Message from Thorne.

The Welsh Beekeepers Convention and the BBKA Spring Convention are the next big dates on the calendar.

The Welsh Show will be held at the Showground in Builth Wells on Saturday 23rd March.   [my italics and emphasis, pbka websmaster]   We are now offering the opportunity to pre-order any sale items for this event and details are now on our website.   These can be collected on the day at your leisure any time after 9.00 am.    We will have the same items at the same prices if you just turn up on the day but only in limited quantity.    In addition, we will have some great bargains on the day only, including wire excluders at £10.00 and our new improved frame feeders.    Pre-orders will be accepted until lunchtime on Wednesday 20th March.   Payment will be taken before the Show.  Click here for items and prices.

The pen usually sold for queen marking is the Uni POSCA Marker Pen PC-5M.  The usual charge is £4.14 plus delivery unless you include this in an order of over £100.   Or you can by direct from Geoff Bazin for £3.50.

However the best value is S.E.T in Bridge Street, Haverfordwest who carry the full range of POSCA marker pens in all the colours and all the sizes – there the PC-5M will only cost you £2.99 and you will be supporting a local business.

A sale started today in Lidl for straps with tension ratchets – a set of 4 being £9.99. It may be worth checking them out for securing hives, etc!

Many thanks to Chris Welton for the ‘heads up’ on this!!

According to this story on the BBC News website listening to what is going on the hive may help work out what is going on and, more importantly, assist with diagnosis of hive health or swarming.  Interestingly enough this story appears in their Technology section and not Science/Environment.  Also interesting, to me, is that the recorder is describes as being ‘about the size of an iPhone’ or an HTC Galaxy I guess, or almost any other smartphone but then Apple would have tried to sue – now you know it is a technology story, and it shows how we have moved on. In the old days it probably would have been described as being about the size of a pack of 20 cigarettes!

Will this story ever develop and appear again?  Forgive me if I am cynical about this.

In the meantime we suggest you keep carrying out those inspections.

Thorne’s are having an extra online sale at the end of this month.  See what is on offer and the prices.  Orders over £100 will be delivered free.  But, if you are a member of Pembrokeshire Beekeepers’ Association, we suggest that you compare prices against Geoff Bazin’s list before placing an order.  And remember, there are no delivery charges on orders placed with Geoff.