Bee Health

Webinar on Colony Nutrition

apiarymanager Bee Health, Education & Training, Events, Feeding Bees and Starvation, Stories of Interest, Training, WBKA

Colony Nutrition – Pete Sutcliffe

Join us for a webinar on Jan 20, 2022 at 7:30 PM GMT.

Register now!

We have a huge network of supermarkets and supply chains, but the poor honeybee relies on (apart from water) just two relatively simple natural products – nectar – a variable solution of sugars – and pollen – a very variable, sometimes poor, source of protein. Like us, they need a variety of vitamins and minerals to remain healthy. With such apparently poor beginnings, how do they manage to produce the miracle food that is Royal Jelly?

This talk takes you through the various processes involved in providing the colony with a healthy diet and looks at the lessons for the beekeeper.

Pete has kept bees for over thirty years and he and his wife keep an average of 20 colonies on various sites in the Dane Valley in Cheshire. He is a Master Beekeeper, has been a member of the BBKA Examinations Board, a BBKA Trustee, and chair of the BBKA’s Education and Husbandry Committee. He is a Correspondence Course Tutor, a Basic and General Husbandry Assessor, and has set and marked BBKA examinations.

Pete is active in Cheshire BKA – currently as Chairperson, Education Secretary and Archivist. Pre Covid he was involved in various county-wide initiatives on selective queen-rearing.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

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Webinar – Preparing for successful spring build up -Thursday 14 October at 7.30pm

apiarymanager Bee Health, Education & Training, Events, PBKA, Training, WBKA

We expect this to be another popular event so suggest that those wishing to join register early to secure a place.

Preparing for successful spring build up – Marin Anastasov, Master Beekeeper, NDB 
 
As the seasons go from autumn to winter, and from winter to spring, the colony undergoes significant changes in the physiology of its inhabitants. This ensures the bees have all they need to survive the winter and provides the foundations for productive colonies the following spring. There are a number of operations that we need to complete (and sometimes avoid) to ensure our colonies have the best chance of survival through the winter and come through it ready for the spring build up. This talk covers common reasons for winter colony losses, the common reasons for colonies failing to build in the spring, and some of the important management operations in the autumn, winter and spring to ensure our colonies remain healthy and productive.
 
Marin holds a BSc in Animal Science and an MSc in Organic Farming. He is passionate about sustainable food production and his entire working career has been in organic food and farming. Marin is a Master Beekeeper and gained his NDB in 2017. He currently manages 30 colonies in Gloucestershire. He is a trustee of Gloucestershire Beekeepers’ Association and Chairman of the BBKA Examinations Board. He is an assessor for the Basic, General Husbandry, and Advanced Husbandry certificates, and has contributed to the development and running of the General Husbandry and Advanced Husbandry training programmes for the BBKA. Marin is co-author, and led the implementation, of the BBKA Certificate in Honey Bee Breeding, including providing the training and support to both future candidates and assessors.

Final improvers meeting of the season – Sunday 26th September @ 2pm

apiarymanager Education & Training, Events, Honey Processing, PBKA, PBKA Apiary, Scolton Beekeeping Centre, Varroa, Wax Processing

The final meeting for Improvers (PBKA members only) at the Pembrokeshire Beekeeping Centre, Scolton Manor, will be on Sunday 26th September, commencing at 2pm.

N.B. In order to maintain social distancing, we will assemble initially outside the Honey Kitchen. Please ensure you bring a suitable face covering also. For further details on Covid regulations in Wales, please see this link.