Editorial and Contents : 3 7


Chronic Bee Paralysis


14


Talking Bees with Paul Martin


31


International Meeting of Young Beekeepers


COVER:


A new member of the colony emerges (Photo: Martin Major, September’s winner in our cover photo competition)


From the Editor


One of the very best things we can do to help our bees is to try to keep them healthy. Treating for varroa is one obvious action but we also need to be aware of other diseases, such as nosema and acarine. Just because varroa is a continuing problem, it does not mean that the other diseases have gone away and can be ignored. Paralysis is another disease that can affect our bees. Giles Budge and Kirsty Stainton from Fera Research give us an introduction on page 7. The symptoms are similar to those of pesticide poisoning but


paralysis can be distinguished using the guidelines given. There are probably only a few of us who will see paralysis in our beekeeping lifetimes but we still need to be aware of it and be able to recognise it should it occur.


Recently, several well-known celebrities have taken up beekeeping. One of these is Paul Martin, who presents the television programme, Flog It!. Find out why Paul and his partner, Charlotte, have become beekeepers on page 14.


We all appreciate the need to engage young people in beekeeping and bee research. The latest International Meeting of Young Beekeepers was held in Prague and three of our young beekeepers went along to take part. The Bee Craft research lectures will again feature at the National Honey Show, on Friday 28 October. This programme is designed to give those attending an insight into the investigations being carried out on various aspects of bees. The more we fi nd out, the better we will understand these insects that are in our care. Details of this year’s lectures are on page 10.


Now is the time to prepare your colonies for the winter. Feeding should be fi nished by the end of September, or earlier further north, and the bees will be starting to form their winter clusters. On warm days, they will no doubt be out foraging on ivy, Himalayan balsam and any other late fl owers, but the season is essentially over. Be prepared to reduce hive entrances to prevent wasps and robber bees gaining access to your colonies. Protect your hives against woodpeckers and mice if they are a problem in your area. Once the cluster has formed, leave your bees in peace until things start moving again in the spring.


Having tucked up your bees, you can have some ‘me’ time, so why not settle down with a glass of mead and a good book, fi nd a course that you want to attend, or come to the National Honey Show in October?


Claire Waring, Editor


Contents


5 Around the Colony 7 Chronic Bee Paralysis


Giles Budge and Kirsty Stainton


10 The Bee Craft Research Lectures 13 Hygienic Behaviour Workshop Alex Ellis


14 Home Entertainment Bargain for Flog It! Presenter Stephen Fleming


17 Bee Plant of the Month: Evening Primrose


Bridget Beattie


18 The Great Yorkshire Show 20 The Bee Craft Cover Photo Competition


September 2016 Vol 98 No 9


21 Preparing for October Adam Leitch


25 Meirionnydd Beekeepers on Show Pauline Aslin


26 A Nepal Odyssey Simon Croson


28 Removing Bees from a Beech Tree Sue Chapman


31 International Meeting of Young Beekeepers: Prague 2016 Serena Watts


33 From the Lab 34 Hangout with Bee Craft 36 Flow Hive Experiences


Simon Croson and Larry A Fisher


38 The Numbers Game Don Honey


40 Book Reviews Splits and Varroa by William Hesbach


If Bees Are Few by James P Lenfestey


Beekeeping on the Island of Andros by George Spies


41 Obituary: David Loo 42 The ‘B’ Kids 44 Letters to the Editor


45 Classified Advertisements and Calendar


Apimondia Gold Medal for Popular Beekeeping Journals, 2007, 2013 and 2015 www.bee-craft.com


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