Members

The Buzz from the Branch News Letter – June 2026

Dear Member,

June is upon us after a crazy month of May weather. 

Celebrating Success👏👏 📢📢

It’s always a pleasant task to congratulate members who have achieved success. Very well done to Andrew Bartlett and Nigel Boulton who were both awarded credits in their recent Module 1 exam. 

Remember there is always more to learn and more to achieve in beekeeping beyond beginner and basic. We look forward to more successes.

Show time 🎪
The first of our summer shows took place on a sizzling bank holiday monday at Stockland. Thank you Alasdair and KIm, Duncan and Barbara for manning the EDBK stand and spreading the word and braving the heat. We sold out of honey and visitors were keen to know about ways to help our bees and wanted ideas on forage. 

Two dates for June on the timetable:
6th June – our beginners are examining hives and interpreting what they see. 

27th June – this is the first  kit cleaning session of the year. 🪣🧹🧽 For those who have never been before, it’s a dressing down day- oldest clothes/shoes/overalls.   We do all the cleaning outside as the jobs are messy, tedious, sticky and usually bee attractive, so bring your suit should you feel you might need to resort to it. We mostly just grin and bear it if the bees are buzzing around us, but your call depending how you feel.

BEGINNERS, this is the session where you learn first hand how to look after your equipment, recycle hygienically and realise that this is all part of the ongoing life of a beekeeper. 🧽🧹🪣

What will you be doing?
Cutting out old wax.
Scraping frames.
Scraping brood boxes and supers ready for torching.
Cleaning out smokers.

(Useful to bring if you have one would be an old serrated bread knife, frame scraper, old Stanley knife-. Emphasis on ‘old’ as wax is mighty mucky. Gloves if you don’t like getting sticky).

Also if numbers permit: Cleaning windows. Spring cleaning the toilet.Some weeding of nettles and grass around the Beeshed.

Message from Bob Muckett our apiary manager:

If anyone has or knows of a 50 gallon oil drum in reasonable condition that they might be happy to donate to EDBK please let me know. Bob Muckett 07971 317350. 

We would like to build a frame dipping tank. Collection possible.
Thank you.

***HONITON SHOW ****
PLEASE NOTE THAT I HAVE MADE A DATE ERROR IN THE LAST TWO BUZZES AND THIS YEAR THE   –  HONITON SHOW IS THURSDAY 6th AUGUST.  Still looking for more volunteers to steward on the day. 

Please start thinking about entering honey, cookery, craft, wax, photographs. Details of dates, schedule, etc will follow soon.

You should all have received the e mail (30th May from Judith Norman DBKA) and flyer about the NBU Bee Health Day  Saturday 20th June ’26. If you want to learn more about disease this is a great opportunity. Plymouth is a distance but perhaps a car share? 

Next month:
Coming up in July will be the branch summer social at the beeshed. 🧁🍰☀️☀️🍪🫖🥃Tea, cakes and soft drinks bar. Sunday 12th July 4.30 – 6.00pm.

We will be asking for volunteers to ‘Bring along a cake’ to add to the table. More details in the July Buzz. Good summer wished to you all, for you and the bees.
Val🐝

Contacts:
Chair: Alasdair Bruce. chair24@edbk.co.uk
Treasurer: Keith Bone. charandale@gmail.com
Secretary: Val Bone. val.valbone@gmail.com
Swarms: Stan Wroe. stanwroe@aol.com
YLAH: Milly Frankpitt amelia.frankpitt@gmail.com