6th November meeting – Honey Tasting+AGM

Posted on by October 29, 2024

7.30 pm Wednesday 6th November, Littlebourne Hall

Our next indoor meeting will begin with the AGM where we will hear reports of the year and will then elect the committee for 2024-2025 year. The positions of Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer are all positions which are eligible for all full members of the club to volunteer for if they wish. The present people occupying these positions are all willing to be re-elected, but if you would also like to stand then do let someone on the committee know before the day. There are also a number of committee member positions for which we always welcome new members, and we also need two representatives to Kent Beekeepers. We will send out an Agenda prior to the meeting. 

The second half of the meeting will comprise of a ‘Products of the hive’ gathering. This is hopefully a very informal and fun opportunity to share how we have harvested and used products of the hive. So the more the better ! Please bring along as many of these as you can: 

  • Honey tasting. Please bring a jar of your honey and we will organise for people to taste and compare. 
  • Edible products: Food . Please bring along anything you have baked/ cooked with honey to be shared and tasted. If you can bring a copy of the recipe to stand alongside that would be very helpful. 
  • Edible products: Drinks. As above but with liquid consumables. 
  • Wax products. Any candles/ wraps/ cosmetics for us to look at
  • And finally – the table of odd gadgets ! Not really products of the hive – but if you have found any interesting gadgets to have been especially helpful this year then do bring along for us to puzzle over. 

Apiary Meeting 7th September

Posted on by September 26, 2024

Our last apiary meeting of the season will be at our Palmsted Wood, on Saturday September 7th after lunch. We need a team to help clear brushwood – for those of you who can give up some time to help maintain the apiary, please bring some gardening gloves, and may be secateurs. If you can help with this work, please email me at chairman@canterburybeekeepers.org.uk so I know who can help. If half a dozen people can make it for 1pm, then we’ll be able to clear the track to the apiary, and have room for everyone to park.

The beekeeping part of the meeting will start at about 2.15pm. We plan to set the hives for winter, apply varroa treatments, and unite any weak or grumpy hives. If you need to borrow PPE, please let us know ahead of time, so that we can make sure to have spares available.

As usual, to avoid transmission of bee diseases, please bring clean suits, and gloves that are easily washed – marigolds or surgeons’ gloves are fine, but please no leather gloves.

There will be plenty of time for chat about the season you’ve had, honey crops, state of your hives, and winter preparations

July meeting – peak bees!

Posted on by September 26, 2024

Our next apiary meeting will be at our Palmsted Wood apiary on Saturday July 1st between 2-4pm.

Many colonies will reach their maximum size around the summer solstice, so we’ll be looking at uniting smaller colonies to make a big colony for honey production, doing a comb change procedure on weak and strong colonies (to reduce the burden of infective diseases and varroa), and possibly requeening. We’ll also discuss care of colonies started from swarms.

For any newbees, we will show you the principles of opening a beehive, and looking for signs of health, and any swarming preparations.  If you don’t have a suit, we have a small selection from which you can borrow for the afternoon.  We don’t like leather gloves, but kitchen marigolds are fine, as are hospital/surgeons’ gloves.  Wear wellie boots (to keep the bees from your ankles), and preferably avoid woollen/hairy clothing, as bees can get caught up in the fibres. 

As usual, please come with clean suits and gloves. Per Kent BKA requirements, we will ask folks to sign a disclaimer form, acknowledging the (small) risks inherent in beekeeping. Any questions about visiting the apiary, just drop a line to Adrian at chairman@canterburybeekeepers.org.uk

Here are a few different ways to locate the apiary entrance – it’s a shared driveway, and you should enter the wood using the left-hand gate. People should already be present when you arrive – expect to drive down about 100 yards and we will indicate where to park.

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If you find yourself at Highfield nursing home, you are close! The apiary entrance is the other side of the road, approximately 50m towards the woods