Reviews of past beekeeping events and lectures in Devon

Not many people get to attend all the events and lectures throughout the year. For those that missed a lecture they might like to have attended, we have some brief reviews below. Lectures that are hosted at locally are nearly always reviewed in the local Newsletters.
Link to back copies of Newton Abbot Branch Newsletters

October 23, 2009 - Acarine Dissection and Microscopes
Friday, 7.30pm at the Teignbridge Scout Headquarters, Wolborough Street, Newton Abbot
Speaker: Lesley Bill
Assisting Microscopists: Colin Turner, Glyn Davies, Allen Hodgson

The lecture was very well attended at the Scout HQ in Newton Abbot. The evening was divided into two halves - Lesley talking about the Acarine mite (plus some anatomy and physiology of the honeybee), then splitting into smaller groups to look at different aspects of microscopy with bees.

The symptoms of Acarine were first described in 1904, but it was not until1921 that the cause was identified as a tracheal mite – later classified as Acarapis woodi. It is commonly referred to as 'Isle of Wight' disease and was thought to have been largely responsible for killing off almost the entire native honeybee population in the UK during the 20th century. Signs include crawling bees with dislocated (K shaped) wings.

The treatment used to be fumigation with 'Frow mixture' (a combination of Nitrobenzene, petrol, ligroin and safrol) - these have now been withdrawn. At Buckfast Abbey, Brother Adam developed a resistant hybrid known as the 'Buckfast Bee'. It is thought that the disease is less of a problem now, due to regular use of miticides to control the Varroa mite. Sometimes beekeepers will re-queen a colony that seems to be susceptible to Acarine.

With the aid of diagrams, Lesley described the anatomy of the honeybee in some detail, before explaining how the mites infest their hosts. Bees exchange oxygen for respiration by tensing their abdomens, causing air to be drawn through spiracles into the air tubes (trachea) and on into air sacs in the body. You can often observe a bee 'breathing' as it pulsates its abdomen while standing. Most of the spiracles have valves. There are some on the thorax without valves, where the air holes are protected by stiff hairs. It is the young bees (4 to 5 days old) who's hairs are still soft that mostly fall prey to the mites who can push past the hairs to gain entrance to the trachea.

photo NAL

Lesley Bill explaining bee anatomy as part of her Acarine lecture

photo NAL

The Acarine mite then lays its eggs in the trachea of the bee, and young mites pierce the tracheal wall and feed on lymph. When fully grown, they crawl out to infect another host. It is thought that the mites are one of the vectors for viruses such as 'deformed wing virus', infecting their hosts while feeding on the lymph. Ideal conditions for infestation is when there are high numbers of young bees in a tight cluster - early spring.

In addition to observing crawling bees, some of which have deformed wings, positive diagnosis is made by killing a sample of bees and examining them under a strong lens or low powered microscope (x20 to x40). The first legs are removed, along with the head and front plate of the thorax (to expose the trachea). The body is then double-pinned to a cork to hold for examination. The appearance of healthy trachea are clean white (or off-white) ribbed tubes. Infested trachea are notably discoloured or blotchy.

photo Vita Europe

Section of the basitarsus of back leg showing pollen basket hairs under microscope

In the second part of the evening we were able to look at a selection of different microscopes which were set up for different purposes. Colin Turner demonstrated how to prepare samples for tracheal examination for Acarine through a dissecting microscope (x40). Glyn Davies showed how to prepare samples and examine for gut bacterium and Nosema spores (x400). Allen Hodgson set up a powerful microscope to examine the compound eye of a bee (x1200). Lesley Bill had samples for examination, particularly legs and other external anatomical parts under a dissecting microscope (x10 - x40).

Glyn Davies showed how to prepare samples and examine for Nosema spores (x400). Interestingly, a slide he prepared showed cells which were too large for bacteria - the conclusion being that these might be fungal spores. Whether these were from the bees' gut or just on their body was not clear. They were all bees which had just returned home. It raised an interesting question as to whether the bees might be eating the fungus or were infected by it. (Glyn submitted the following article afterwards for further reading - 'On the collection of mold spores in lieu of pollen by the stingless bee' from Insects Sociaux) click here to view.

Many thanks to all those who contributed to this most interesting first of our winter lectures. I for one would like to know much more about microscopy - it is undoubtedly an important tool in the understanding of bees.

