We had two hugely enjoyable events recently, and the factor common to both is The Chairman’s Quaich, presented to Hugh Donohoe.

The first event was the Lunch on the Lawn get-together on 28 May, once again generously hosted by Yvonne, Kathryn and Michael Seed at Green Apple.  Thank you, Yvonne, Kathryn and Michael for such a nice afternoon.  The rain meant we did not see much of the lawn, but we had a cosy and wonderful time in the Seeds’ kitchen enjoying the company and delicious food.

That was when David Morland presented Hugh with the Chairman’s Quaich for all the help Hugh has offered the Association over the years.

The next time the quaich appeared was on Satuday, 17 June, at the Better Bee conference just after Gavin Ramsay’s introduction – but this time it was engraved with Hugh’s name, and with a larger audience to applaud him.

Anybody who could not make it to the conference, eat your heart out – it was so enlightening and enjoyable.   Eoghan Mac Giolla Coda and Margaret Murdin presented four fascinating lectures with an emphasis on improving our bees.  These included the history and value of Apis mellifera mellifera, particularly the Scottish native honey bee; understanding the queen; how to select and rear queens to improve stock based on your personal criteria; and easy methods to achieve queen-rearing.

Thank you everybody who helped to make the conference such a successful day.