on her achievements at the Honey Show.
Including being awarded ‘Best in Show’ rosette.’
Unfortunately two of the cups she was awarded have not been returned to CBKAA so if they eventually arrive we will need to do another photo update!
News and Articles
Winter Programme
| Tuesday 17th December 7.30. p.m. Zoom | Presentation by Buckfast Beekeepers : Preparing for Spring – Don’t idle your winter away. Get ready for the great awakening and be looking at it not for it! Zoom meeting Login details sent by email & also posted on Members section |
| Wed 29th January 7.30. p.m.
Zoom
| ‘ All About Bumblebees’ : presentation by Charlotte Rankin, Cumbria Wildlife Trust While hibernating queen bumblebees are tucked up underground awaiting spring, why not grab a warm drink and join Cumbria Wildlife Trust for an evening talk about bumblebees? Charlotte from Cumbria Wildlife Trust will provide an introduction to bumblebees, their lifecycle, species that call Cumbria home, and how we can support them in our gardens and green spaces. Charlotte will also share information about Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s work with communities and landowners to create wildflower-rich habitat for bumblebees and other pollinators. Zoom meeting Login details sent by email & also posted on Members section
|
| Tuesday 25th February 7.30.
ZOOM | ‘Making the most of nucs ‘ presentation by Pamela Hatton Cheshire BKA
Zoom meeting Login details sent by email & also posted on Members section
|
| Thursday 6th March 7.30.
Zoom | ‘Swarm Control’: Presentation by Keith Bartlem until recently, NBU Seasonal Bee Inspector Spotting the signs! Swarm prevention / control, without panic and dramas! Zoom meeting Login details sent by email & also posted on Members section |
About the presenters
| ||||||
| Pamela Hatton : Cheshire BKA Myself and hubby Stuart have kept bees for over thirty years (yes – we remember those lovely pre-varroa days when we didn’t know we had it so good!). We worked our way through the BBKA exam system and are now both Master Beekeepers. I was branch secretary for N. Cheshire BKA for over 10 years until I became Chair of Cheshire BKA, and now it is my honour to be President of the County. Stuart is Chair of N. Cheshire Branch. We are both very involved in education in the County, holding various courses through the ‘flying season’ at our Apiary. We lecture at our Branch theory sessions, and hold beginner practical sessions every weekend through the summer, as well as running a Basic Study group and assessments every year. Being a keen candle maker and ex-exhibitor, I also run a wax workshop every autumn for the County as well as making honey and beeswax soap, creams and balms which I sell at shows etc. | ||||||
| Keith Bartlem : Formerly an NBU Seasonal Bee Inspector Keith has kept bees for over 30 years and until the end of the 2024 season was a Seasonal Bee Inspector with the National Bee Unit. He was also a Seasonal Bee Inspector for four years in the North East of England. As a Seasonal Bee Inspector he has organised Asian Hornet track and trace workshops, and demonstrated at Honeybee health days. Keith also gives talks to Beekeeping associations on honey bee health, honey bee husbandry, honey bee behaviour, and the Asian Hornet. |
A visit to Gosling Sike
After two previous attempts which were ‘rained off’, PBKA members eventually managed to visit Gosling Sike on 4th September. Named after a small tributary of the River Eden, Gosling Sike is an organic working farm and the site of Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s northern office. The land was transferred to Cumbria Wildlife Trust in 2012 by Sue Aglionby. Its development as a wetland wildlife sanctuary has taken place over recent years.
The evening was calm and balmy and it was a pleasure to see bees, dragonflies and other insects flying around the pond and in and out the dense wetland vegetation surrounding it. Adam McGinley the Site Warden described the stages of its development and their surprise at how quickly the insects discovered the site and how many species in fairly large quantities now inhabit it.
During a walk in the nearby coppiced area we were fortunate to encounter the ‘Hedgehog Specialist’, one of the hardworking volunteers who takes a particular interest in monitoring and caring for the hedgehog population which has gradually expanded to at least 10 of them in recent months. He described the hazards that hedgehogs face, particularly when they are fed the wrong type of food by well meaning members of the public. Unexpectedly ‘kitten biscuits’ were particularly recommended, while birdseed and commercially produced ‘hedgehog food’ should be avoided as they contain ingredients that hedgehogs cannot digest.
A quick look at the abundant vegetable plots that are tended by volunteers, was followed by a visit to the facilities that are available for volunteers to make resources such as bird and bat boxes which are then sold to raise funds. Another interesting facility were the purpose built seed sheds which are kept at ambient temperatures to preserve seeds for storage and replanting . This initiative is managed in collaboration with Kew Gardens which is the ‘seed bank’ for seeds from all over the world and is designed to preserve their genetic strains for future generations.
The visit concluded with a walk through the poly tunnels where seed plugs were being grown to transfer to areas across Cumbria where the plants need to be replaced.