NAL

Link to Brunel Microscopes

photo NBU

Nosema spores from bee gut at x 400 magnification

August 23, 2009 - Bee Information Day at the Barn Owl
Sunday, all day at the Barn Owl pub, Kingskerswell
Organiser: Jane James

Once again the weather was not favourable for this event and it drew to a close earlier than expected. The branch had a stand manned by Jane, Elizabeth and Alan. Some honey and bee products were sold and several enquiries were made regarding membership and general beekeeping. The event was used to raise funds for wounded soldiers.

Ray Ford

August 22, 2009 - Methods of removal of honey for extraction
Saturday, 2.00 pm at Clay Lane Apiary
Speaker: Clair Densley - Seasonal Bee Inspector

A good turnout of members came to hear Clair talk about methods of clearing bees for honey extraction. We looked at a variety of one-way gates to put in a clearing board between the supers and the colony, including the Porter bee escape [right], Canadian bee escape and fast clearing 'diamond' bee escape. Each one has its own merits and down-sides. Often the decision on which to use is based on how quickly you need the supers cleared of bees prior to extraction. We all agreed the 'leaf blower method' was not to be recommended. The most unusual method was inserting an impregnated card with 'Bee Away' - a chemical bee repellent.

We had a look at hives in the Apiary. The bees had done well up until the end of June, making little honey since due to poor weather. Allen Hodgson also contributed useful tips about removing honey. Care must be taken to ensure that the remaining space in the brood chamber can accommodate all the bees which have been cleared. There was also a danger from robbing - it was essential that any gaps in the hives were sealed so that wasps (or other bees) could not remove all the honey. Allen noted that wasps could clear a super of honey within 48 hours.

Ruth Mountford and Jane Ducker provided welcome refreshments afterwards. As the drizzle gradually increased, the meeting came to a close. More sunshine please!

NAL

August 1, 2009 - President's Tea Party
Saturday, 3.00 pm at Woodland

photo NAL

Norman and Jenny Buckle's garden is an oasis of tranquility. Clearly, a lot of work has gone into the garden and herbaceous borders which surround the cottage. The apiary overlooks a mature orchard with a wildflower meadow which has been cultivated as such over many years. Amonst the grasses nestle orchids, mallows, rattle and many other flowers.

A perfect surrounding to sample scones with clotted cream and home-made jam, while talking bees and meeting family and partners. Thank you Norman and Jenny, and indeed everyone involved in making this a great afternoon.

NAL

photo NAL

The wildflower meadow was alive with butterflies and bees

A persistent drizzle of rain kept us from the apiary; however, the group was able to assemble in one of the magnificent rooms at Colehayes Park house - courtesy of Bill and Rebecca Brooks.

Adam Vevers introduced us to a lesser-known pest - the Small Hive Beetle (Aethina tumida). SHB is an 'exotic pest' and is one of the four bee maladies which are notifiable to the bee inpector by law. SHB does not attack the bee directly, but eats the comb and honey, rendering them unpaletable to the bees who then abscond. They are difficult to kill as any pesticide which is effective against the beetle is likely to affect the bees in the same way. A study in Louisianne (US) has found a naturally occurring nematode which attacks SHB in its pupal stage in the soil.

Endemic in Africa, America and Australia, it has yet to be found in Northern Europe. It is thought that the most likely entry point to the UK will be a sea port (such as Felixstowe), where it might be imported as part of a cargo of food, such as avocado or melon. The National Bee Unit have plans in place to deal with an outbreak, but emphasize that vigilance by beekeepers is a key part of their strategy.

photo NAL

Larvae - 10-11mm
Adult Beetle - 5-7mm

So what does it look like? The eggs are typically laid in any small crevice in the hive. When they hatch the larvae are not dissimilar to wax moth larvae, but are distinguishable by the three pairs of legs at the head end. It was useful to see the actual size of the beast - 5-7mm long for adult beetles (with clubbed antennae) and 10-11mm in length for fully formed larvae.

Adam showed us a Small Hive Beetle trap (from Thornes) which is used to both monitor and catch the pests. It consisted of a double skinned membrane in which the beetles like to hide from the light.

A definitive and well illustrated guide to the pest has been published by defra and is available as a pdf download file here...

