This year’s ADBKA days out started in July with a visit to the Zoology Museum on St Machar Drive, with a special treat arranged by Hannah to see some trays of insect displays that aren’t usually on view to visitors.
Continue reading “Days out: the museum, the barbeque and the heather visit”
“Pliny states that the custom of removing bees from place to place for fresh pasturage was frequent in the Roman territories, and such is still the practice of the Italians who live near the banks of the Po, (the river which Pliny particularly instances) mentioned by Alexander de Montford, who says that the Italians treat their bees in nearly the same manner as the Egyptians did and still do; that they load boats with hives and convey them to the neighbourhood of the mountains of Piedmont; that in proportion as the bees gather their harvest, the boats, by growing heavier, sink deeper into the water; and that the watermen determine from this when their hives are loaded sufficiently and it is time to carry them back to their places from which they came. The same author relates that the people of the country of Juliers used the same practice; for that, at a certain season of the year, they carried their bees to the foot of the mountains that were covered with wild thyme.”
[Main image: Miniature by Andrea da Firenze, from an edition of Natural History by Pliny the Elder, c.1457–58 – British Library]
Copy of an article from The Press and Journal, 5 May 2019, by Ellie House
[Visit the P&J link to watch the video.]
You would be forgiven for flinching a little at the thought of getting stung, but if you leave a bee to go about her business, the chances are, she’ll give you a wide berth in return.
This is the philosophy of Naomi Adams, who can spend hours tending to an apiary in Crathes each week.
Continue reading “A hive of activity: Why there’s a buzz around beekeeping”
Tributes to Lindsey from Olya, John, and Joan (edited):
Olya Kurasova Macaulay
The first time I saw Lindsey he looked strict and serious – but I soon learned that he could smile and laugh and had a terrific sense of humour. He was openhearted, honest and generous, and I had no doubt that he was a person I could fully trust and rely on.
By David Morland
Members will remember that last year’s Convention was held in the summer on one of the hottest days of the year, and in the middle of the swarming period, so it was decided to move the event until later in the year.
By Ian Mackley
Yet another successful annual Honey Show was held at Kinellar Hall on 20 October. The Schedule was significantly revised for this year, removing Classes where there had been only few or no entries in recent years in order to make the Show more manageable. Thirty-nine people submitted 169 entries in total. 2018 has been a good year for spring and summer honey but very poor for heather honey and this was reflected in the entries: 20 each in the light and soft-set classes, but only a handful of heather honey entries. Continue reading “The 2018 Honey Show”
SBA 2018 touring lectures – Marin Anastassov BSc, MSc, NDB
Marin Anastassov – a master beekeeper and one of the few holders of an NDB – visited Aberdeen on 5 October, and gave a fascinating talk on honey bee nutrition and supplemental feeding as part of the 2018 SBA touring lectures in Scotland. Continue reading “Marin Anastassov – Honey Bee Nutrition and Supplemental Feeding”
[Edited article – first published in ADBKA August Newsletter.]
My Grandfathers kept bees as did my Great Grandfathers on both sides of my family. When I was about eight years old in the 1970’s my father decided he would like to keep bees. He had the romantic idea that he could be sitting at the breakfast table where he’d announce to me to ‘fetch a fresh section of honey from the bee hive’ at which point I would rise from the table and walk to the hive and simply lift the lid and take one out before returning to the breakfast table to enjoy the honey.
By Ian Mackley
The Turriff show was its usual eclectic mixture of opportunity to view and buy everything from Orthotic Insoles through to that monster tractor you have always wanted. The new ADBKA double gazebo got its first public outing between the National Fostering Agency and a stand selling clothes for dogs! This year we decided to be located outside amongst the trade stands rather than in the Industrial Tent; the move, and the gazebo, were thought to be successes with a steady stream of visitors throughout the show. We were certainly doing better business than the ‘grand-daughter of Gipsy Rose Lee’ in her caravan opposite! Continue reading “Turriff Show 2018”
By Ian Mackley
After last month’s report on the Queen Rearing course [see the June 2018 Newsletter, page 3], I seem to be at risk of becoming ADBKA’s special correspondent on queen rearing. Of course, like many journalists, I can write about a subject but am so far much less adept at actually doing it!
Well over 20 ADBKA members enjoyed glorious weather as we visited one of Murray McGregor’s queen rearing apiaries at his home near Coupar Angus. Murray owns and runs Scotland’s largest commercial beekeeping operation – Denrosa – and has an extensive queen rearing programme to support his 3,000 production hives.
