Please find attached the Presidents report and AGM information which is being held this Saturday at the Jefferies Road Catholic Hall.

Start time is 1P.M. and please bring a plate.

Beeline will be in attendance with goodies and the latest information

The AGM will be short and a Field Day will promptly follow.

ADVERT: Our secretary wants a break can someone please step forward to take up this exciting position!

Hi Members,

Working as a Team!

What is a team? One explanation is group of people working together for a common cause. One might say a CLUB! And that is what the Christchurch Hobbyist Beekeepers Club Inc, is!

Because of this Covit thing our club has suffered.  Some members have been on the grounds planting, gardening, and lawn mowing: these people have my heartfelt thanks.

In October we will be having an working bee and this is what the cartoons should remind you of, we will need lots of members and gear,  so keep an eye out for a date and list of work to be done.

To the few people that have given me stick for moving the AGM dates and field days, well you can elect someone else at the coming AGM 26^th of September.

The buck stops with me and I will not shirk my duty.

Members are the most important people and it is up to the management to ensure total safety:  risk taking is not an option.  We are nearly returning to normal and hopefully  all will be normal by October the 3^rd which will be our first club grounds field days.

The AGM will also have some field day input plus Ecrotec presentation.  DO bring a mask if you want to, I am guessing we will be back to normal, but we have gone through a rough time so if you feel comfortable wearing a face covering do so.

FINALLY: A committee meeting is scheduled for 12^th September, if you have a question or a remit for the AGM, this will be your last opportunity to notify the committee in writing, before the 12^th,  either in writing or by appearance. Remits will not be accepted on the day of the AGM. For example: a remit might read: “Drop the word Hobbyist from our official title”.

Reason: Our title is too long for logos and why should we be different than any other beekeepers?

Somebody might like to put that thought forward for discussion at the AGM.

Regards

Paul O’Donnell

President.

Well I’m pretty pleased with how my queen thinks winter is coming along and has started to get laying again. She has over a month off so  no brood capped NO varroa also. 
She started to lay two days ago with about 20 eggs. I will check in a week or so to see if all is well.
Feeding your bees has become the norm this year and we have added pollen patties food to keep them fit so when the spring comes it’s all go. We have all tasks completed over the lock down cleaning boxes, frames rewired so waiting for spring. Even cleaned my bee suits. 
If you want to get more gear don’t leave it to the last minute thinking that the retailer will have plenty of stock. Hopefully I will see you soon at the club grounds when we get back to normal. 

Gordon. Club Hivemaster. 

Greetings Members,

Well we are nearly through the most trying time for some and perhaps the best paid holidays for others.

Hope you got much done over the prison period with your bees, even down to a lick of paint after the maintenance required for wintering down!

The weather of course has been quite balmy and we are all so fortunate to have had this lockdown during such an forgiving weather pattern, the temperatures have kept the bees active and flying and there appears to be a surprising amount of nectar still being generated by flowers!

However, do NOT stop feeding, in fact, keep that liquid sugar up and make sure you do not take too much honey off. The weather is bound to turn nasty sooner rather than later!

Bees are still breeding and they will need food for the newbees as well as themselves, likewise if the weather turns hellish much food will be consumed keeping the hive warm

Remember: bees to NOT hibernate. They cluster together in the brood box, mainly, creating heat, and they will rotate from the outside cluster perimeter to the comb face as the outer bee gets colder. So much energy is used: Energy= Heat!

Now at this stage there will be NO committee meeting tomorrow night (Monday) .

Our next field day, our last for the season, will probably be mid-May.

We will post immediately as soon as a safe period can be determined.

Regards to all

Paul O’Donnell

President.

Greetings Everyone from prison Tuahiwi!,

Well we are well through the lockdown stage 1, it would appear!  How are you all shaping up to your compulsory holiday? Me? I’m loving it!

By now you would have hopefully cleaned out your hive(s) completed much needed maintenance like a replacement box or a repaint.

Got your hive up off the ground a bit? Winter is nearly here (I think), so those with vented bottoms shut them off with a bit of corflute (no, I meant the hive bottom box!)

If you are feeling lonely, go sit down near your girls and watch them.  You now have time to actually spend  because the garage is clean, gardening nearly done, minor maintenance completed (well soon anyway!)

You probably have your partner screaming in the house anyway! So take your Bee book and read the sections on bees ejecting stuff: bodies or apparently live young bees out of the hive.

Observe what these bees are doing with the youngsters and cross reference with your book or use the net (if your kids will let you on).

Watch what the wasps are doing, are they attacking bees on the ground, cutting them up and flying body parts out? If so, try and follow the direction they are going!

Study what product the bees are taking into the hive, watch for the actions of bees, how they communicate with each other.

Study where your hive is, in the open to the cold southerly?  Now that the sun is going into winter mode, will your hive get the full effects of the sun?

Finally and most important,  have you wintered down properly and are you feeding sugar both dry and liquid (2 to 1) mix? Remember our hive master Gordon has a power of knowledge he is only too happy to answer any questions: 0275389568.

THE ATTACHMENT: this is from a friend of mine who operates a First Aid supply business. The hand sanitiser is of top quality so just ring or send an email. The prices include delivery by local mail.

Keep on Keeping on (KoKo).

Paul O’Donnell

President.