Newent Branch of the Gloucestershire Beekeepers Association

Newsletter July 2000

In May Robin Hooper gave a talk on Moving Bees for Pollination, which I sadly missed as we were on holiday in Turkey and, yes, it was cold and wet there too! Nor had the bees collected much honey while we were away. We appreciate our members giving talks as it changes a relaxing evening for them into a working one which is a pity but Robin is very generous with his time.

Our really fun event this summer was the July visit to John Gower’s cider ‘factory’. We can really recommend this as a tasty and entertaining venue where a supper can be provided on request. The large vats of traditional cider were very impressive, there were smaller ones of a sweeter version and Mr Gower the elder joined into the spirit of the occasion by bringing taster bottles of his home made wine. This event had been delayed a month and so was preceded in June by an evening in Redmarley just for elderflower wine and bee keeping chat so it has been a fairly alcoholic quarter though, naturally, only in moderation. It has been such a terrible year for honey that some compensation has to be found! Incidentally, is the GBK going to set a higher recommended price for honey while we still have any?

We are again expecting to have a stall at the Newent Onion Fayre in September with honey and ‘fruits of the hive’ for sale and for this and other reasons are holding our branch honey shoe in October. Instead, on September 14^th Tony Boonham will give a talk on Improving Bee Husbandry from which I hope to learn a lot. All GBK members are as usual invited to attend our winter festivities on December 14^th when we have our Christmas Social: & Quiz

Incidentally I have mislaid the contact address and telephone number of a new GBK member who will please contact me if he needs any further information of our events!

Christine Birkan

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