The BeeHolder, April 2011

Courses on Varroa Management

Please note that the we have two varroa management courses from 10am till 1pm on the 17th and from 1pm to 4pm on the 30th April. The first is for novices and the second for more experienced bee keepers. Both sessions will be lead by SBI John Beavan and there is a charge of £5 for the day. There will be an open apiary session from 2pm on 17th April when everyone will be welcome whether they attended the course or not.

There are still places left for each course. Please contact the secretary if you are interested.

Open Apiary Days

Formal Open Apiary Days at the Gregynog Apiary are on April 17th and May 15Th and August 28th. We hope to make each of these Family Friendly events where children and friends will be welcome to play and picnic outside the apiary whilst the bee keeper is working the hives inside the Apiary. Please bring a contribution to the picnic. If it is raining we will be holding a meeting inside Gregynog Hall.

Catch the SBI at the Apiary

SBI John Beavan will be at the Gregynog Apiary every two weeks on Saturdays. He will be talking and demonstrating bee keeping techniques to any member who turns up. However it will be best to check with John first because he can only help a few bee keepers at a time - e-mail or see the contact page for other contact details.

Gregynog Apiary Grand Opening

This will be on Sunday June 5th and will co-incide with the first Gregynog Garden Festival. Entry will be free for MBKA Members (don't forget to bring your membership card). There will be lots of celebrities there. We will have our marquee filled with bee themed stalls, workshops, a male voice choir conducted by master beekeeper Brian Goodwin and the Welshpool High School jazz band. We will be making a collection for Bees Abroad and ourselves. Pam Gregory of Bees Abroad will be bringing a stall talking about the work of Bees Abroad. The garden festival itself will have its own range of stalls and attractions. For this, the first year of the Gregynog Garden Festival, we are giving out free stalls to worthy bee themed enterprises. These stalls will be in the MBKA Marquee and in the Music Room of Gregynog Hall. However places are limited, please contact the secretary with an explanation about what you want to do on your stall. The MBKA committee will decide on the worthiness of your application. This will be a big day for the MBKA and we will be asking for volunteers to help. Keep a watch on our website for updates about this event.

Midsummer Open Garden Day

Midsummer Open Garden Day in aid of Bees Abroad and our MBKA June 26th by kind permission of Dr Beverly Evans-Britt (pictured right being interviewed by Derek Brockways for his TV series Gardening in the Extremes). There will be a bouncy castle and other things to amuse the family while the serious gardeners look round this fabulous garden.

Two years ago we did some stewarding in this garden in return for all the money from Plant Sales, which was very rewarding for the Association. This year all of the proceeds will be for MBKA to share with Bees Abroad. Do volunteer for stewarding duties, help in making the teas etc. Volunteers don't have to pay admission, and we need all the volunteers we can get! For a report of our last adventure in this garden see BeeHolder July 2009.

At 5 o'clock we will shoo away the public and have our private MBKA open hive meeting followed by a BBQ and social at 6pm. At 1,350 feet, Capel Deildre is reputed to be the highest apiary in Wales.

Please start collecting plants that can be sold at this event. We all have something that grows too well in our own garden yet is thought of as a gem in another’s.

July Apiary Visit

Saturday 23rd July is the day we visit Graham Winchester’s Apiary in Newtown because Graham said that members should see a warts-and-all apiary because there is limited learning in the sort of professional Apiary where nobody makes any of the kind of mistakes that you or I do.

Glanseven Garden Festival

This year the Glanseven Garden Festival is on September 2 and 3rd is another occasion where we need volunteers to man our bee tent and displays. We make money and have fun, with the added bonus that volunteers helping will have free admission and a chance to see and sample the interesting and varied stands. Watch the website for further information.

Coach Trip to Tropical Forest Products

A coach trip to Tropical Forest Products, Nr Aberystwyth is on Sunday 25th September. This is a large commercial honey farm as well as a company importing and packing honeys from Africa. We will be seeing the production facilities and also getting a talk from Director David Wainright about his work with the Honey producers of Africa. The plan is to have the coach start from Newtown with several stops en route, and then to have a meal afterwards. We have not worked out the price of the coach yet; keep a watch on the website.