After Adam's talk we enjoyed a lively discussion about the merits of various hives and beekeeping in general. Keith supplied an outstanding array of eats, while Rebecca plied us with tea and coffee - a very warm thank you to you both.

NAL

Glyn demonstrated the Cloake Board Method of queen rearing which uses a double brood box separated by the Cloake Board – a combination of queen excluder and sliding board.

The principle is that the Board allows the beekeeper to use two incompatible facts used in queen rearing: i) Grafts are better accepted by a queen-less colony ii) Better queens are raised by a queen-right colony. The Cloake Board Method allows the beekeeper to operate both these systems in a single colony and also permit maximum food provision for the developing larvae. Through a programme of opening/closing hive entrances and inserting/removing the board, one day old larvae are grafted into the upper box which is rendered temporarily queen-less. The bees accept the larvae and a day later, the board is removed to reunite the colony. They go on to develop the cells as queens and, before they emerge, the ripe queen cells are placed in mating nucs. When mated and successfully laying, they can be used in queen-less colonies, to replace older queens or to start new colonies.

Many thanks to Glyn and Fred for a fascinating introduction to the subject.

NAL

Click here for the full report with photos

photo NAL

Mating Nucs at the Woodland Apiary

June 13, 2009 - Assessing for Swarming
Saturday, 2.30 pm at Maidencombe, Torquay
Speaker: Lesley Bill

Dr Lesley Bill's apiary is in a stunning location in Maidencombe, in sight of the sea and nestled beside a well-kept apple orchard. The mature gardens nearby provide excellent forage.

We were treated to an interesting talk on assessing for swarming and shown play, swarm and supersedure queen cells. Factors involved in swarming include the genetic make up of the queen (and colony), the age and condition of the queen and the condition of their current hive - whether they have enough room for the queen to lay and for surplus food to be stored. Swarming is part of the natural process bees use to secure the future of their species. They usually do this in the Spring, but they can swarm at any time during 'the season' (up until the Autumn).

Uncontrolled swarming can cause the existing colony to lose up to 60% of its population, so swarm control methods are employed to either thwart the swarming instinct or to make increase - create (and keep) an artificial swarm.
(See articles on swarming on this website...)

After the talk we were given the most wonderful hospitality with tea and cakes. Many thanks from all those who attended.

NAL

March 21, 22, 2009 -
DBKA/DARG/NBU Nosema Survey 2009
21st March at the Buckfast South Park Centre which will cover the Totnes, Torbay, Newton Abbot and north Plymouth areas. 22nd March should cover North Devon and maybe some Holsworthy members.

A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE INVOLVED!

A survey to determine the incidence of Nosema infection in Devon bees took place this weekend [March 21/22]. A large team of helpers assembled at the two venues - the South Park Community Centre at Buckfast and the Castle Centre, Barnstaple.

Beekeepers from across the county brought samples in an intriguing array of different containers and packets. A team from the Central Science Laboratory worked alongside an impressive array of local microscopists. Volunteers prepared slides and catalogued the results. Most welcome was the refreshments provided at both sites.

All those who did not receive their results on the day will receive their results by post this week - they were mailed on Sunday evening [March 22].

A full report will be published in the May/June edition of 'Beekeeping'.
Click here to view the initial results

photo MD

photo MD

March 6, 2009 - Double Brood Chambers, the Muller-Diehnelt 'bulking up' procedure
Friday, 7.30pm at the Teignbridge Scout Headquarters, Wolborough Street, Newton Abbot
Speaker: Gerry Humphries

Gerry delivered an interesting talk about the Muller-Diehnelt 'bulking up' procedure - called after German apiaries of the same name. He expressed his admiration for German beekeepers, saying they were acknowledged as being the most proficient in Europe. Gerry himself keeps Carniolan Bees (Apis mellifera carnica).

A copy of the hand out from the talk explaining the procedure with diagrams can be downloaded here (pdf).

It is always of interest to hear the detail of other beekeepers' preferences for equipment and methods. Gerry showed us commercial brood boxes which were painted both inside and out with 'Ronseal 5 year' treatment, explaining that this extended the life of the hives considerably. He used polypropylene for crown boards ('for insulation') with kitchen sink drains embedded in them for feeding pollen.

We examined some pollen that Gerry had prepared by collecting with a Thorne's pollen trap, then drying in a low heat oven and finally grinding in a pestle and mortar before storing. He uses this to stimulate the queen to lay in the 'bulking up' procedure. So successful is this that he has even seen it used in a queenless colony to produce a laying queen.

