New Year greeting

[Adam]

As all of you North of the Border are probably still comatose after too much Scottish Wine, let me be the first to say Happy New year to all.


Adam

[robin118]

Happy Hogmanay all the best for the new year

[gavin]

Just back from partying in Edinburgh ... really! .... but I have to admit that I didn't spend Hogmanay there. Last year Fish (of Marillion fame for those with long memories) outed himself as a celebrity Scottish beekeeper and earlier on the live music stage at the Mound in Edinburgh a man who's music is engraved in the kids' DNA from the exposure his CDs had on our trips to the Highlands said at one point: 'I hope my bees are surviving this hard winter'. Maybe I'll tempt him on here one day and let him introduce himself in person. For the Muileachs on here his family trace back to Mull although he was brought up in Perthshire.

Anyway, thanks Adam, and Robin118, and I really hope that 2011 brings everyone out there all the success and happiness possible.

Gavin

[Trog]

Hmm; interesting. What's the Fish's real name? I must confess I've never heard of him.

Happy New Year to everyone from one of the many Scots who stayed sober over Hogmanay!

[gavin]

Fish is Derek Dick, surprisingly called Derek Fish in this text for the Beechgrove Garden episode where his beekeeping was revealed: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00t3t5j

The Mull-linked Perthshire bard who told us yesterday that he was a beekeeper was given an OBE in the New Years Honours list: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-12094777

Apparently Bill Turnbull (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article7137354.ece) the BBC news presenter has a Scottish father so maybe we can claim a bit of him too. He is the President of the BBKA-affliliated Ulster splinter-group the Institute of Northern Ireland Beekeepers, so if folk over the water want to claim him too they can.

G.

[gavin]

Happy New Year to everyone from one of the many Scots who stayed sober over Hogmanay!

Yeah, me too, but its nice to play up to the stereotype sometimes!

[Neils]

Belated Greetings from me too!

Never heard of Fish? I'm shocked I tells ya, shocked.

If anyone remembers that really daft channel 4, post pub, show Banzai from a few years back, Fish provided one of the more entertaining segments:

"Can Fish, from Marillion, finish the introduction to Kayleigh before an old lady can down half a pint of sherry?"
Followed by
"Can Fish, from Marillion, finish the introduction to Kayleigh before an old lady can reach the top of the stairs on her stair lift"

As the introduction to Kayleigh is instrumental this consisted largely of a rather bemused looking fish watching said old lady downing half a pint of sherry or slowly coming up the stairs while waiting to see if he'd get to sing anything.

[gavin]

One of the stranger offerings from Channel 4, that was. Do you have any celebrity beekeepers in your neck of the woods? Ooo ... maybe Kate Humble is in your area? If she turns up regularly at the association apiary I might have to join your association ...

[Neils]

None that I'm aware of. Our attendance at anything compared to our membership is pretty low at the moment so I wouldn't come rushing down just yet.

[Jon]

Happy New Year to everyone from one of the many Scots who stayed sober over Hogmanay!

I also stayed sober on your so called Scottish Hogmany but that still leaves 364 days for imbibing the apple wine.
I often spend the evening of December 31st with the residents at the project where I work and that's an alcohol free zone.
I had a row of 6 gallon containers in the shed turn to apple flavoured slush a couple of weeks back. Let's hope it does not affect the exquisite flavour of my home brew.

[gavin]

In that case it doesn't sound as if your apple brew would be any better than the commercial stuff if pressed into service as car screenwash! My blue stuff turned into slush in its plastic container on the back seat.

[Jimbo]

Hi Gavin,

If we get Kate to come and officially open our nature reserve and apairy planned for this Spring do you want an invite. The talk at the last reserve committee meeting was do we ask Kate Humble or Bill Oddie. I know who I will be voting for.

[gavin]

Absolutely!! I may even come over for Bill Oddie, particularly to find out if we really are similar as my assistant seems to think. But if Kate can be bothered to travel North I'd move mountains to be there.

Is Bill Oddie a beekeeper too?

G.

[necterboy]

Although new to this forum I'm enjoying reading past & present posts. I find it interesting to see how bee keepers on the other side of the pond relate to common problems associated with their girl's. Bears are a major issue for me!!! All the best in the upcoming season. Bee Positive.

[Calum]

We had a bear in Bayern a while ago but they shot poor old bruno. :(
Thieves and woodpeckers are more the worry here!

[necterboy]

Alright you peaked my curiosity Thieves???

[Trog]

Colonies get stolen, presumably by beekeepers. Hard to believe, I know, but it does happen.

[Calum]

Yup big problem here. In the latest beekeping magazine here there was a long article about how to protect them.
Setting up a 'wild camera' is legally problematic (as it takes pics of everyone walking by invading their privacy)
Installing an old mobile phone hidden in the insulated lid was one idea (so long as it is turned on you can track its location)
Good fencing and a sturdy lock, and screwing your bottom boards down to something heavy.
Branding hives is not much good as thieves are usually only after the bees and not the gear.
Last I heard was about 30 hives being stolen in one night from a bee institue - terrible they would have been part of a research project.

[necterboy]

I'm shocked. I never would have guessed this could be a problem. The people stealing the hives have to be fairly knowledgable on moving hives. Again I'm truly stunned to hear of this. One might think the person purchasing the bees would ask some questions. Whats next?

[Calum]

It is worse than that I am afraid to say.
Apparently most do not sell them on. They keep bees themselves. They don't treat for varroa and don't feed for the winter.
They replace their colonies in the winter by stealing other peoples.
Moving hives is fairly easy block the- hole with a fine mesh, bind the floor brood box and lid together and you are off.

[robin118]

Is their allot of beekeepers in Germany with the capability of moving 30 hives? thats a lot of hives to move without being seen

[Calum]

Hi Robin, well alot of beekeepers have their bees out in the woods, or on the verges of fields, so they are not usually in open sight (that way they don't bother people too much either). You would be suprised what fits in the back of a sprinter, especially if they have enough travel straps to stack. A small trailer and a passat can carry quite a few too, they possibly had to make two trips. ..