Programme of Events 2019
April
Sat 6 – Ruxley Apiary
9:00am – 12:00 Basic Beekeeping Course: 1st Practical – Basics, 5 good reasons for inspecting a colony
1pm – 3pm Basic Beekeeping Course: 2nd Practical – Swarm prevention.
Sat 6 – Ruxley Apiary
3pm – Routine inspection of colonies, swarm prevention measures undertaken. Supers added to the colonies if needed. 2nd best colony prepared for raising drones for the queen rearing programme and fed with proteins rich pollen substitutes.
Sat 13 Baldwyns Apiary – Spring Convention
2pm Routine inspection of colonies, swarm prevention measures undertaken. Supers added to the colonies if needed. 2nd best colony prepared for raising drones for the queen rearing programme and fed with proteins rich pollen substitutes..
Sat 20 – Ruxley Apiary – Easter Saturday
2pm Routine inspection of colonies, swarm prevention measures. Supers added to the colonies if needed. Varroa entrapment frames check. Old frames rendered down.
Sat 27 – Ruxley Apiary
9:00am – 12:00 Basic Beekeeping Course: 3rd Practical – Dealing with difficult colonies. Uniting of colonies and re-queening.
1pm – 3pm Basic Beekeeping Course: 4th Practical – Making up frames, feeding, etc., if time allows, practical demonstration how to assemble a brood box (National). Conclusion.
Sat 27 – Baldwyns Apiary
2pm Routine inspection of colonies, swarm prevention, Varroa entrapment frames check. Old frames rendered down.
Tue 30 – Sophie’s Choice Restaurant, 149 Station Road, Sidcup, DA15 7AA
7:30pm Annual Dinner with a Talk: “Bees in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula”
May
Sat 4 – Ruxley Apiary
2pm – Routine inspection of colonies, swarm prevention, Varroa entrapment frames check. A colony selected for the queen rearing programme prepared.
Sat 11 – Ruxley Apiary
1pm – 3pm Queen rearing course Part 1: Grafting young larvae into queen cell cups
Sat 12 – Baldwyns Apiary
2pm – Routine inspection of colonies, swarm prevention, Varroa entrapment frames check.
Sat 18 – Ruxley Apiary
1pm – 2pm Queen rearing course Part 2: Check on grafting success. Preparation of the mating nucs.
Sat 18 – Ruxley Apiary
2pm – Routine inspection of colonies, swarm prevention, Varroa entrapment frames check.
Mon 20 – Ruxley Apiary
Time: TBA – Queen rearing course Part 3: Distribution of ripe queen cells into mating nucs.
Sat 25 – Ruxley Apiary
1pm – 2pm Queen rearing course Part 4: Check on virgin queens emergence from queen cells.
Sat 26 – Baldwyns Apiary
2pm – Routine inspection of colonies, swarm prevention, Varroa entrapment frames check. Supers added.
June
Sat 1 – Ruxley Apiary
1pm – 2pm Queen rearing course Part 5: Check if the new queens are starting to lay.
Sat 2 – Ruxley Apiary
2pm – Routine inspection of colonies, swarm prevention, Varroa entrapment frames check. Due to cold weather and June gap, colonies fed if required.
Sat 8 – Ruxley Apiary
1pm – 2pm Queen rearing course Part 6: Final session, marking and clipping the new queens. Conclusion.
Sat 8 – Baldwyns Apiary
2pm – Routine inspection of colonies, swarm prevention, Varroa entrapment frames check. Supers added
Sat 15 – Ruxley Apiary
2pm – Routine inspection of colonies, swarm prevention, Varroa entrapment frames check.
Sat 22 – Baldwyns Apiary
2pm – Routine inspection of colonies, swarm prevention, Varroa entrapment frames check
Sat 29 – Ruxley Apiary
2pm – Routine inspection of colonies, swarm prevention, Varroa entrapment frames check.
July
Sat 6 – Baldwyns Apiary
2pm – Routine inspection of colonies, swarm prevention, last Varroa entrapment frames check.