Quantock Division

President: Jack Fieldhouse, Broomfield Hall, Enmore, Bridgwater, TA5 2DZ. Tel. 01278 671317

Chairman: Nick Wills, 108 Swang Farm Cottages, Currypool,Cannington.TA5 2NJ.01278 671781

Vice Chair: Peter Malim

Secretary: Ken Edwards , Bush Cottage, Bush Road, Spaxton.

ken@bush-cottage freeserve.co.uk

TA5 1BX 01278 671544

Treasurer Mike Sealey, 72 Wembdon Hill, Bridgwater. TA6 7PZ, 01278. 445158

Membership Secretary: Trish Edwards

Newsletter Editor: Chris Porteus

Acting Librarian: Ken Edwards

Social Secretaries Teresa Grant – Hammond, and Robert Palmer

Committee As above, plus Fred Jones, Mary Rowe, Mick Stenhouse John Trett.

In April 2007Ivor Davis opened our Teaching Apiary at Brymore

This year the bees have overwintered well

An open letter

We are a new group of beekeepers (within the Somerset Beekeepers Association) that have just finished our third year. Our aim is to share our enthusiasm in beekeeping within a friendly and supportive group. At the end of 2009 we had 69 members.

If you are not a member, but someone interested in bees, nature and the countryside you would be welcome to come and join us at one of our meetings, it will not cost you anything. Give our secretary a call on 01278 671544 or email ken@bush-cottage.freeserve.co.uk . We will then ensure that a bee suit is ready for you to borrow and explain any details that you may need to know.

Beekeeping can be expensive. For this reason we have a strong focus on helping new beekeepers to set up their first hive properly but also at a budget rate. To help new beekeepers we have a full range of Honey extraction equipment and Wax handling appliances that can be borrowed from the Equipment Officer (Peter Malim). You will see from the programme that we are continuing with the Beginners, Continuation and Practical programmes as we did last year. All members are welcome to any of our meetings.

This year (2010) we have a number of new ventures:

Divisional Apiary

Once again we have the luxury of being able to share the Brymore Apiary. This is at Brymore School (Cannington). We help with their bee club and in return we are allowed access to some of the Brymore facilities for our meetings.

There is a separate programme of afternoon, mid-week meetings for the school that fits into school term dates.

Thanks to the generosity of the Taunton and District Beekeepers Association, Milnes Priscott and permission from the Brymore Head (Malcolm Lloyd ) we are erecting one of the few surviving Spiller Bee Houses. It was dismantled and removed from the Taunton apiary a few years ago and at one stage was at risk of being destroyed. Spiller wrote a book about ‘Bee Houses' and the house was one of those described in the book. We will restore and use it at the apiary.

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Grow with your bees – Hive loan programme

A number of new beekeepers are invited to each take care of a nucleus of bees at our Learners Apiary, thanks to the generosity of Mary Rowe and her husband who have offered an Apiary at Wembdon. Over the year each nucleus will develop into a full size colony. This will be an easy way to start beekeeping. As your colony develops and grows so too does your confidence and experience with bees. At the end of the year the bees can be purchased and the bees relocated. A complete set of new honey handling equipment is available for members to borrow usually free of charge. Places will be limited and special conditions apply which will be explained clearly in the early sessions. This is only available to Full Members.

The Microscopy Course

This course (at Brymore) will continue with two more Sundays. The second meeting is on Sunday 17 January and the date of the third meeting is negotiated with the group members. This has been offered to practising beekeepers within Somerset. We hope that this will lead to entries by members to develop their knowledge and interest to applying to take the BBKA Microscopy Certificate

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The Continuation Course (at Brymore) starting on 19 January is for six sessions and helps to further the knowledge of members in their beekeeping.

The Hive making day at Spaxton Village Hall ( Sat 27 February) is being introduced at the suggestion of a number of our members.

A bulk buy of exterior quality plywood is being purchased and cut into ‘flat pack kits' to make nucleus hives. Members can make and buy these on the day.

A few flat pack National hives will also be on offer and we can help you to put them together.

Help will also be given to assemble frames.

It is also hoped that we can provide instruction on making your own foundation.

Demonstration of repairing and sterilising hives will prepare members for the Auction at Ruishton (Sunday 28 March ).

We will make available straw (and instruction) to make your own skep.

Social events

Two social events are scheduled with skittles matches against other beekeepers in Somerset.

Buckfast Abbey is being negotiated as a visit. Dhaffer Benham has agreed the visit and we are now trying to confirm a suitable date. Other beekeepers from other areas are welcome to join us, but please contact the secretary in advance.