We also looked at various queen rearing apparatus and modified supers which were used for mating. He recommended the Snellgrove book for queen rearing.

NAL

photo wikipedia

Gerry Humphries keeps Carniolan bees (above).

A site dedicated to the Carlionan bee
click here

February 25, 2009 – Top Bar Hives: are they a viable alternative in Britain?
Wednesday, 7.30pm at Birdwood House, Totnes
Speaker: Phil Chandler

About thirty people came to hear Phil Chandler speak about sustainable beekeeping in top bar hives. We were treated to a good slide show punctuated by interesting anecdotes of his own experience with this method of beekeeping. The audience had plenty of questions to ask.

Phil covered something of the history of top bar hives in ancient Greece and more recent usage in Europe, Africa and the United States. He mentioned a couple of exponents who have websites worth visiting - http://www.beesource.com/ (Michael Bush) and http://www.anarchyapiaries.org/ (Sam Comfort).

The construction of top bar hives is relatively simple compared to a National hive. Free instructions on how to construct one is available as a download from the internet (click here). The sloping sides are designed to minimise the problem of bees attaching their comb to the sides of the hive (in the absence of a frame). The advantages of keeping bees in a top bar hive were described as:

• simplicity of construction (low cost)
• ease of operation (no heavy lifting)
• less disturbance for the bees
• harvesting by comb, not by box
• minimal storage requirement – no QE’s or supers
• more suitable for small scale beekeeping.

We had a look at vertical top bar hives, as designed by Abbé Warré. The style of beekeeping here is to disturb the bees only twice a year so as to maintain the ‘hive atmosphere’. Beekeepers in Europe have reported that despite the lack of intervention by the beekeeper, this style of beekeeping appeared to be relatively mite and disease free.

Looking to the future, Phil said the results looked promising. There has been a great deal of interest shown in this type of beekeeping recently. It has the advantage of fitting the low-impact paradigm. He did concede that this was not an appropriate method for large-scale commercial honey production. There will be an open day at Riverford Farm, where some of these hives are located, during July this year.

Phil runs a very active website on sustainable beekeeping - http://www.biobees.com/index.php
He has written a book about sustainable beekeeping called ‘The Barefoot Beekeeper’. A downloadable summary is available free from the biobees website.

NAL

February 10, 2009 - Beekeeping training and qualifications
Tuesdy, 7.30pm at the Shelley Methodist Hall, South Zeal
Speaker: Roger Lacey

Roger Lacey, Chairman of DBKA, gave an interesting talk this week to Okehampton Branch, entitled “Knowledge”. He suggested that many of us have learnt the craft by being introduced to it by a relative (father or grandfather as it has in his case). He went on to explain that by having the ability to travel widely, many aspects and questions are always raised during the travels. He mentioned the habits of many European beekeepers of putting quilts or straw around the hives during winter, and wondered with the temperature (especially in the recent past in Oakhampton) very low, how many beekeepers had used at least a polystyrene cover on top of the brood box to keep the warmth in.

He showed examples of hives in warmer countries including Trinidad and Tobago, and told of his experiences with Africanised bees.

Many beekeepers, having taken the Basic, are wondering what to do next, and Roger explained that if the Module written route was not to their liking, then they could consider the practical assessment of the General Certificate in Beekeeping Husbandry. This is taken at the candidate’s apiary and will last about two hours. The candidate has to have kept and managed bees for at least three years, have the Basic, and his Record Book forms part of the assessment. The prospectus can be downloaded from the BBKA website, or Roger can provide copies if requested.

Link to BBKA Examinations and Assessments

photo NAL

Phil Chandler with a top bar hive at Riverford Farm

How to build a top bar hive - free ebook (pdf)

February 8, 2009 - Plan Bee
Sunday, 2pm to 4pm at Exeter

The event was so well subscribed, that the venue was changed to the larger Thistle Hotel, Queen Street. There were a quite a few beekeepers in the audience. Faheem Bhatti, Membership Officer for the Cooperative Group introduced the event by explaining their position on Climate Change, Fairtrade and Ethical Banking. Increasing membership of the Cooperative’s loyalty scheme was an objective of the Event.

