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Members Pages
Here you will find information for East Devon Beekeepers branch members, including downloads of the current and archive Newsletters below, information about the branch library, reminders about bee management and disease control, ‘For Sale’ and ‘Wanted’ and more.
The Buzz from the Branch News Letter – October 2026
Dear Member,
Firstly a reminder about our first winter meeting at Kilmington this Thursday 1st October 7.30pm.
The Case of the Winter Losses with speaker Dylan Gussman.
Framed as a murder mystery, this talk delves into the common causes of winter colony
deaths and how to uncover the “clues” left behind. Learn how to perform effective colony
post – mortems and to use that knowledge to strengthen your overwintering strategy. Dylan
is a member of the Meon Valley BKA in Hampshire, co-leads the training team and
organises the website and newsletter. He writes regularly for BeeCraft magazine.
We look forward to seeing you .
Advance notice – Our branch AGM Thursday 5th November 7.30pm.
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WINTER VARROA TREATMENT OXALIC ACID
For those of you unaware of our oxalic acid scheme – the branch makes available to members correctly made up treatment for your convenience. Please see the instructions below for ordering, details required and how to send, collection dates etc. If you can't make the meeting opportunities for collection, please arrange for someone else to collect and pay for your order.PLEASE ALSO NOTE THIS IS A CASH ONLY ARRANGEMENT.
PLEASE PLACE YOUR ORDER.
If you would like to avail yourself of this service, please contact Rosemary Maggs. You need to give her your name and number of hives you wish to treat and indicate whether you require a syringe.
E mails only please to : rosemary.maggs@hotmail.com Place your orders no later than 26th October. The subject of your email should read: Oxalic Acid Order.
You will have two opportunities to collect and pay for your treatment, each at the start of the November and December meetings at Kilmington Village Hall.
The correct money would be appreciated. Cash only on the collection night. £2 per hive. Syringe £1
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MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
October is renewal time, so with my membership secretary hat on, I will be mailing you during October for your 2027 renewal. This is the perfect time to update any contact details which may have changed. Also if you already know that you won't be renewing your membership then please let me know in order for the necessary admin to be completed. Processing over 270 renewals is a lengthy task so the more info I can gather early the better. ALSO REMEMBER THAT YOUR MEMBERSHIP REQUEST COMES TO YOUR INBOX FROM noreply@membershipservices. This makes regular checking of your Spam folders useful. Renewals will begin towards the end of the month.
Val🐝
Looking Back and Looking Forward
To all the members who took part in preparing and presenting all our summer shows, a big thank you.
Your part in promoting our craft and educating the public is an important part of our remit.
Going forward, the 2027 beginners course is filling up with the interest in beekeeping continuing to flourish.
Other dates:
Cornwall and West Cornwall Beekeepers' Convention 17th October (see page 9 of your October Beekeeping magazine).
This year’s National Honey Show, will be held at Sandown Park Race Course, KT10 9AJ, from 22ND-24TH October.
A little extra – YLAH Outreach Newsletter – September edition – is attached for your interest.
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 Co Ordinator Milly Frankpitt amelia.frankpitt@gmail.com
Buzz archive. Download current or previous issues.
Winter Varroa treatment – Oxybee solution
Treatment around Christmas / beginning of January aims to catch the Varroa when there is no brood for Varroa to hide in.
Treatment:
- The solution should not be too cold, nearer blood heat would be good. The day can be cold with the bees well clustered.
- Ideally draw up 50ml solution in a syringe.
- Have a lit smoker handy (but should not be needed if crown board removed very carefully).
- Between the brood frames are ‘seams’ of bees. Use 5ml for each seam of bees. Only treat the bees, do not put the solution down empty seams/gaps. So if there are only 4 seams of bees only use 20 ml.
- Practice with water beforehand so that you know how to deliver 5 ml along each seam. We find that 5 ml is a continuous series of little drops.
- If you have a super on top of the brood box and you know the cluster is below it, you can remove the super gently to treat the bees.
Best wishes for a Happy Christmas and a Productive New Beekeeping Year!
Notes from the Oxybee Instructions:
- Oxybee is an acidic substance. Use gloves and eye protection.
- Oxybee shall only be applied in brood free colonies.
- Do not use higher doses than recommended.
- Outside temperature should be at least 3°C during treatment.
- Use only once per colony.
Buzz Archive
2026
| January 2026 | February 2026 |
| March 2026 | April 2026 |
| May 2026 | June 2026 |
| July 2026 | August 2026 |
| September 2026 | October 2026 |
| November 2026 | December 2026 |
2025
Sub-pages: │ Membership │ Apiary │ Library │ For Sale & Wanted │ Education │