We are going away for a few days early in October so I am having to make a start now (30th Sept.) on next months Newsletter. The weather still dominates most discussions at the moment, for it is surely magnificent. Just enough rain to keep plants happy but not too much to prevent outdoor activities. I heard today on the radio (yes some of us still listen to it) that we are in for the most colourful autumn ever. The trees are beginning to loose their leaves but it’s a slow process this year and they do look magnificent at the moment. Red admiral butterflies are still about in large numbers taking full advantage of the Ivy, nicotiana, fuchsia's and evening primrose and they are a wonderful sight effectively extending the colour of summer by several weeks. Many red admiral’s can be seen settling on the warm stones on the ground taking advantage of the late summer sunshine, staying put there for some considerable time.

Our bees are also foraging merrily though most of them have ceased to take down any more sugar, i.e. they are well set up for winter. The colonies that went to the moors came home with their brood boxes quite full and so did not take a lot of sugar. I am pleased I fed them sugar for bees can be seen gathering nectar from the Ivy; (brown/grey pollen), but they will not have a lot of room to store it. That is a good thing for Ivy nectar is no use to them at all, in fact it is even dangerous for bees to collect too much of it. It sets very, very hard in the brood frames and becomes unusable when it is most required in spring. Nicotiana pollen is light brown and evening primrose fawny green and my bees are gather both at the moment. It is good to see pollen being taken in for that usually indicates that there is still brood there all helping to provide new young bees to go through the winter.

On the point of feeding sugar to bees, there has been some talk recently suggesting that sugar is no longer suitable for them due to some ‘new’ additive being included. I have contacted Messrs Silver Spoon and asked for clarification, this is the correspondence:
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Email sent to Silver Spoon Sugar Co., 16th September 2003
Dear Sirs, There is a rumour, a story, call it what you will, going about at the moment suggesting that some ''new'' additive has been included in sugar to make it pour more easily and that this is dangerous to honeybees.
I and many others use considerable quantities of sugar at this time of the year to feed our bees prior to winter.
My question is: "Has any change been made to sugar recently that would in any way make it unsuitable for feeding to honeybees?" If it has, the obvious next question is "Why does it not say so on the packet?"
Yours faithfully,
Bryan Hateley.
Technical Officer, Cleveland Beekeepers Association.

And their reply, received 30th September.

Hello Bryan,
Further to the receipt of your enquiry I can confirm the following:
We have not changed the process for extracting sugar from beet nor have we started to add any free flow agents or other ingredients to our standard granulated sugar to make it flow more easily.
Some of our products do contain additional ingredients e.g. brown sugar contains molasses and glycerol and icing sugar contains Calcium Phosphate - but all such ingredients for these product are declared on the packaging.
I hope that this clarifies things for you,
Lindsay Mather
Quality and Food Safety Manager
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So go ahead and feed sugar just as you always have.

I have now removed and extracted all my honey and have today put the wet empty supers on top of the hives for the bees to clean. I shall remove them in a few days. They will be dry and clean, enabling me to clean out all the old wax from the frames in readiness for next year. Having removed my honey, I have put aside the items I intend to exhibit in next years Cleveland Show. They are exactly the same as the other jars or cut comb that I sell from the back door, I do not make any more fuss with the items for the show than I do with the honey I sell to the public. So now is the time to start to think about next July’s show, not the week before when it’s far too late. I was recently again asked to judge a honey show and I have to say that I was disappointed at the lack of entries and at the age of some of them, for many were well past their ‘sell by’ date. All honey shows are known about well in advance, so it should not be difficult to put aside sufficient entries to help make the show viable and to demonstrate to the public just what good honey should look like. Start now to put aside your entries for next years show, don’t leave it till the last minute and do pension off those tired worn out entries of years ago.

Last months meeting brought home to us the new threat from varroa mites immune to treatment with Apistan or Bayvarol (Pyrethroids) now breeding in this area. It has been so convenient just to slip a couple of impregnated strips into our hive and to sit back knowing the mites would go away. From now on we can no longer do just that any more. We will need to check thoroughly for immunity and to respond accordingly. It is my intention to demonstrate once again the method of checking for immunity early in the New Year, probably the March meeting and to discuss the alternatives.

Also last month we had more new folks come to join us. They were John Law and his wife Val from Eaglescliffe, and Tom and George Rettik from Yarm. We welcome them all and look forward to a long association with them. They can count on our help when needed.

During one of our summer meetings I drew your attention to an article in the February issue of BBKA News relating to how BBKA Enterprises have managed to obtain "sponsorship and donations" from Aventis £5,000, BASF £5,000, FMC £2,000 and sundries of £170. The April issue of BBKA News goes on to say:
"The BBKA Enterprises last year produced an income equal to plus £1.50 per member by negotiated contracts with Agrochemical companies. These were endorsements of the applications of specific chemicals, all very bee friendly."
I have a copy of a letter from the General Secretary of BBKA listing the four ‘bee friendly’ products the BBKA endorses, and what is more BBKA have entered into a three year endorsement contract with the chemical giants. Checking the list against the manufacturers names on their Web sites paints a very mixed picture indeed and certainly not one that I feel happy with. Only one product seems to be relatively safe, the other three all being labelled as HT or highly toxic. The companies involved are the same ones that are developing GM Crops. Almost every issue in the recent beekeeping press mentions GM’s and frequently suggests that they are the last thing that UK beekeepers wish to have anything to do with. How, I ask can BBKA see their way to endorsing products, in our name and without obvious consultation, produced by such companies when their track record leaves so much to be desired? I wish to see many more trials and much more testing of all their products for their long term effect on people and wildlife before I can readily accept them. BBKA should be reminded that there is a hint of double standards which UK beekeepers may not be entirely happy with.
Well that was all several days ago; I have just returned from holiday to find the latest copy of BBKA News (No. 143) has been delivered. It seems to me that BBKA are now trying, rather late in the day, to justify their actions with a lengthy article describing "Why they are comfortable with the policy of Pesticide Endorsement." It tells us nothing new about pesticides, or does it give good reasons for the BBKA to accept money from the big drug companies. Yes, we can endeavour to co-operate with them, but I fear they don’t make good bed fellows. And the latest news I have is that some of the chemical giants are giving up some of their work in the UK.

I asked in the October Newsletter "Just what do we have to do to get people to turn up to the summer meetings?"
I have had one reply which said:
"People could ‘phone to remind friends of any imminent meeting, not just summer ones."
I thought it was such a good idea that I had to publish it; for several people say: "I just forgot all about it." So go ahead ‘phone your contacts whoever they are and we may get more folks to turn up to all the meetings.

Now is the time to remind folks of the Christmas quiz which takes place at Houghall in Durham on 3rd of December. Please do your best to be there for a considerable amount of effort goes into its preparation. We also need to select a team of three folks to represent us, please, don’t be shy have a go. There is nothing onerous about it and it’s a good laugh.

Last but by no means least, I have today (Friday 17th October) received the details of the Visiting Lecturer Scheme. It will be on the 5th of November at 7-30pm in Knayton Village Hall (south on the A19). The speaker will be Selwyn Wilkins or Alistair Battersby of the NBU:
" Reviewing the current work at the unit with particular emphasis on the control of varroa mites in the light of the arrival of a resistant strain in Darlington."
Please let Ian Brown know if you intend to go; car sharing should be possible too. Everyone should attend to hear more about this important change in beekeeping.

Kindest regards to you all,
Bryan Hateley