Teddy Bears Picnic (10 / 11 July) A completely new venture for us, with the National Trust at Fyne Court. On the two days we will need volunteers. Our early publicity reads as follows:-

A fun day for children and families. If a Teddy Bear brings a child (and their family of course) Teddy will get a free jar of ‘Ted's Hunny'. A day of honey and bee related fun for families. Come and picnic in the woods or enjoy the activities that are being organised by the Quantock Beekeepers with the National Trust.

Only one jar per Ted' ! Face painting, candle rolling, bee demonstrations, quiz's, do a waggle dance, flower and bee treasure trails, watch and listen to the bees at work, spot the queen, honey cooking, draw-a –bee activity. There will be an adult crèche for the grown-ups who want to hear more about beekeeping.

The Practical Course will be similar to previous years and will be at Brymore, except on the sixth session. It was suggested by our new members that on the sixth session a ‘Safari' is organised. The new members will visit each others' apiaries to swap notes, experiences, get advice and above all learn together in a constructive atmosphere.

BBKA Basic Exam Roy Francis is getting a group of interested beekeepers together for coaching for the exam. There will be practice and preparation for this exam. Get in touch with Roy on 01278 787068

Brymore Open Day (26 June ) is very much like a Country Fair where the school students demonstrate their knowledge of agriculture and the Countryside. The Brymore Bee Club Members (boys from the school) also give demonstrations of beekeeping. This is a very interesting day with Classic Cars, a Steam Lorry, Trips, Country activities and Crafts.

Gold Medal Award

In 2008 Brymore School won the best Secondary School Garden award in Somerset with their Bee Garden

Bridgwater Flower Show 27 / 28 August – Open classes of honey related entries. The three silver cups that were inherited (from the Bridgwater Beekeepers that closed in 1992) are awarded.

Our new logo

Shirley Stenhouse has designed our new logo incorporating the Quantock Buzzard symbol and Beekeeping. It is available as a separate ‘sew-on' patch or can be put directly on to Bee suits, Fleeces, T Shirts etc. It can be bought directly from Jual, The Granary, Units 1 & 2, King Alfred Business Centre, North Newton, Somerset TA70BE tel 01278 664091 or at sue@jual,co.uk

Or get in touch with the secretary.

If you want bees this year please give Ken a ring on 01278 671544 and get yourself on the list. Swarms will often be available but we are trying to breed a number of nuclei of bees to help the beginners to start and for our members to replace losses from last year. To this end we are also hoping to breed Queens from the Buckfast stocks - they are gentle. When you do get your good honey crop the (divisional) extracting equipment will be ready for you to use.

We wish you a successful and bountiful 2010.

Divisional Downloads

Membership application form

Gift Aid form

Quantock Quest Newsletters

December 2009

Programme 2010

The Beginners, Continuation and Practical courses will be at Brymore School. (unless noted otherwise), evening meetings will be at 7.30pm and afternoon meetings at 2.30pm.

Please note that some of the programme is likely to change due to weather and bee conditions. Revisions will be posted on the ‘somersetbeekeepers – Quantock' website and in the Newsletter. If in doubt phone the secretary! 01278 671544.

Sun 17 Jan Microscopy 2 nd day

Tue 19 Jan Continuation Course First Session (Brymore)

Tue 26 Jan Continuation 2

Tue 2 Feb Continuation 3

Tba Microscopy 3 rd day

Fri 12 Feb Skittles with Exmoor Division – ‘Rest and Be Thankful'

*Sat 20 Feb County Lecture Day at Kings of Wessex School (Tickets from Secretary)

Tue 23 Feb Continuation 4

*Sat 27 Feb Hive making day – 10 – 4pm Spaxton Village Hall

Tue 2 March Continuation 5

Tue 9 March Continuation 6

*Sat 13 March SBKA AGM at Somerton

Sat 27 March Practical Course Session 1 (Brymore)

*Sun 28 March Auction of Beekeeping Equipment at Ruishton

Sat 4 April Practical Course 1 – Preparing Equipment (Brymore)

Fri/Sat 17/18 April BBKA Stoneleigh Bee Convention

Sat 24 April Practical 2 (Brymore) Setting up a hive

Sat 8 May Practical 3 (Brymore) Swarm control

Sat 22 May Practical 4 (Brymore) Nucleus making

Sat 29 May Apiary Meeting - Rape crop management with Exmoor

Beekeepers at Simon Scottings Apiary ( Shurton ) and thenwith Peter Malim at Wick.

