Snow, frost, ice and for the first time in the 23 years of living here a blocked road. Yes we could not get out until the local farmer cleared the road for us. There are still signs of snow in the hedge backs (12th February) though most has gone from the roads here. The icy weather has been replaced with cold, damp, foggy drizzle. The ground is saturated and gardening of any kind is out of the question. It does not seem to have had any effect on the bees for during the middle of most days they are flying freely. Considerable numbers of them are flying to the compost heap where there’s banana skins, cabbage leaves and all the usual ‘rubbish’ associated with such places. I have commented before on how they fly in large numbers to a heap of steaming, exceedingly smelly manure. Just what they get from it is beyond me; could it be water from the condensed steam? At this time of the year they require lots of water to dilute their stores and yet there’s any amount of water readily available in the ditches and the local pond. Perhaps they find the compost heap easier to get to for it is only a few metres from the hives and on cool days they will be wanting to get water and return to the hive as quickly as possible (or is that crediting them with human thinking?). Whatever the reason, it is a sight that never fails to amaze me for each day when we walk up to the compost heap to tip something new we are suddenly engulfed in bees, though they never cause us any trouble. They will need to collect water to dilute the candy I have given them. All five colonies now have a block of candy though only one of them is making any real impression on it. It was a particularly warm day (I understand it was a record high for this time of the year) last week when I opened them to insert the candy and as I was doing it I had a bumble bee come to see me, just about the earliest any wise bumble bee would ever venture out I feel. I suggested it to go back to bed for a few more weeks and I just hope it has found somewhere safe and warm for it was out far too early. When I gave the bees the candy I noticed that the super on each colony, containing last years uncapped honey, was still quite full and the bees were clustered on it. The bees were extremely quiet, making no attempt to rise up as I lifted the crown boards. It will be good if they stay that way over the coming months.

When the weather is mild and the bees flying I frequently walk among them; even at this time of the year they can be seen bringing home loads of pollen which is usually a sign that they have brood to feed. I find it very satisfying to watch the bees, to see the way they fly off in different directions from each hive. It’s just as though each colony has discovered its very own source of fodder with some in one direction and some in another, yet they all seem to return with very similar pollen loads. The rate at which bees die in each colony is also quite different if the number flying out carrying dead bodies is any guide. The sight of dead bees in front of a hive does cause certain beekeepers some concern, but the bees in front of the hive are not necessarily all their dead. Some bees are seen to just push their dead workmates over the edge of the entrance to let them fall to the ground, others fly out but drop their dead just outside the hive while some fly off into the distance where the dead will never be seen again. Such differences can be seen from within one hive, clearly different bees have different ideas of how to dispose of their dead. I guess we shall never know why there should be such differences, but it makes beekeeping all the more fascinating.

Last months meeting seemed to go down well judging by the amount of comments and questions that followed. All beekeepers are surely environmentalists at heart and the opportunity do something to help, however small, is available to us all. We should not look on it as something that we can’t be bothered with, of course we can but it demands effort, dedication and unselfishness. For the food chains of the future to remain intact we should not be endeavouring to change the environment to suit our needs, we should surely change our needs to suit the environment. As I said during the talk most of us have had our good time, it’s the children of the future we must be thinking about.

Have you opened our new Web Site yet? It is now called www.teesbees.co.uk and is well worth looking at. We have to thank our Web Master, Sal Mancina, for all the effort and time he has put into it, for the result is excellent. A Web Site is a dynamic installation, it does not stand still. It illustrates what Cleveland Beekeepers are about as well as the events of the day, week or month etc. It tells people in the wider world that we exist and what we exist for. It is there for all of us and we can all contribute. If you have any comments or articles to contribute they will be welcome. Please do let us know what you think about our web page.

I am sure we all congratulate Pauline on becoming an Honorary Member of CBKA, she is our oldest and longest serving member and reading her many creditable achievements, she has had a very busy and interesting life; long may it continue.

I wonder how many of you have been listening to Radio 4 on Sunday afternoons. David Kemp, our very own Bees Officer has had a 15 minute slot, starting at 2.45pm, for four weeks talking about the Work of a Bees Officer. It is interesting to hear just what other BKA’s are up to and what they have to say too.

Rob Andrews tells me that there has been no takers for the beekeeping course advertised in the education syllabus this year. Clearly we need to be promoting ourselves and the course more thoroughly to stimulate interest. Rob has sent me the following message:-
‘I have been in touch with the education dept. and there has not been one enquiry regarding the beekeeping course advertised in their brochure so I have decided that I will not be attempting to run a course until there is sufficient interest. I would be willing to give any new prospective beekeeper requiring help and information on a one to one basis at my own apiary, if they would like to contact me by telephone or e mail. It will be O.K. to put my telephone number and email address in the newsletter‘.
So if we know of any prospective beekeeper please put them in contact with Rob. Thank you Rob for offering to help.

Last week was the annual Honey Week sponsored by the Honey Association, but once again people could be excused for not being aware of it. During a visit to shops in Stockton and Middlesbrough I did not see one single mention of it, neither did it get a mention, that I heard, on the radio. As I said earlier, we need to be promoting ourselves more thoroughly; the means exist out there to do it, we have to take advantage of them.

I have recently been sent a copy of the Whitby BKA Programme. Cleveland members are always welcome to attend and for those of you living on the south side of Cleveland in particular it is not an arduous journey. Their next meeting is on the 18th of March at 7-30pm. It will be held in the Whitby Rifle Club and is Preparing honey and wax for show the talk being give by Brian Lightfoot. With our honey show rapidly catching up with us it could be a useful as well as an interesting meeting.

Change of Venue:- Mark and Gill Hodgeson tell me that the venue for the meeting scheduled for the 15th of June has been moved to their new home. Do make a note in your diaries, for if the last meeting at their heather apiary is anything to go by it should be very interesting.

Ian Brown has sent me the following message:- "I have received a telephone message from a potential beekeeper, he wishes us to help him in finding brood boxes and supers. Can anyone help please ?"

There’s just time to remind you all of the Kirkley and Bishop Burton Conferences due to be held on the 5th and 12th of April respectively. Both conferences are run by beekeepers for beekeepers and are always interesting and informative. They give us all an opportunity to meet others who share a similar interest. The conferences need your support for without it they will surely die. For further information about Kirkley see me, or about Bishop Burton see Ian Brown.

Next month we are looking at swarming, just in time for the start of the season; do try to be there, it may be interesting.

Kindest regards to you all,
Bryan Hateley