We were all impressed with the wide range of activities that Cumbria Wildlife Trust are undertaking on this site to help nature continue to survive and thrive in increasingly challenging circumstances.
Memorial service for David Galloway
Stephen Barnes and Margaret Riches attended a Memorial service on Monday 2nd September in remembrance for David Galloway our former Chair and Patron.
Cumbria Autumn Bee Convention 7 Sep 24
Dear Beekeeper
You are cordially invited to the Cumbria Beekeepers Autumn Convention organised by Cockermouth Beekeepers
The Convention will be held at Embleton Village Hall on Sat 7 Sep 24. Doors open at 9am. The post code for the hall is CA13 9XU.
Complimentary tea, coffee and biscuits will be available all day.
The programme is attached and has been selected to have something for all levels of beekeepers.
There is no need to book in advance and the entry fee of £15 is payable at the door (Cash only)
There is some parking at the village hall, but otherwise please park at the Embleton Spa Hotel across the road. Please do not obstruct access to the fields
The cost of the Beekeepers Lunch is £22 per head for a starter and a main, menu choices to be made on arrival at the event. The quality of the food is excellent and a good craic about bees is always on the menu!
Hope to see you there
Peter Weatherill
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2024-Convention-pages-2-3.docxWarcop Primary Bee Week
The ‘Bringing a Buzz to the Curriculum’ took place at Warcop Primary School during June 2024. Three members of Penrith Beekeepers Association worked with all the classes in the school. A total of 79 pupils were involved. The children enjoyed all the cross curricular activities and the teachers indicated in their evaluation of the project that it had been highly successful in helping the children appreciate more about the value of bees and what amazing creatures they are! The summary of their feedback can be read here
Bee Project : School Evaluation Warcop Primary School June 2024
79 pupils in total comprising:
| Reception & Year 1: 30 pupils
|
| Yrs 2,3 & 4 : 26 pupils |
| Yrs 5 & 6 : 23 pupils |
1.The activities that have been provided by Penrith Beekeepers Association which you consider have been particularly beneficial for the children’s learning:
| Reception & Year 1: -Craft activities- making bees and hexagonal printing -Stories + puppet show were appropriate for KS1 pupils -Bringing in the hive to observe -Honey tasting – different types of honey -All children really enjoyed the sessions and ame awayu knowing new vocabulary / information about bees . |
| Yrs 2,3 & 4 : -Dressing up activity to learn about the bee body parts. -Trying different kinds of honey -Looking at some real bees -Different sized flowers/ bees and making own flower design
|
| Yrs 5 & 6 : -Asian Hornets -designing a flower bed to a budget -colours that attract bees to plants -lots of flavours of honey -worker bees have pollen baskets -the nectar is at the base of the flowers |
2.Suggestions for aspects that should be improved:
| Reception & Year 1: More chance to dress as bees / beekeeper suits. Only a couple of children got this opportunity.
|
| Yrs 2,3 & 4 : -Children suggested harder things to guess on headbands (though I think we only caught the start of that activity due to being late across to join the group.) -Children suggested toast to have the honey on! |
| Yrs 5 & 6 : Children suggested they would like to learn more about: – the bees life cycle -Asian Hornets -comparing bees honey to ‘man made’ honey |
- Additional comments:
| Reception & Year 1: Thank you for the fantastic sessions!
|
| Yrs 2,3 & 4 : Had a wonderful time – very informative ad children really enjoyed themselves. Thank you.
|
| Yrs 5 & 6 : Excellent activities throughout, with lots of learning for all children, incorporating maths, science, geography, English alongside the activities. Very well organised by Margaret and team. Thank you very much for all your hard work. |
Introducing Beekeeping Course
The ‘Introducing Beekeeping Course’ took place 1st-2nd June 2024 and was led by Julia Piggot and Martin Hoggard. Julia and Martin are both highly experienced beekeepers and trainers. They run the Brigsteer Bee Reserve, just outside Kendal. The course was a blend of theoretical sessions and more practical tasks. It included an opportunity for participants to closely observe bees on the frames in two nuc boxes and help to transfer them into full size hives. They also made hive frames, practised swarm control methods and watched honey being extracted, filtered and jarred. Fifteen people attended, including two juniors.
The course evaluations indicated that all were highly satisfied with the course. The full feedback summary can be read here.
