Well! It’s the end of another year and, as always, somebody will chime up with ‘and it’s been a strange one’. It now seems that every year defies what we would like to consider as the norm. It was, for most, a poor year for honey harvests with my own crop down by two thirds, but reading an article recently, I realised that honey harvests have been declining for many years, and you don’t have to look far to see why. Ten years ago, the field opposite was alive with dandelions in the springtime, and the adjacent orchard, which also hosted dandelions, was awash with apple blossom in late April. No more. All fields in the vicinity have been sprayed with weedkiller and daren’t produce a single dandelion, and the trees in the orchard have been left to their own devices for so long, that most have fallen over. The sheep take care of the dandelions there, and it is soon to become the site of eight up-market houses.
What good news then? There seems to be an upsurge in beekeeping interest. At the beginning of the year, because of COVID restrictions, I hosted a Zoom course which attracted 100 ‘would be’ beekeepers from far and wide, although originally intended for Somerset residents only. They came from Cornwall, South Wales and even Whitley Bay: not to mention Channel 4 property guru Sarah Beeny. To put the tin lid firmly on that one, during October, I was sitting in a car park in Cape Cornwall, near Land’s End, and I rolled down my car window to ask a passing birdwatcher if he had seen anything interesting. He pointed at me accusingly and said ‘I know you!’ For a moment I was worried. Still pointing, he said ‘You’re the bee man!’. It seems he had been on the course, and although I couldn’t see him, he had been looking at my mug and listening to my voice for six weeks during the previous winter.
Most divisions of Somerset BKA will be holding courses again this winter, but thanks to the Omicron variant, only time and the wisdom of our illustrious leader will decide if these can be held in person, or will be broadcast from ‘lofty garrets’ all over the county. Either way, there is one element of good news. Becky Wright, who is a motivational speaker, specialising in workplace wellbeing, has donated a significant sum of money to Somerset Beekeepers Association to enable someone, or a group, who would otherwise find it financially difficult to take up beekeeping, to be able to do so with a hefty financial subsidy. Nominations (with as much background as possible) should be sent to Maggie Norris – secretary of Somerset Beekeepers Association, as soon as possible. You can nominate yourself, another person or a project, but give as much information as you can. Maggie will give you all the details and conditions of the New Leaf Award.
It only remains for me to wish you all a successful beekeeping new year, and I hope that all other aspects of your lives will bring what you wish for. In the immortal words of most beekeepers ‘It’s got to be better than last year’.
Stewart Gould
​Chair of Somerset BKA

In Sarah Beeny’s latest Channel 4 series – New Life in the Country - she continues her beekeeping story after attending an online beginners’ course run by Somerton Division.
In the first episode of the new series Sarah catches a swarm with her beekeeper mentor Lionel Horler. She shares the experience on her Facebook page saying: “I’ve learnt so much over the past year from the amazing Somerset Beekeeping [sic] Association - thank you Lionel for showing me such a magical moment.”

 

A new pressure group made up of UK beekeepers - Honey Authenticity Network UK (HAN UK) - is calling for better information for shoppers starting with stricter labelling for honey blends.
Two members of Somerset BKA are members of HAN UK – Lynne Ingram is Chair and Anne Pike is a committee member.
The group’s first outing in the media was in the Observer on Sunday, November 29, ’21.
”British beekeepers are calling for a requirement on supermarkets and other retailers to label cheap honey imports from China and other nations with the country of origin after claims that part of the global supply is bulked out with sugar syrup.
The UK is the world’s biggest importer of Chinese honey, which can be one sixth of the price of the honey produced by bees in Britain. Supermarket own-label honey from China can be bought for as little as 69p a jar. Supermarkets say every jar of honey is “100% pure” and can be traced back to the beekeeper, but there is no requirement to identify the countries of origin of honey blended from more than one country. The European Union is now considering new rules to improve consumer information for honey and ensure the country of origin is clearly identified on the jar.”
To read the article in full, click here.  
Meanwhile, the group has set up a Facebook group to raise awareness of honey adulteration. Anyone interested in the subject is warmly invited to join.

