, with only a handful of isolated cases in our area in the last 30 years. Other parts of the UK have outbreaks more or less regularly. Moving bees into our clean area is a surefire way to spread AFB.

We encourage all members to register on BeeBase (http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/)
See https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/beebase/downloadDocument.cfm?id=7 for info on AFB.

See schedules below for the honey classes at Llanrwst Show on Saturday 20th August. Do please support the Show.

• Llanrwst show schedule 1
• Llanrwst show schedule 2

Welcome to new members

Bob Jones, Trofarth, recruited from the June Taster Day.
Felicity Elphick and family, Llandudno, ex website.
Shirley McCluskey, Anglesey, ex Henfaes course.
We now have 150 members!

Sunday 7th August—Bardsey Island

Boat trip to visit Steve Porter and family
Both sailings are now full up.  Bon voyage.

Saturday 13th August—Eglwysbach Show

We will be having a stall in the Rural Development Plan tent. Thanks to RDP for their invitation. We have space for a few honey sellers. We hope that honey sellers will also exhibit honey in the Show.

Saturday 27th August—Taster Day

Places available. A booking form is available on the taster day page.

Winter Beekeeping course

Please spread the word… Places are still available on the very popular Basic Beekeeping Course at Henfaes, starting in September. We recommend that anyone who has been on a taster day this year should enrol on the course, before they start serious beekeeping.  A booking form is available on the course page.

Beekeeping manuals on-line

Pam Gregory’s beekeeping manuals are available free at http://www.aainternational.co.uk/ and at http://www.techtalk-international.com/

The Wales Regional Bee Inspectorate have produced a summer update document.

Saturday 30th July—Apiary Meeting

Tal y Cafn at 2.30pm
Including special guest instructor Jonathan Garratt. Assessment of the summer honey crop, planning for autumn.
Dress code at apiary meetings: Clean bee suit, clean gloves, clean wellington boots.

Also on Saturday 30th—Car boot sale

The Playing Field, Tal y Bont, Conwy Valley from 1pm
Call in on your way to the apiary meeting!

Saturday 13th August—Eglwysbach Show

Please see the honey schedule part 1 and part 2 and tips on how to win prizes.
We urge you to exhibit your honey. Support for the local honey shows is usually pretty limited, but if you have honey this year, do please make the effort to show some. Everybody likes to see a well-supported Show.

Eglwysbach Show is one of the most popular local shows, always a great day out.