Introducing Beekeeping FEEDBACK SUMMARY
June 2024
15 attended : 14 feedback forms completed
Rated comments shown as % of responses received
| 1=grotty 5=very good | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| How well has the course met your learning needs?
| 100% | ||||
| Comments: -Very helpful answers to questions! Considerate / encouraging and informative -Excellent and informative -May be shorter day: 10.00.-3.30. would be better? -Very informative- good to have hands on interaction -Perfect, came in knowing nothing really, leave feeling so much more knowledge and confidence. -Very interesting, informative and well paced. -Thoroughly professional, comprehensive, informative -Yes & more! -Yes, I am clear on my next steps and have confirmed my involvement. | |||||
| Was the information presented well and clearly? | 100% | ||||
| Comments: -Full of variety- good class engagement. -Presented with humour -Excellent -Yes – explained well -Yes, split well and learning was reinforced -Good mix of practical and theoretical -Delivered at a measured pace without overwhelming -Patiently delivered presentation. -Accommodated well for all needs. I’m so inspired! -Yes, two very informed and gentle presenters.
| |||||
| Do you feel the weekend provided value for money? | 7% | 93% | |||
| Comments: -Plenty of hands on opps. + literature -Could charge more! -Yes- a good mix, feel confident to move forward. -Excellent launch for my BK hubby – thank you. -Worth the money -I am really appreciative that this course was so affordable! | |||||
| Is the balance between PowerPoint learning & practical hands on about right given that you do have to learn the boring bits?
| 7% | 93% | |||
| Comments: -Yes- though day 2 was more mixed activity so less powerpoint.. I really enjoyed everything though. -The training hives and practice hives were excellent. -Yes- overall, but I would have preferred slightly more with hive time. -A bit more time with the bees welcome. -A very good balance | |||||
What do you need next?
-Yes, the intermediate course looks good!
-Join Penrith Beekeepers before committing to keeping my own bees.
-Mentor x 3
-Perhaps a practical learning day every quarter to cover the ‘yearly cycle’.
-Join Penrith Beekepers
-Join my local association for a port of call for help and assistance in the future
-Hands on experience of a mentor
-Already in contact with my bee buddy – need to have a visit to Acorn Bank
-Will encourage my grandson + Julia and Mark also!
What did you enjoy most on the course?
Learning about swarm control
All aspects both classroom and hands on
The interactive Q and A opportunities: I am a learner who needs ot understand the logic behind why we should do stuff. Thank you.
-The bees and putting together the apiary
-apiary time
-Everything + Martin being a tree
-Being close and interactive with the bees.
-A good mix
-Fantastic Course! Fabulous mentors, good mix of practival, theory was just enugh for beginners.
-Opportunities to question – mix of students.
-Looking at the hives and being calmed by the bees.
How did you hear about our course?
Penrith Beekeepers x 4
Volunteer at Acorn Bank
Internet x 3
My wife
Through employer
Daughter who also attended
Any other comments ?
-Useful info about varroa treatments and more natural controls.
-Wonderful
-Really helpful and informative, far exceeded my expectations.
-Great introductory course – excited about getting bees
The completion of the pathway to the long hive
PBKA held a small gathering to celebrate the completion of the pathway which will ensure access to the long hive. The pictures show a friend of Penrith Beeekeepers Association demonstrating how easily frames can be extracted from the long hive as it is such a convenient height for wheelchair users to reach. She is accompanied by her carer and some of the younger members of PBKA who were very excited about being involved. PBKA was able to express its gratitude to Lord Inglewood for the assistance that the Hutton in the Forest Estate has provided which has enabled this project reach such as satisfactory conclusion. We are looking forward to the bees moving in and making this their new comfortable home.
Penrith Library Display
Spot the difference between
the Asian Hornet and a Honeybee
Introducing Beekeeping on behalf of PBKA
Julia Pigott & Martin Hoggard will run the Introducing Beekeeping on behalf of PBKA. It will be of interest to anyone who would like to become a beekeeper as well as those who have started beekeeping, but consider themselves to be beginners.
Julia and Martin are both highly experienced beekeepers and trainers. They run the Brigsteer Bee Reserve, just outside Kendal. More information about Julia, the Bee Reserve and her training programmes, along with course feedback, can be found at www.BeeEd.org.uk
Introducing Beekeeping is a two day course. It will run on the following weekend:
- Saturday 1st June and Sunday 2nd June
Day one will commence at 9.00. (registration) and finish at 5.45.p.m. (Includes colony inspection) Day two will commence at 9.00. and finish by 5.00.p.m.
The course will combine theory with practise and will involve an introduction to all the basic skills needed to become a competent, confident beekeeper
Fee: £110 This includes: tuition; loan of kit; information to take home; light refreshments, EXCLUDING lunch. Participants may bring their own packed lunch or a lunch can be pre-ordered from the Boot and Shoe Inn which is opposite the Village Hall. The lunch menu and prices will be available during course registration so that pre-orders and payments can be made on arrival.
Concessions: £100 PBKA Members £70 *students in full time education.
*Minimum age 12 years. Students U.18 must be accompanied by an adult who is parent/guardian or officially acting in ‘loco parentis’ and is also attending the course.
Places are limited. To reserve a place please contact PBKA asap: see below.
Closing date for applications: Monday 20th May. Cancellation: unless PBKA cancels the course, refunds for cancelled places cannot be made after 20th May 2024.
Introducing Beekeeping PBKA Application form
Contact Margaret Riches (PBKA Contact Margaret Riches (PBKA Treasurer)
Or visit PBKA website: penrithbeekeepers.org