​Somerset BKA and Bee Diseases Insurance Ltd (BDI) are jointly funding PhD student Hollie Pufal at Newcastle University.
Hollie is exploring the virulent ST2 strain of EFB which is uniquely associated with Somerset and north Dorset.
Hollie and her supervisor Prof Giles Budge will be involved in our Lecture Day on 12 February, 2022.
After completing her first year, she has provided a brief report on her work to date:
"Thank you for your generous funding that has allowed me to pursue research in this exciting area. Over the past 6 months I have been establishing methods to develop a molecular workflow that could be used to generate whole genome sequencing data from infected larvae at outbreak sites, I also tested supers from infected apiaries for the presence of EFB.
I tested 4 locations on each frame for the presence of EFB, as well as capped honey and pollen, using DNA extractions and Realtime PCR. The results showed only a small trace of EFB in a couple of samples both from the frame, pollen and honey.
I plan to sequence using handheld sequencing technology, which is a cheaper and more efficient sequencing platform, so has the potential to be used more readily in the future for assessing EFB outbreaks. The issue with sequencing infected larvae material is that most of the sequence generated will be honeybee DNA, so I originally tested various methods that deplete the bee DNA and enrich the bacterial DNA. Initially I used homogenised larvae mixed with M.plutonius culture and then I moved on to infected larvae from the field. I used qPCR assays to detect both EFB and insect DNA to assess the efficiency of the depletion methods, and I now have a selection of promising methods that I will take forward to sequencing and assess the quality."

Thousands of visitors poured into the bees & honey feature at the Bath & West at the end of August.
Their first stop was Somerset’s Asian hornet action team’s stand which had lots to attract attention including pinned specimens, a nest, information to give away and colouring in sheets for children.
Further round the building they had the chance to watch live bees in an observation hive and, on the Somerset stand, see some of the fruits and vegetables pollinated by insects and talk to beekeepers about this fascinating craft.
Winner of the Blue Ribbon for the best exhibit in the honey show was Somerset member Bridget Knutson from Cheddar with three jars of this season’s honey; she will take these jars to the National Honey Show in October.
Successful showing couple Mark and Christine Gullick from Axbridge will also be exhibiting at the National Honey Show buoyed by some excellent first place cards.

Somerset beekeepers are calling on the public to protect honey bees and other pollinators during Asian hornet week which runs from September 6-10.
Lynne Ingram, co-ordinator of Somerset’s Asian hornet action teams, said if these Asian yellow-legged Asian hornets get a hold in the county they could decimate native insects.
“Research suggests that the South West is an area where Asian hornets are likely to occur,” said Lynne. “Even though there were no sightings here last year, possibly because of lockdown, we still need to be vigilant.”
Asian hornets are widespread in France and other European countries and have been accidentally brought into the UK in vehicles.
In the coming weeks beekeepers will be checking their apiaries and monitoring traps for Asian hornets.
The county’s Asian hornet action teams are standing by to respond to sightings in the first instance and to support the National Bee Unit’s team of inspectors who track down and destroy nests.
The awareness week is backed by TV presenter and British Beekeepers Association patron Jimmy Doherty: “Asian hornets really do pose a threat to our native pollinator insects and if you were to come across a nest it could cause you a bit of a danger, too.
“This time of year, as the leaves begin to drop, their nests are easier to spot. If you’re unsure what to look for there is an app to download for your smartphone called Asian Hornet Watch. Take a picture of whatever you spot and send it to us via the app.”
Asian hornets are about twice the size of a honeybee, have an orange face and a dark abdomen with an orangey- yellow fourth segment. Its thorax is entirely dark brown or black and velvety, and the insect has bright yellow tips to its legs.
Take a photo of any sightings and report immediately to [email protected] or use the Asian hornet watch app. For advice, help with identifying a hornet or getting a photo, contact [email protected]. Photos, posters and even a colouring sheet to help identify the Asian hornet can be found on the Somerset Beekeepers’ website: https://www.somersetbeekeepers.org.uk/resources.html
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Photo: Asian hornet hawking a hive. Photo credit: Crown copyright