We watched a preview of a television advertisement (due to be screened on February 16) which gave a pastiche of the group’s ethical stance to its suppliers and the Cooperative’s contribution to education, communities and the environment. Bob Dylan had agreed to allow the use of his famous ‘Blowing in the wind’ for the soundtrack.

The ‘main event’ was a preview of a 90 minute American film – ‘The Return of the Honeybee’ – directed by George Langworthy and Maryam Henein. There were interviews with many famous names from the beekeeping world such as Dave Hackenburg (Pennsylvania beekeeper who brought the world’s attention to CCD), Gunther Hawk (biodynamic beekeeper) and Tim Buxton (author of ‘The Shamanic Way of the Bee’). The film documents the history of our relationship with bees and... You will have to wait for the release of the film in the Autumn. For more information and a view of the trailer, visit www.hivementality.org/index.html.

Roger Lacey, Chairman of Devon Beekeepers Association at Cooperative's Plan Bee event at Exeter

There followed a short slide show prepared by the RSPB (as part of their 'Homes for Wildlife' scheme) on wildlife gardening and ways which we can all contribute to improving both habitat and forage for bees, bumblebees and other pollinating insects. We were given a packet of wildflower seeds to take home.
www.rspb.org.uk

Roger Lacey, Chairman of the Devon Beekeepers Association fielded questions from the audience about bees and beekeeping.

For more information about Plan Bee and ways that you can make a difference visit www.co-operative.coop/planbee

You can also join in the debate on Thursday, February 12, 2009. Members of the Cooperative’s team will be on hand for a webchat between 4pm and 7pm to answer your questions and hear your views.

NAL

January 22, 2009 - Follow up
to Oxalic Acid Treatment & Demo

At Fred Salmons' invitation I revisited the Woodland Apiary to monitor the Varroa knock-down after the Oxalic Acid treatment.

The results were surprisingly good - the monitoring board (placed underneath the mesh floor of the hive) was peppered with hundreds of dead mites along with the usual detritus from the hive. The mites (shown here) were clearly visible to the eye, although a small magnifying glass will reveal more detail.

Interestingly, these hives had previously been treated with Apiguard™ - this shows that you should not rely on just one type of control, but to treat with the Oxalic Acid as well.

NAL

January 17, 2009 - Oxalic Acid treatment & Demo
Saturday, 10.30 am at Clay Lane Apiary
12.30 pm Pub Lunch at The Rising Sun, Woodland
2.00 pm at Woodland Apiary

These talks are always well attended - this year was no exception. As part of a strategy of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Oxalic Acid is used to reduce the number of Varroa mites that will be in the colony which would otherwise build up in numbers during the summer. Varroa only reproduce in sealed brood. Oxalic Acid treatment is applied in winter when there is no brood so all mites in the phoretic, or adult parasitic stage on adult bees, can be affected by the poison. Oxalic Acid does not penetrate capped brood so does not kill mites that might be in there.

Glyn Davies demonstrated the procedure, with members having an opportunity for 'hands-on' experience of applying the solution. There has been some debate about the strength required - Glyn's Feb article in 'Beekeeping' explores this further. More information about this can be downloaded from: http://www.newtonabbotbees.org.uk/bees9.htm

For the demonstration, Glyn explained that the oxalic acid crystals should be in solution with sugar syrup and used at about 20°C (or room temperature) so as not to chill the bees. With the aid of a torch we counted up 'seams' of bees in the brood chamber and drew up enough Oxalic Acid into a 50ml syringe to trickle 5ml per seam. The procedure is done fairly quickly to minimise the exposure of the colony to the cold air.

We took the opportunity to 'heft' the hives to check if they had enough food to last until the end of March/April. The final part of the job is to insert a 'Varroa board' (with grid of 2" squares) to monitor how many mites were knocked down as a result of the treatment. This can be checked within a few days.

After a most enjoyable lunch at the Rising Sun we proceeded to the Woodland Apiary to continue the treatment of those hives.

NAL

Further reading: Oxalic Acid (Wikipaedia)

Newton Abbot Branch

photo NAL

Oxalic acid being trickled across a 'seam' of bees as a treatment for Varroa mites.

photo NAL

Chairman Allen Hodgson inserts a 'Varroa board' with grid to examine how many Varroa mites have fallen as a result of the treatment.