**2 /5 June Bath and West Show

Sat 12 June Apiary Meeting Fred and Monica Jones - Goathurst

Sat 19 June Practical 5 (Brymore) Nucleus Management and honey harvest

**Sat 26 June Brymore and QBKA Open Day (Country Fair)

Tba July Visit to Buckfast Abbey bees with Exmoor division (Open to all div's)

**Sat/Sun 10 /11 July Teddy Bears Picnic - Fyne Court (National Trust)

Sat 31 July Practical 6 Beginners Safari

**Fri / Sat 6/7 Aug County Honey Show at Vivary Park

14 Aug Apiary Meeting at Nick and Angie Wills (Currypool)

**Fri/Sat 27/28 AugQBKA Honey Show at Bridgwater Flower Show

*Sat 25 September Preparing the hives for Winter (Brymore)

**Tba October Skittles (or Quiz) with Taunton Division

Tue 5 Oct Begin Beekeeping Session 1 (Brymore)

Sat 9 October Final Hive closing (Brymore)

Tue 12 Oct Begin Beekeeping 2

Tue 19 October Begin Beekeeping 3

Tue 9 Nov Begin Beekeeping 4

Tue 16 Nov Begin Beekeeping 5

*Fri 19 Nov QBKA AGM Spaxton Village Hall

Tue 23 Nov Begin Beekeeping 6

*Sat 18 Dec Winter Oxalic Acid Treatment (Brymore)

The sessions marked * will be of interest to experienced beekeepers, and those marked ** should also be of interest to non-beekeepers. All are welcome to any of our meetings.

SWARM CONTACTS

Quantock Beekeepers Swarm Contacts

Brian Bowden, Oaktree Barn, Huntworth Lane, North Petherton. TA7 0DU

Andy Coleman, 2 Lexworthy Villas, Enmore, Bridgwater. TA5 2AJ 01278 453266

Mike Daly, The Mount, Cushuish, Kingston St Mary, Taunton TA2 8AP 01823 451404

Ken Edwards, Bush Cottage, Bush Road, Spaxton. TA5 1BX 01278 671544

Barr Hulatt y, 2 Berhill TA7 9QN 01458 210861

James Loxton, 21 Meadow Park, Wembdon, Bridgwater. TA6 7QE 01278 429898

Pete Malim r, Wick Pound House, Wick, Stogursey, Somerset. TA5 1BL 01278 652660

Simon Scotting, Burton Chapel, Knighton Lane, Burton, Bridgwater TA5 1QD 01278 732507

John Trett , 1 Moorland Road, Bridgwater. TA6 4JL. 01278 445961

Richard Webber , Blakes Farmhouse, Blakes Lane, Wembdon. TA5 2BE 01278 429235

Nick Wills , 108 Swang Farm Cottages, Currypool Cannington. TA5 2NJ 01278 671781

Quantock Beekeepers Divisional Library

All of these titles are available to members of the QBKA. There are too many to take to our meetings but you can book them and then arrange some method of collection.

Get in touch with the Acting Librarian on 01278 671544 or email ken@bush-cottage.freeserve.co.uk

A Manual of Bee-keeping for English-speaking Bee-keepers, 1945, E. B. Wedmore

A Manual of Bee-keeping for English-speaking Bee-keepers, ( 2 nd ed), 1975, E. B. Wedmore

ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture, 1923, A.I. and E.R. Root. (A Cyclopedia of Everything Pertaining to the Care of the Honeybee: Bees, Hives, Honey, Implements, Honey Plants etc. Facts gleaned from the Experience of Thousands of Beekeepers and Afterward Verified by the Authors).

ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture, 1962, 32 nd edition A.I. Root. (An encyclopedia pertaining to the scientific and practical culture of bees).

About Honey , 1959, P.E. Norris. (Nature’s Elixir for Health and Energy),

Anatomy and Dissection of the Honeybee ,1962, H.A. Dade. (The Bee Research Association).

Background to Beekeeping , 1955, Allan G. Waine

Bee Craft, 1964, British Bee Keepers Association Yearbook.

Bee World, 1982, International Bee Research Association Vol. 63

Beekeepers Folly, 1949, John R. Ratcliff

Beekeeping, 1960, John E. Eckert and Frank R. Shaw

Beekeeping , 1951, Kenneth K, Clark. (How bees live, how to look after them, Honey and wax production, Bee diseases).

Beekeeping Study Notes, 1999, J.D. Yates & B.D. Yates (BBKA Basic Certificate, SBKA Basic Beemaster Certificate, FIBKA Preliminary Certificate)

Beekeeping Study Notes, 2002, J.D. Yates & B.D. Yates (BBKA Certificate in Beekeeping Husbandry)

Beekeeping Study Notes, 1996, J.D. Yates & B.D. Yates (Modules 1, 2, 3, 4)

Beekeeping Study Notes, 1997, J.D. Yates & B.D. Yates (Modules 5, 6, 7, 8)

Beekeeping Study Notes, 1995, J.D. Yates & B.D. Yates ( Microscopy Certificate)

Beekeeping Techniques, 1963, Alexander S. C. Deans

Bee-keeping at Buckfast Abbey, 1974, Brother Adam. (With a section on mead making).