SBKA Chairman Stewart Gould provides a timely update about pre-used honey jars and lids:
As there is much confusion regarding the re-use of honey jars and lids, I contacted the Food Standards Agency for their thinking on the topic. Previously they had told me that jars should not be re-used, but several years later, they seem to have relaxed that view. Please read their response carefully, as it isn't plain sailing.
Dear Stewart
Thank you for your enquiry, I hope the following proves of assistance to your members.
Food Business Operators (FBO) are responsible for ensuring the food they place on the market is safe under retained European Regulation (EC) 178/2002 - Article 14, and thus the duty and onus is on the FBO to ensure that the food they place on the market is fit for human consumption. Decisions on whether to re-use returned jars and how potential risks should be managed is a decision of the business owner.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2002/178/article/14
Re-using glass containers like jam jars occasionally to supply food does not present a food safety concern. This means it is safe to sell home produced honey in re-used jars at village fetes and other occasional events. The key thing is good hygiene – if the jars are re-used they should be free from chips and cracks, and should be clean and sterilised prior to each use. The regulations on food contact materials apply to businesses and these regulations are unlikely to apply to the use of jars for occasional community and charity food provision.
For the lids, it is advisable not to re-use these as they have a gasket within that is designed for single use. In this instance, appropriate lids will therefore need to be procured as films are unlikely to be suitable for honey.
It would be the decision of the local enforcement authority as to whether any particular reuse constituted an infringement of the legislation, as they are tasked to examine compliance paperwork for food contact materials and the circumstances of the placing of the packaged food onto the market.
The legislation on the safety of the packaging your membership will need to comply with is can be viewed at: https://www.food.gov.uk/.../food-contact-materials...
For any food contact material or article placed onto the market in England, the relevant regulations will be the Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended*)
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/2619/contents/made
*The original Regulations for England have been amended as per the following individual amending Regulations and will also need to be referred to:
The Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2019/704/made
The Food and Feed Hygiene & Safety (Misc. Amendments etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/1504/contents/made
The Food and Feed Hygiene & Safety (Misc. Amendments) (England) Regulations 2020
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/1410/body/made
Unfortunately there isn’t a consolidated version that you can refer to at the moment.
I hope this proves of value to you and your membership.
Best Regards
Vince
Mr Vincent Greenwood
Policy Advisor I Food Contact Materials
Food Standards Agency 6th Floor I Clive House I 70 Petty France ILondon ISW1H 9EX [email protected]

Chris Harries, a bee farmer from Taunton, is the winner of the greatest honour Somerset Beekeepers’ Association (SBKA) can bestow.
He is this year’s recipient of the West Country Honey Farms Award which was given in recognition of his outstanding contribution to beekeeping in the county.
Chris has been a member of SBKA for 47 years and has been heavily involved with Taunton & District Beekeepers’ Division based at Heatherton Park.
Among many other roles supporting local beekeepers, he is a driving force behind an annual auction of beekeeping equipment, is a honey judge and helps to stage the County Honey Show held as part of Taunton Flower Show. 
In the 1970s he set up the second crop spray liaison scheme in the country and continues to be the county’s spray liaison officer acting as a go between farmers and beekeepers.
Chris was ‘stung’ by the honey bug aged 13 while at Priorswood Secondary Modern School in Taunton (now part of The Taunton Academy) when his woodwork teacher, Harry Harrison, introduced pupils to beekeeping.
“He took us out to Heatherton Park apiary to get us to make up frames and clean up the equipment and he also had hives in the school grounds,” said Chris.
But his introduction to the craft didn’t get off to the most auspicious of starts: “On the first afternoon, when we were taken to look at the schools’ bees, my best friend was stung and suffered a severe anaphylactic shock.”
Chris eventually became a fulltime bee farmer and currently has 300 honey bee colonies in 20 apiaries.
“I’ve always had an interest in the natural world – wildlife and plants - and beekeeping combines so many of those interests. And I still enjoy beekeeping all these years on.”
Chris’s company, Sedgemoor Honey, produces award-winning, local honey which is sold in outlets across the county and further afield.
Somerset Beekeepers’ Association works to advance the craft of apiculture within its membership and to promote general awareness and understanding of honey bees.
To find out more visit www.somersetbeekeepers.org.uk
Ends 

It’s not very often we get good news like this, but here is a real opportunity for somebody who would like to start keeping bees, but is not able to for some reason, or other, writes Stewart Gould, Chairman of Somerset Beekeepers' Association.

Becky Wright, of New Leaf Life Design, which is a company providing workplace and life design coaching has, very generously, donated a large percentage of her fees from sessions with Riverford Foods and Homes in Sedgemoor to Somerset Beekeepers. This money will be used to help somebody, who is contemplating beekeeping, with the start-up costs, but of course, there are conditions. The award will be made to someone who might otherwise find it financially daunting or somebody who has suffered from a situation, not of their making. The lines are purposely blurred so that the award is flexible.
 
Any member who knows somebody who would benefit from this award, should contact their divisional secretary, who can make a bid to SBKA for this money. That bid should be as detailed as possible, giving the good reasons that the person proposed deserves a helping hand. Submissions should be received by Somerset BKA secretary by October 16th, 4 weeks before the November SBKA council meeting. The recipient will have to attend a beginners’ course and be mentored for the first year. Should they give up beekeeping within three years, all equipment purchased using the award must be returned to SBKA. There will be other conditions but this is an award that could make a considerable difference. The fund currently stands at £325.00.
 
