Autmn Convention

[gavin]

What a cracking Autumn Convention yesterday in Perth - well done to all concerned. The content and the scope of the talks was very varied and, as always, I spent more than intended at the trade stalls. Decided to invest in Tautz's book for one thing. It is always a great day with a relaxed pace - plenty of time for each talk with questions, and a good long break for catching up and browsing the stalls and displays inbetween.

What was that word Willie Robson taught us? Scomfrie?

[gavin]

The Concise Scots Dictionary: Scomfish etc (so it was scomfie)

1. Discomfit
2. Suffocate, stifle, choke, overpower with heat etc.

Lovely to see a man with so many bees who clearly empathises with them to such an extent. We were implored to go gently, use minimal smoke, avoid crushing bees at all costs, and try hard to not get into fights with them. Willie also has a natural appreciation of the effect of bringing in bees foreign to the area.

And it was also great to see so many forum contributors and also forum silent watchers ... from the old and wrinkly, to the boyishly good-looking (can anyone guess?!) to the drop-dead gorgeous (no names!).

Giles Budge gave us excellent updates on the patterns of occurrence of the foulbroods as well as other relevant research on these diseases, and also explained the early findings of the mammoth random apiary survey. Varroa and the viruses it propagates were highlighted as the main problems, whereas some of the viruses of concern in the US were present at very low levels. Nosema ceranae seems to be replacing N apis across much of England and Wales, and there is an association between N. ceranae occurrence and a history of importing bees. We don't seem to know where the disease is found in Scotland.

Terry Clare gave a historical review of beekeeping and a peek into the future, and the BIBBA presence was strengthened further by Kevin and Jim manning a display to inform the break-time browsers of the work of the organisation.

All for £25, which included a very fine two-course lunch, and copious tea and coffee at regular intervals through the day. Yet another reason for shelling out the same amount for annual membership of the superb national beekeeping association.

[Trog]

to the drop-dead gorgeous (no names!).

.

You must be mistaken, Gavin; I wasn't there ;)

[anyone who has met me knows that's a joke]

I wish I had been, though. Really wanted to attend but had four B & Bs in so couldn't leave himself to do all the cooking. Still, at least I had enough time in between showers to check the last of my unmated queens. Still not laying so she's in the freezer now and her loyal followers (they were really keen on her; lots of fanning whenever we opened up the nuc) united with the other half of the twinstock.

[EmsE]

It was a great day and the 90 minute drive home was well spent chatting about what we learned (and could have gone on for longer :D)

I thought the amount of Nosema C found in England was astonishing particularly as I'd thought they didn't have it yet (was I the only one).

The fact that EFB has 14 different variants which possibly react differently depending on the type of bee you have and how the mortality rate in different countries due to EFB vary because of this was an eye-opener. How this also impacts on the control of it spreading and predicting where it was likely to occur was also food for thought.

One thing I didn't catch was when someone mentioned the time when the Chinese honey was banned. Why was that?

I was taken with the degree of empathy Willie Robson has for his bees and like the notion of keeping the 'morale of the colony' up.

Gavin, I'm with you regarding the trade stands- Just glad it happens only once a year as I find myself trying hard to justify my purchases when I get home:o

If anyone has been thinking of going I'd certainly recommend attending if you're able. Great talks, great company and lovely food.

[Rosie]

The fact that EFB has 14 different variants which possibly react differently depending on the type of bee you have and how the mortality rate in different countries due to EFB vary because of this was an eye-opener. How this also impacts on the control of it spreading and predicting where it was likely to occur was also food for thought.

Can anyone kindly enlarge on this point?

Thanks

Rosie

[EmsE]

From what I understood, the variants of EFB in the UK cause approximately 20% mortality to our bees which makes it harder to spot and therefore spreads easier. In Switzerland, their variants of EFB cause approx. 90% mortality and is therefore easier to spot. There is also the different conditions to take into account as well, for example, it was mentioned that there was a higher incidence of infection for Swiss bees kept in bee houses than those that weren't.
Why the different EFB variants react differently depending on the difference in the genetics of the types of honey bees, was one of those areas that I found myself thinking 'that makes sense' until I tried to put into words- obviously didn't get a good enough understanding of it. Look forward to hearing more on this though??

[Jimbo]

The conference was great. It was well organised and I found it was taken at a nice relaxing pace. There were plenty of breaks in between the excellent speakers and time to meet up with other beekeepers. I particularly enjoyed Dr Giles Burges's talks. I thought he presented well and although he was presenting scientific research it was presented in an easy enough manner for non scientists to understand.
One point of concern was the high incidence of Nosema C that was discovered fairly widespread thoughout England and Wales.
If a similar study was carried out in Scotland how widespread would it be here?
Re. The chinese honey. It was found to contain high amounts of antibiotics that chinese beekeepers were using to treat their hives. Imports were banned and any found in supermarkets were taken off the shelves and dumped