It’s such a pity that so few Cleveland members turned up to the Visiting Lecturer talk at Stokesley for clearly those that did not go will never know what they missed. A perfect venue and a very informative talk. David Aston is an excellent lecturer who clearly knows his subject extremely well, a subject we so rarely hear about. The relationships between plants and honeybees is very complex, yet David made it sound so interesting and with the aid of a series of excellent slides gave a talk that very few of us would not wish to hear again. How many of us realised that the bee has a positive static electrical charge of 450 volts while airborne and that causes the pollen on the bees body to jump to the pistol of the flower which is negatively charged ? Or that there is not more than one weeks supply of pollen in the hive at any time ? Did we know before that the bees pollen load is 10 to 30 mg while the nectar load is 25 to 40 mg ? These details and many more came to light for the first time for many of us during a talk that will be remembered by everyone there that night. I purchased his book, a book produced by him and a very knowledgeable wife, and have put it down reluctantly during this last few days, for it makes excellent reading.
I must thank too all the folks who brought food on the night; as usual there was an excellent selection and plenty for everyone. Thank you all. How good it is to see members from the three associations mixing and talking freely.

Our bees should all be bedded down for the winter by now. Make sure there are no overhanging trees to drip water onto them, and raise your hives some 500mm (18") off the ground to get them away from the cold surface. It is very important that the hives are water proof and there are no holes for robber bees to gain access for bees will rob any colony dry during the winter if they can get in. Site your hives so as to take advantage of winter sunshine, your bees will then fly in warm weather to make cleansing flights and void the faecal matter stored during the colder days. Above all leave them well alone for there is nothing you can do for them in the winter. Now is the time to be repairing the hives in store, clean them and repaint them with a wood preservative. I prefer clear Cuprinol as it allows the wood to breath and once dry does not affect the bees; paint has long been frowned on. Clean all the used frames ready for re-waxing in the spring. Clean too your queen excluders and make sure the slots are not damaged such that an enterprising queen may find her way through it in the summer. If you have to replace a queen excluder try to buy the wire or Waldron type, they are much more substantial and do much less damage to your bees wings as they negotiate them.

We really must congratulate our local beekeepers who did so well at the National Honey Show recently. Peter Schollick, Allan Jefferson and Brian Nellist all managed to collect some 25/30 prizes between them, including many first’s, all helping to put the northern region on the map. They also have several cups to polish before returning them for next year. Well done everyone. This should inspire several CBKA Members to ‘have a go’ in our own local show next July.

The following interesting article is taken from the October issue of Apis-UK:-
Honey could be the new antibiotic according to a new report from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC) who presented a paper at the Society for General Microbiology meeting at Trinity College Dublin on the 6th of September.
By studying the way that bacteria protect themselves from attack by forming slimy clumps, scientists have discovered that honey may be an effective new weapon in breaking up the microbes defences. The researchers from the School of Applied Sciences at UWIC looked at the dangerous infections that commonly get into wounds such as Pseudomonas bacteria. "If the bacteria can multiply enough to form a slimy mass called a biofilm, the sort of slime you get round a sink plughole for instance, they are much less sensitive to antibiotics and antiseptics" says one of the researchers Anna Henriques of UWIC. "Doctors looking after badly injured and infected patients urgently need to remove these biofilms so that they can treat their wounds safely and prevent the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria."
The scientists studied 6 different stains of bacteria which came from injuries and grew them in the laboratory to form biofilms that are notoriously difficult to treat when they appear as hospital infections. Biofilms prevent healing in wounds and may lead to chronic ulcers. The lab grown samples were treated with Manuka honey, then unattached bacteria were washed off and the remaining slime layer studied after different time periods. In every sample the biofilm was disrupted making it more susceptible to treatments with conventional antibiotics. "This suggests that simple honey could be a realistic alternative to treatment with antibiotics and antiseptics" says Ana Henriques. "With the rise in hospital infections from resistant bacteria, we need more effective treatments quickly. Dressings impregnated with Manuka honey became available for prescription earlier this year, and for the first time we have shown that honey is effective against these tough biofilms as well as slowing isolated bacteria." The research could have a major impact in developing countries where honey is cheap and readily available, but where modern pharmaceuticals are difficult to obtain. Honey is easy to use and has no known harmful side effects on human health.
In my short time as a beekeeper I have known two doctors in the Teesside area who told me they have used honey with positive results.

Most of you now know of the governments proposal to axe part of the National Bee Unit (NBU) in York. I am enclosing a copy of a letter I have sent to our local MP to try to persuade him to get the Government to change their mind (Click here to read it). Can I ask all of you to do the same, use my letter as a guide if you wish but do do something, to do nothing is not an option. It is the Seasonal Bee Inspectors that will feel the brunt of the cuts, but as an article in Apis-UK says "When the seasonal bee inspector posts were first announced, they were deemed an ‘essential’ weapon in the apicultural armoury of the country. If they were essential then, they are essential now." I am convinced that if the NBU is run down bee diseases will run rampant in a very short time for there are many, as yet, unfamiliar ones just over the horizon.

In my minutes of the AGM I stated that Dorothy Mutton agreed to take on the task of Honey Show Secretary. Her name should have read Dorothy Mathews; I apologise for the error. Dorothy will be ‘shadowing’ Bill Wilkinson for the 2005 show when she will then be taking over as Bill wishes to retire after ten years in the job.

You will all receive next years programme with this Newsletter. Do make a note of the dates on your calendars, in particular the date of the March meeting which is on a Saturday morning the 19th. Also the May meeting is scheduled to be a visit the National Bee Unit at York. This will take place on Monday evening the 16th when we will meet at 6.45pm outside the main entrance. Car sharing will be possible. There does not seem to be a limit on the number of visitors but I MUST have the names of all who wish to go TWO WEEKS in advance, for security purposes.

December the 1st is the night of the next quiz at Durham’s Houghall College. We were joint winners last year along with Weardale Beekeepers. For those who have forgotten what it’s all about, it is a quiz, not exclusively dedicated to beekeeping, between the BKA’s of Durham, Newcastle, Richmond, Weardale, Hexham and Cleveland. It is now in its 12th (or is it 13th?) year and is always a good night when we have the chance to meet several fellow beekeepers from neighbouring areas on this one night each year. Do please make every effort to turn up for it is a good friendly evening with plenty of good food to add to the pleasure of the night. Car sharing will be possible.

Today is the 8th of November and during the recent mild weather I have seen my bees flying as though there is no tomorrow. They are bringing home lots of pollen and that is an important food source at this time of the year for it enables them to build up fat bodies to help survive the winter. But they will be using valuable food stores that were put aside for winter time. On mild days in mid winter, gently heft your hives to check the weight and if there’s any doubt about what’s in them feed fondant, it will help see them through till the spring. Use a butter/margarine container with a 25mm hole cut in the bottom, fill it with fondant, replace the lid and place it over the feed hole in the crown board.

Next month is our Quiz and Social evening when we ask you to bring a portion of the food you like best for us all to sample.

Kindest regards to you all,
Bryan Hateley