Winter Sale
Our winter sale is now underway. Many items are discounted and of course we have our British cedar hive parts and 2nd quality frames available. Take a look at all the items on sale at www.thorne.co.uk/winter-sale. We have received hundreds of orders during the first few days of the sale – thank you! However this does mean that your items will take a little longer to reach you than normal. We will try and prioritise orders that contain fondant and winter varroa treatment. If you do need your order urgently then please email rebecca@thorne.co.uk. If the weather turns colder we will not send orders that contain beeswax foundation. The sheets can become brittle when it is below freezing and could shatter in transit.
December Roundup
A mild but wet December meant the bees were still relatively active and going through their stores at quite a pace. We had several reports of hives needing fondant to get through December and we made sure we had plenty in stock and available for immediate despatch.
We also said farewell and a happy retirement to Marie Clark last month. Marie had been with us for almost 35 years in our sewing department. Many of you will be wearing suits, hats or jackets that Marie has made. We will certainly miss her. Picture shows Marie, with her son Gavin, Gill and Rebecca on her final day.
What do you dress up in for Children in Need that begins with a ‘B’? Two of the students from our local primary school decided on the obvious answer of a beekeeper and a bee!!
Our little bee, Maisie’s parents, are Maria and Lee who work respectively in our office and wax plant. Maddie’s mum, our beekeeper, Mel also works in the office. Don’t they look great??
We are also delighted to announce that our Devon branch has moved. We are now located with Quince Honey Farm on their fantastic new site just outside South Molton. Full address is Thornes of Devon, Quince Honey Farm Aller Cross, South Molton EX36 3RD.
Gail, Abi, Colin, Anthony, Alan, Mark, Paul and Quince Honey Farm worked incredibly hard to get the shop moved before the North Devon AGM. Do pop in and take a look at the new shop if you can.
Our 2020 catalogue will be out on the 1st February this year. If you don’t receive yours by mid-February then please drop us an email at sales@thorne.co.uk.
Position Vacant
We are looking for someone to run our Windsor store for two to three days a week. Days can be flexible. 10am – 5pm. If you are interested in receiving more information please email rebecca@thorne.co.uk.
Equipment Focus…
Apistop
This product has been on the market now for several years and is a tried and tested method of sealing cracks, knot holes, splits etc in hives, either wooden or polystyrene.
The multicomponent paste is easily malleable when worked between fingers and can then be pressed into recesses and cracks for a permanent seal. It is made up of only natural ingredients and is also very good for sealing feeders.
Apistop is waterproof and not subject to extremes of temperature so can be used in all climatic conditions. It is ideal for sealing holes where predator wasps and robbing bees could possibly enter.
Apistop is sold in 100g plastic pots and costs £8.50.
January Special Offer
This year we will have some select pieces of equipment on special offer each month.
To begin the year we have our MP Floors, for the National Hive, at a special price of £30. This includes a floor with steel legs and one of each of the four entrance fittings.
The MP floor is incredibly strong and combines the durability and stability of moulded plastic with the attractiveness of cedar. The ventilated plastic floor, with rigid insert tray, is cloaked in a cedar frame and at first glance the entire floor looks to be made from wood. The steel legs locate into holes moulded into the floor base and lift the hive 120mm off the ground.
There are four different entrance fittings supplied as part of this special offer. Each fitting gives the beekeeper the option to completely close the hive or restrict the width of the entrance. The floor also includes an integral alighting board.
So if you are thinking of upgrading or changing floors this year, why not give the MP floor a try? Usually retails at over £41 but on special offer at just £30.
Beekeeping Blog
December
This has been an unusually busy December as we have begun re-rigging the apiary ready for next year, as well as carrying out our usual December tasks.
At the beginning of the month, the bees were fed fondant to keep them going through the first part of winter. This year we have tried the Candiphenol. This is a fondant that contains polyphenols, proven to be beneficial for gut health. It was about 13°C when I went out to feed the bees, so some were actually flying. To avoid disturbing them, I simply placed the fondant on the top of the crownboard with an eke for height, instead of going into the hive and placing the fondant directly on the frames.
If you look closely, you can see that for their first feed of the winter, I cut the 2.5kg pack in half and fed that to each colony. I have found in the past that although some colonies gobble a 2.5kg pack of fondant up leaving none to spare, many do not quite finish it and it ends up hanging around as you do not want to throw it out. In my experience, it is less wasteful and easier to monitor a hive’s fondant consumption than throwing a large pack on and leaving them to it for the entire winter. They will still need hefting throughout the winter months anyway, so I will take some fondant with me and feed any that look and feel hungry. A week later, I had a quick peek under a few of the roofs – some of the Candiphenol had gone a bit runny, which I have also found with other fondants like Ambrosia in the past. I generally take this as a good sign as it shows there is heat inside the hive warming up the fondant (and therefore bees inside!).
The other main job this month has of course been to start setting up the new apiary. The first part of this job has been to cut the overgrown hedges back. Here you can see the difference a trim has made to the apiary – the brown, leafy part to the left of the photo is where the hedge used to come out to! This will give us some much-needed space as we take a vehicle round the apiary. You can also see I have marked where the new slabs need to go using spare hive stands.
Needless to say, I have had quite a lot of help getting the trees cut back and will soon need some extra manpower when it comes to setting the slabs out so thanks go to the Thorne team for helping me out!
Bees for Development Update
Thank you to everyone who donated to the Bees for Development Big Give appeal just before Christmas. People have been so generous in helping us reach a total of £80,000 (£20,000 of which was provided by Ethiopiaid) - more than we have ever raised before. This will enable us to run our existing and new projects in Ethiopia.
There are still a few tickets left for an ‘Evening with Monty Don and Bill Turnbull’ at the Blake Theatre in Monmouth. As well as sharing a love of dogs, Monty and Bill are both passionate about bees, and in this one-off event raising funds for Bees for Development, Monty and Bill will discuss a range of topics close to their hearts – and with open forum for audience questions. For more information and tickets click here.
National Honey Show
News wise, this is a quiet time of year for contributors and visitors, though behind the scenes the 2020 show, and videos from 2019 are all busily in preparation.
Keep an eye on the National Honey Show Facebook page for news, and while waiting for more of the 2019 videos, there are plenty of relevant lectures from previous years on The National Honey Show YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/nationalhoneyshow) to while away the winter evenings.
For all local associations and beekeeping press worldwide, don’t forget to ask (publicity@honeyshow.co.uk) to be added to our newsletter mailing list. We usually send out two e-newsletters each year, spring and summer, so you won’t get totally flooded (from us) with an overflowing mailbox.
Look forward to seeing you at this year’s show: Thursday 22nd to Saturday 24th October 2020.
www.honeyshow.co.uk.
Upcoming Events
Winter Sale Continues
2020 Catalogue posted out Early February
Ordering begins for Spring Shows (including those shown below) 3rd February
Ulster Spring Convention 15th February
Holsworthy Show, Devon 22nd February
