The club meets at 8.00pm on the 2nd Friday of every month at Loughry College in CookstownIf you have ever been interested in keeping bees or you are curious to see what goes on inside a hive, get in touch via the contact us page
Making Beeswax CandlesJohn Ross demonstrated at the April meeting how to make a simple beewax candle from filtered wax cappings he collected during the previous year. An ingenious wax melter/pourer fashioned from a honey jar (which he assured us could be used left or right handed) held the pieces of wax before melting in a water bath. Keeping the temperature to around
70oC
he poured the
wax into molds sprayed with silicone grease to allow easy removal of the candle. It is important not to heat the wax higher than this temperature or the wax may crack when it cools - or you can start a fire!
John mentioned the importance of using the correct diameter of wick for the size of candle you are making - too thick and the wax flows down the sides whilst too thin the candle will burn down the middle leaving a ridge of wax.
Whilst the candles were cooling Ernie Watterson provided us with a short talk on queen rearing using the Cupkit system. Although the system appears straightforward, grafting larvae into the cell holders may be the quickest and least invasive way to start queen cells. Plans are being made to demonstrate grafting in early summer - watch this space.
News
There will be a preliminary beginners course in beekeeping running in January 2012. Click here for more details
The Food Standards Agency has released an update on honey regulations in N. Ireland read it here.
Thornes announces a batch of orange plastic queen excluders purchased in the past 6 months may be defective; check if using that bees are not getting stuck.
Please fill out the 2011 AFBI Honeybee husbandry survey here.
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Winter Oxalic Acid Treatment
Around Christmas is an ideal time to treat your bees with Oxalic Acid. The safest and most effective method is to use the dribble application where a solution of Oxalic Acid is applied along each seam of bees in the winter cluster. Typically 3-3.5ml (National frames) is dribbled between the frames where bees are located up to a maximum of 35ml. As there should be little or no brood in the hive the phoretic mites will be killed by contact with the acid. Providing the solution is prepared accurately the acid should not damage the bees. The treatment should only be applied annually to the bees and is only effective at the coldest time of the year when brood rearing is not taking place.
The correct recipe for preparing the treatment is as follows, please remember to warm the sugar solution before application!
100g sugar added to 100ml water is allowed to dissolve before adding 7.5g of Oxalic Acid Dihydrate.
= 3.2% Oxalic Acid final solution
This will be sufficient to treat roughly 3-4 hives.
Preparing your hive for winter
By the end of autumn you should have been feeding copious amounts of heavy syrup (2kg sugar dissolved in 1L water). Feeding syrup should cease before temperatures drop too far – October at the latest. If syrup is fed after this point the bees will struggle to reduce the water content of the syrup resulting in fermented stores and ultimately a danger of dysentery in the bees.
If you are worried that the hive is still light on stores then fondant can be placed above the feedhole in a clear plastic container with a hole cut for access in the lid. Fondant placed directly on top of the feedhole or the frames can run between the frames leaving a sticky mess.
Insulation should be placed above the crownboard so that this area remains warm. When moisture in the air moves through a convection current it will condense on the coldest part of the hive. You want this to be the walls where it can run down away from the bees and not the roof where it would drip onto the bees below. If you use an open mesh floor it is advisable to leave the insert out over winter so that moisture can escape from the hive and wax debris does not build up.
To prevent strong winds knocking over the hives, either weigh them down or strap the boxes together so that in the event of falling over the hive remains closed.
Don't forget a mouseguard. Fit one over the entrance when temperatures drop. A mouse can cause severe damage to the inside of the hive.
Spring clean up!
To reduce disease build up in your hive it is good practice to clean up any equipment you use. Hive tools should be cleaned in a solution of soda crystals. Floors and other hive parts should be exchanged for clean items (just scorch with a blow torch). Don't forget to wash your beesuit as well!
You can also sterilise any old frames you intend to use this year using a solution of 80% acetic acid in water. A plastic tub is filled with a couple of pieces of kitchen roll and around 200mls of acid is poured in. The tub is placed on top of the frames and the boxes enclosed in a bin liner for at least one week. A further week is needed to allow the frames to air before they can be used. Take care not to breath in the fumes and wear gloves.
Spring Management and Pollen
Tom Canning spoke on friday 12/02/10 about spring management techniques. Important temperatures were noted such as minimum to open hives (15oC) and temperatures when bees collect nectar (17-18oC).
Pollen is important at this time of year in order to rear brood. If bees have no pollen a substitute can be fed consisting of 3 parts fat free soya flour, 1 part bakers yeast and 1 part skimmed milk powder. A small amount of vitamin C is added and a patty formed by mixing the powder with sugar syrup.
The best pollen though is natures own, the photo on the left shows a honeybee collecting snowdrop pollen a day after Tom's talk. On the right a honeybee collects Gorse pollen.
Save the Honeybees
The recent high publicity surrounding honeybees worldwide is not without cause. Recent losses particularly in America are unprecedented. A range of parasites and disease have largely erradicated the feral honeybee from the UK. More importantly than ever the importance of the honeybee not just for the production of honey but also the pollination industry is being felt.
By supporting your local beekeeping club you can do your part to promote responsible beekeeping in this country.
We Offer 
If you don't have room at home to keep bees we can offer a site at our Loughry Campus (places limited). A full range of facilities are available to members with membership costing only £15 per year (including insurance).
We have a new show tent available for local shows, please use the 'contact us' form to enquire