The conditions of the award are set out below. These may change slightly, but this is the gist of it at present. Get thinking about who might benefit from this, and get in touch with your secretary.
 
New Leaf Life Design Award conditions:
1.  The award will be given to a young person who would, otherwise, find it difficult to finance a start in beekeeping, or somebody considered, by SBKA, to be deserving of assistance in doing so.
 
2. Nominations from Divisions should be received at least 2 weeks before the September 11th SBKA Council meeting (by Saturday 9th October), so that they can be considered at that meeting. That is by Saturday 28th August.
 
3.  The recipient of the award will attend an SBKA divisional Beginners’
Theory Course during the winter months and a Practical Course during the following season.
 
4.  The recipient will be found suitable equipment from the award, up to the total sum of £325.00.
 
5.  The recipient may apply for more equipment provided it is deemed relevant and within the confines of the award.
 
6.  The recipient will be found a mentor for the first season of beekeeping, and can expect guidance during succeeding years.
 
7.  The recipient will be given a colony of bees, when the mentor is satisfied that it is time to do so. These bees will become the responsibility of the recipient, who must endeavour to keep them well provisioned and managed in a way acceptable to the mentor.
 
8.  Any proceeds from the sale of honey or other hive products will be the recipient’s to spend as they wish.
 
9.  The recipient must become a full member of SBKA
 
10.  The recipient will be expected to sustain a colony of bees and the associated equipment for a period of three years. If the recipient does not wish to continue with beekeeping during that period, all equipment and bees will be returned to SBKA in a reasonable condition. By the same token, all equipment and bees remain the property of SBKA for that three year period.
 
11.  The recipient must take reasonable care and responsibility for any equipment while in his or her care. If it is found that such reasonable care is not being taken, it may become necessary to retrieve the equipment and bees.
 
12.  If the recipient is seen to have renegued on this agreement, all equipment, bees and other goods associated with this award will be forfeit.
 
For the purposes of this document, SBKA refers to Somerset Beekeepers’ Association - registered charity no. 277803

Lynne Ingram and Richard Bache are the only two beekeepers this year to pass the prestigious National Diploma in Beekeeping (NDB) – the UK’s highest qualification in beekeeping.
NDB Chairman Adam Leitch offered his warmest congratulations to them both on their “outstanding achievement”.
Candidates follow a broad syllabus ending with an exam, including a theory paper and dissertation, the preparation of botany and entomology portfolios, followed by an all-day practical assessment covering colony handling, botany, anatomy and disease, and a viva voce.
Richard, our education officer and who has been a beekeeper for 22 years, confessed to starting the demanding course in a ‘moment of lockdown madness!’
“To be honest, I have absolutely no idea what possessed me!” he said. “But I relished the challenge of taking my beekeeping to the next level: having a more in depth knowledge of beekeeping practice, understanding the place of the honey bee in the broader environment and refining my bee husbandry skills beyond the Master Beekeeper level.”
Richard started beekeeping in 1999 following a beginners’ course run by the late Mike Milton and Gerald Fisher of Somerton Division, aged 16. Currently he manages eight colonies.
He added: “Beekeeping is a fantastic opportunity to witness and learn about one of nature’s most incredible creations.”
Lynne, who heads up our online lecture programme, is our Asian Hornet Action Team coordinator and joint event officer, has been keeping bees for almost 40 years, and currently manages 20 colonies.
“For me taking the NDB was the next challenge after becoming a Master Beekeeper. I’ve broadened and deepened my beekeeping knowledge generally, learnt so much more about insects other than honey bees and their role in pollination, as well as studying botany in greater depth, and immersing myself in the latest apicultural research.
“It was tough!  Lockdown had limited many of the normal training opportunities and added an extra couple of elements to our submissions”.
Lynne’s introduction to beekeeping was in the late 1970s when she completed a course run by the late David Charles.
“We’d just moved into a new home with some land, and self-sufficiency was very popular so we had goats, sheep and bees. Over the years everything else went but the bees remained - and increased in number.”  
The NDB started in 1954 and there have been only 94 successful candidates over the intervening years. Somerset Beekeepers’ Association has four members with the qualification – in addition to Richard (Somerton) and Lynne (Taunton), they are Simon Jones (Taunton) and Patrick Rich (Mendip).
Lynne: “Beekeeping is absolutely fascinating. You never stop learning however long you’ve been doing it, you meet others who are passionate about bees and your interest can take off in so many different directions.”
Richard: “Beekeeping is a fantastic opportunity to witness and learn about one of nature’s most incredible creations.”