NOTTINGHAMSHIRE BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION

Welcome to the Website of
Nottinghamshire Beekeepers Association
NBKA

Basic Certificate Success

Seven of our members took the basic assessment in the summer and all have passed with credit.
Well done to:
Glenis Swift
Gill Dodd
Glynis Storer
Shirley Wragg
Phil Rawson
Steve Barton
Brian Parton
Certificates and badges will be presented at the Nottinghamshire AGM in February
If you will have kept bees for one year by next summer then you are eligible to come along to the practical sessions and take the certificate next spring/summer.

BBKA Module Exams

The next sitting of the module exams will be 9th November. The groups will then be moving onto the next modules. One group will be studying for Module 8 (which has to be taken after all the other modules have been taken) but the other group is on the early modules.
Contact me if you are interested in coming to a study group.
Janet Bates

EFB to remain a notifiable disease.

There was a rumour that EFB (European Foul Brood) may be removed from the list of notifiable diseases. We have had a communication from DEFRA stating that EFB is to remain on the list of notifiable diseases.
The other notifiable diseases are AFB (American Foul Brood), Small hive beetle and Tropilaelaps.
If you think you have found a notifiable disease in a colony then reassemble the hive. Reduce the entrance to prevent robbing. Put a voluntary standstill on your apiary and inform the local bee inspector and your local secretary.

Your help, please, if you keep bees in post codes: DE75 7; DE11 9; NG10 5; WS15 2/1

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BeeMaster- the monthly Newsletter of NBKA is emailed monthly to all members. If you are a member and have not been receiving your email copy then it may be that we do not have your correct email address. Please send your correct email address- either to Penny or to Janet and we will update our records.
BBKA NEWS- again if you think you are a member of NBKA and therefore of BBKA and have not been receiving the monthly BBKA News by post then contact me- Janet

Asian Hornet Threat 2019 and AHATs

It is likely that there will be incursions of the Asian Hornet into the UK in 2019. Last year there were 8,000 reported sightings although obviously most of these were false alarms. There are likely to be even more reports this year and possibly more nests identified.
It is likely that the resources of the NBU Bee Inspectors will be overwhelmed if more than 3 or 4 sightings occur at the same time.
In conjunction with the NBU local BKAs are forming Asian Hornet Action Teams (AHATs) to increase the resources available to support the bee inspectors. Their role will be to confirm sightings/photos/place traps locally/watch for flight lines.
The Association AHATS must quickly become an important reserve on which the NBU can rely to keep outbreaks under control.
The Midlands are coming together for the purpose and Sam Hampton is a coordinator of the larger group.
Destruction of nests will be carried out by pest control operators.
It is important to report any suspected sightings of this species as soon as possible. Find out how to identify Asian hornet by downloading an Identification Guide, or visit the BeeBase website.
Yellow legs and a mostly black body are key features.
Note that the AH nests in the UK have not been as large as those found in France.
Ideally photographs and/or a specimen should also be obtained.
Sightings must be reported to the NNSS Non-native species secretariat. alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk
Any foundress queens that have escaped from nests last year will be about in spring.
The AHAT coordinator for NBKA is Penny Forsyth
See BeeMaster for more AHAT information.

Feeding bees-

For further information, please see the ‘Best Practice Guidance No. 7 - Feeding Bees Sugar’ on the following BeeBase Page: http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/index.cfm?pageid=167