Bee-keeping for Beginners, I. H. Jackson

Bee-keeping for Beginners and Others, 1949, E. L. B. James

Bee-keeping for Recreation and Profit , 1952, J. Harold Armitt. (Relating craftsmanship to the colony’s natural development and instinctive behaviour).

Bee-keeping in Britain, 1948, R. O. B. Manley

Bee-keeping New and Old,(Volume 1) 1930, William Herrod-Hempsall. - Described with pen and camera. (Please note Volume 2 was in the original Library but we have not been able to find it yet)

Bee-keeping Practice, 1947, F.S. Stuart. Bees and Beekeeping, 1975, A.V. Pavord. (Will appeal to both beginner and professional),

Bees and Honey, 1948, George A. Carter. (A guide to the better understanding of bees, their diseases, and the Chemistry of Bee-Keeping),

Bees and Wasps, 1991, Jiri Zahradnik

Bees, Flowers and Fruit, 1949, Herbert Mace. (The Story of Insect-Plant Relations).

Bees: Habits, Management, and Treatment, 1853, Rev. J. G. Wood.

Beeswax, 1981, R. Brown.

City of the Bees, 1947, Frank S. Stuart

Flowers, Janet Harvey Kelman.

Flowers for Bees, the Bee Research Association. (Month by month). Pamphlet.

Form and Function in the Honey Bee , 2003, Lesley Goodman (Probably the best book there is on bee anatomy)

Guide to Bees and Honey, 1076, Ted Hooper. (A complete handbook for the beginner and experienced beekeeper).

Home Made Wines, Syrups and Cordials , 1954, (ed) F.W. Beech. (Recipes of Women’s Institute Members).

Honey Bee – Brood Diseases, Henrik Hansen

Honey Bees and Their Management, 1945, Stanley B. Whitehead

Honey Farming, 1949, R. O. B. Manley

Honey from Hive to Market, 1963, Ministry of Agriculture. Fisheries and Food, Bulletin No. 134.

Honey from Your Garden , 1940, (ed) Walter Brett. (A Handy Guide to Beekeeping).

Honey Marketing, 1951, the Bee World. (Around the world). Article.

Honey Production in the British Isles, 1948, R. O. B.Manley

Infectious Diseases of the Honey-Bee , 1965, L. Bailey

Insect Communities, 1956, Harold Bastin

Plants and Beekeeping, 1945, F. N. Howes (an account of those plants, wild and cultivated, of value to the hive bee, and for production in the British Isles).

Practical Bee-Breeding , 1928, A. Gilman.

Queen Rearing, 1962, Harry H. Laidlaw, Jr., and J. E. Eckert

Queen Rearing, 1949, L. E. Snelgrove

Shining Hours, 1946, C. N. Buzzard

Swarming – It’s Control and Prevention, 1956, L. E. Snelgrove

Swarming of Bees, 1970, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

Teach Yourself Bee-keeping, 1948, A. Norman Schofield

The Art of Bee-Keeping , 1951, William Hamilton.

The Art of Bee-Keeping , (3 rd ed) 1971, William Hamilton.

The Behaviour and Social Life of Honeybees , 1964, C. R. Ribbands.

The Bee Craftsman , 1949, H. J. Wadey. (A Short Guide to the Life Story and Management of the Honey Bee).

The Bee-Keeper’s Guide to the Management of Bees in Movable Comb, 1941, (4 th Ed), W.Herrod-Hempstall

The Bee-Keeper’s Guide to the Management of Bees in Movable Comb, 1942, (5 th Ed), W. Herrod-Hempstall

The Dancing Bees , 1955. Karl Von Frisch. (An Account if the Life and Senses of the Honey Bee).

The Glow-Worm and the Other Beetles, 1919, J. Henri Fabre

The Golden Throng – A book about bees, 1946, Edwin Way Teale

The Honey Bee , 1890, T.W. Cowan. (Its Natural History, Anatomy, and Physiology).

The Honey Bee Around and About , 2007, Celia Davis

The Introduction of Queen Bees, 1948, L. E. Snelgrove

The Key of the Hive, 1945, J. M. Dunning. (The Habits and Products of the Honey-Bee).

The Life of the Bee, 1942, Maurice Maeterlinck

The Mind of the Bees, 1939, Julien Francon

The Pollen Loads of the Honey Bee, 1952, Dorothy Hodges. (A Guide to their Identification by Colour and Form).

The Practical Bee Guide, 1949, J.G. Digges. (A Manual of Modern Beekeeping).

The Spell of the Honey Bee, 1947, W. Eric Kelsey

The Story Book of Birds and Beasts, J. H. Fabre

The World of Bees, 1959, Gilbert Nixon

The World of the Honeybee , 1962, Colin G. Butler

Library

To help beekeepers to keep up to date we have an extensive Bee Library available to members. The books are listed on both web sites.