Conwy Beekeepers – Gwenynwyr Conwy

Hallo bee people,

• Last year we introduced a scheme to put new beekeepers wanting to buy bees in touch with members selling 5-frame nucs of locally raised bees.  We started about 30 new beekeepers with bees. The scheme worked well, with a few snags, and we will be running it again this year, hopefully without the snags.
• Please see the attached updated guidelines for buyers and sellers.
• Wesley Evans will co-ordinate the scheme by email at catrin.evans@phonecoop.coop.
• We expect buyers to join Conwy BKA or their nearest BKA and to register on BeeBase.
• We suggest a fair price would be about £130 for a 5-frame nuc boiling over with bees, ready for transfer to a full hive. This is equivalent to just one full super of honey.
• The scheme is voluntary and members are free to trade privately with whoever they wish.
• Early May, when the sycamore is in flower, is the best time to raise nucs and to draw out supers of foundation.
• Nuc sellers should aim to have nucs ready for sale by the end of June.
• Please email this nuc booking form to Wesley Evans.

Happy beekeeping. Peter McFadden

Hallo beekeepers,

Hope you’ll be at Craig y Don on Tuesday 26th April for Pete Barrar’s talk on the National Beekeeping Centre for Wales at 7.20pm for a 7.40pm start.

The new Beekeeping Centre HQ will be at the Bodnant Welsh Food Centre, now taking shape in the old Furnace Farm near Tal y Cafn. Come along and find out how you can be part of it. Bring and Buy Sale in the car park before the talk. Do bring any unwanted beekeeping equipment to the sale.

I was pleased to lose only two hives out of 24 in the cold winter. I’d expected heavy losses from isolation starvation (click for info). Now the bees are busy filling honey supers. Be in time with your supers. They can soon fill a super with sycamore honey.

Oil seed rape
Contact Chris Clarke on 01745 832812 if you wish to move hives to the rape at Bodelwyddan.

Peter McFadden

Harmless Plastic Excluders

Below is a product recall notice from E.H. Thorne (Beehives) Ltd. Contact them for more information.

Volunteers wanted to help at the Tal y Cafn apiary:  Contact Chris Clarke, apiary manager on 01745 832812.

See the meetings page for details of our Winter Programme.

.
In the meantime, join your local Association and attend their meetings, learn from other beekeepers and get yourself a mentor!