January 13, 2009 - Apiary Hygiene
Tuesday, 7.30pm at the Methodist Church Hall, South Zeal
Speaker: Adam Vevers (Regional Bee Inspector)

The Methodist Church Hall in South Zeal was host to 30 beekeepers, who were rewarded for turning out on a damp night with Adam Vevers’ thorough lecture. Billed as ‘Apiary Hygiene’ the talk encompassed the wider field of bee pathogens in great detail. There were conditions which were in decline (such as Acarine - Acarapsis woodi and American Foul Brood AFB – Paenibacillus larvae), those on the ascendance (such as Varroa - Varroa destructor) and those yet to come (such as Small Hive Beetle – Aethina tumida). Adam Vevers, Regional Bee Inspector, took us carefully through each bee ailment describing incidence, symptoms, causes and treatments. However; the real emphasis of the talk was on prevention rather than cure. Adam’s style of delivery was as a fellow beekeeper – he took pains to explain his audience that the Bee Inspector’s role is supportive rather than regulatory. Regarding Apiary Hygiene – the following advice was given:

• Choose an apiary site which has a sunny aspect, airy and secure.
• Keep your hives on stands (off the damp ground at a workable height).
• Do not leave combs lying around the apiary.
• Change frames on a regular basis. Don’t use second-hand frames from other apiaries.
• Keep your bee suit and gloves clean. Clean hive tools and smoker with strong solution of washing soda. Perhaps use industrial marigolds rather than soft leather gloves.
• Consider using local queens of known provenance, rather than unknown queens from abroad.
• Beware of any second-hand hive equipment containing spores of disease.

We were invited to have a look at the BeeBase website https://secure.csl.gov.uk/beebase/ for a wealth of information about bee diseases, research and much more. Registering as a beekeeper on the website will give you access to all the latest information regarding disease and pest outbreaks.

Adam concluded the lecture with a quiz which helped reinforce some of the information given throughout the evening. We all thought we had done rather well! The closing comment, given by Okehampton Branch chairman – Ray King, is worth repeating:

Like any animal husbandry, you have to make sure the bees in your care have everything they need to stay healthy. Observation is the key to delivering this. You must know what healthy bees look like to know what is not normal; Read all the clues, know what should be happening at certain times of the year. With proper vigilance and prompt action, a problem can be corrected before it becomes irreversible.

NAL

Okehampton Branch

January 9, 2009 - Bumblebees - an overview
Friday, 7.30pm at the Teignbridge Scout Headquarters, Wolborough Street, Newton Abbot
Newton Abbot Branch
Speaker: Richard Ball

Many thanks to Richard Ball (National Bee Inspector – NBU) for his instructive talk on ‘Bumblebees – an overview’. The talk at the Scout Headquarters in Newton Abbot was well attended. We were treated to a superb slide show, covering such topics as - the risks associated with importing non-native Bombus terrestris for commercial pollination. Richard confirmed that identification of bumblebees was notoriously difficult, given the variations in appearance between same-species castes; however, as there are only six common species in the UK, identification is helped by excluding on the basis of location and time of year. Pisthyrus (‘cuckoo’ or parasitic) bees often had a similar appearance to their hosts, but were less hairy and without pollen baskets. It was suggested that the dramatic decline of the bumblebee was due in part to changes in farming practice. There was an interesting explanation of the 'Extinction Vortex' - an auto-destructive cycle of fewer flowers supporting fewer bees; in turn causing less pollination and so on. The talk came with some excellent notes and an example of a bumblebee nesting box.

NAL

Field Guide to the Bumblebees of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
by Mike Edwards and Martin Jenner
Publisher: Ocelli Limited (2005)
ISBN-10: 0954971302

January 7, 2009 - The Beekeepers Year
Wednesday, 7.30pm - Kilmington Village Hall
Speaker: David Morris

David Morris' excellent talk 'the Beekeepers Year' was well attended in Kilmington. The main lecture consisted of an interesting slide show covering an eclectic mix of beekeeping topics. There were many useful tips for the attentive audience to take away. A beekeeper of 50 years standing, Mr Morris also brought along a fascinating collection of historical beekeeping artefacts. These included various (now outlawed) treatments for bee diseases such as Frow capsules and strips, along with the less successful 'Atomic Bee Escape'. David Morris is the Publicity Officer for the Somerset Beekeepers Association.

NAL