Beekeeping Show 25th

[Into the lions den]

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Murray said that he'd been harangued by a series of black bee evangelists throughout the morning!!

Was not that bad! She only had a couple of them. Me too. The worst at shows are the ones who come to you when you have a queue, ask an innocent sounding question, which is merely the opening gambit for them to tell YOU about what they do for 20 minutes and that we should try it. My job at a show is hovering and taking such folk aside and deflecting them from the others who don't really know how to handle them.

Most questions were of a decent standard..........the ones who only want a particular pattern of frame or who MUST have cedar only......they are not our market...so negative comments about stuff not being 'proper' framers or boxes or bees are water off a ducks back as they will NEVER be our customer anyway.

 

[Into the lions den]

the website is still in the construction stage according to Helen (one of his team) and she's the one you need to speak to regarding Kit, I've got her details if you want to get in touch with her.

That's right, Helen is my eldest daughter and has the brief to get the processing and sending of orders for anything other than the Jolanta's items organised. She looks after the sales of misc hive parts, frames, foundation, block wax and various other things...like we stock smokers hive tools etc. It is all commercial grade stuff, the kit we use ourselves, buy big, and pass on savings. Our main focus is bee farmers and associations. We are definitely not, and never will be, a full range appliance dealer. If we would not use it we will not sell it.

 

[Into the lions den]

On the subject of the black/local bee people who came on the stand to make a point....they invariably had drunk the bathwater of a few prolific 'knockers' whose output and influence is disproportionate to their factual knowledge. They had weird ideas about what we do based on stuff that swills around online, and little actual knowledge about what we ACTUALLY do. I think most were surprised at the scale of operation and severity of selection going on, and that YES, if you buy a Scottish bred Jolanta queen it is really IS raised in Scotland and not just cheap ligustica imported and being sold at a high price. That dead cat can be laid at the door of a couple of BIBBA types. It is and always was false. Got that retreaded line a couple of times yesterday. They seemed genuinely surprised..and in one case not convinced...to learn what our work is really like. Fine..you cannot win them all.

 

[Into the lions den]

Yes from reading the start of this thread he is not geared up to deal with 10 Frames order or a couple of super! fair enough really, it's not his bread and butter!

Quite correct. We are a bee farm first and foremost. The Jolanta unit exists alongside it and ITS primary role of breeding and nuc production for US. Sales of bees are a secondary, but rapidly growing, function. Ditto the equipment and foundation. We can buy artic/container loads, use part for ourselves and then sell on the rest with the benefit of the really sharp rates we can get from source. It is robust simple gear meeting our needs, and we are just not geared for small scale supplies....but WILL be talking to secondary vendors whose speciality IS doing that.

 

[Ian123]

Was really nice to see you there Dani. Always good to meet people face to face. Linnet, who waxed your frame for you, is my youngest daughter. A smart little cookie who is a really gentle and caring beekeeper too.

I have to ask did the bloke next door survive the dayI also have to thank you for the most humorous part of the day when a gentleman was enquiring about the possibility of queen supplies. Good luck with that!!!!!!

 

[beeker]

Was really good to meet you, and appreciate the time that Jolanta, Kasia and you spent talking to me. Thank Helen for putting something aside for me, I did collect it once is been and visited a cash machine but missed her.

 

[jeff33]

which route do you take? I went via Llandrindod then Knighton on the way there, which was a bit of a grind from Crossgates, but decided to go Ludlow>Brecon>Pontsenni>Llandovery on the way back and it was rather a nice run. for you it would be just as easy but cut down towards Ystradgynlais at Senni

I have tried through Wales (A465;A470 up Leominster or M50.... I have come to the conclusion that perhaps, I need to get out of Gower a lot more!! Wished I had gone now

 

[Ian123]

Could I suggest to any show organisers with a sense of humour reading the thread……perhaps putting Murray next to the bibba stand next year
I would happily consider any ticket price increase money well spent!

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

https://www.thermomite.com/

Looking forward to hearing about this and if it works at all.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Could I suggest to any show organisers with a sense of humour reading the thread……perhaps putting Murray next to the bibba stand next year
I would happily consider any ticket price increase money well spent!

Me too. I might come on my own without Stan so I could get a ringside seat and get stuck in.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Looking forward to hearing about this and if it works at all.

I missed the sales pitch they had but briefly looked through the literature on their stand.
I also got the we chap in charge of the smart hive to show me how it worked. Ok, I guess if the outside frame is capped the likelihood is that all the others would be and would also be bee free when the caps were cracked.
I forgot to ask what happens to the bees caught in the deluge on the way to the collecting tube.

 

[Into the lions den]

Could I suggest to any show organisers with a sense of humour reading the thread……perhaps putting Murray next to the bibba stand next year
I would happily consider any ticket price increase money well spent!

Was not a BIBBA guy I had my worst disagreement with...it funnily enough WAS the guy on the stand next door even before the public got in! Had some outrageous accusations to level at farmers with whom I have a very good relationship. Had some blindingly wrong opinions to voice....if the basis of the products he was selling were on similarly shaky foundations you would need to doubt everything. Never spoke to him again all day. Which by the way it started off counts as something of a result.

 

[Ian123]

Was not a BIBBA guy I had my worst disagreement with...it funnily enough WAS the guy on the stand next door even before the public got in! Had some outrageous accusations to level at farmers with whom I have a very good relationship. Had some blindingly wrong opinions to voice....if the basis of the products he was selling were on similarly shaky foundations you would need to doubt everything. Never spoke to him again all day. Which by the way it started off counts as something of a result.

Yes the spray app chap!

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

https://www.thermomite.com/

I wonder if the bees get stressed with this heating up of the inside the hive. They work hard to maintain very specific temperatures. I also wonder if the manufacturers are trying to get something past us with the name 'Thermotherapy'? I'm told that heat treatments for mites are not new.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Did anybody watch the presentation?

 

[Dodge]

I enjoyed the show. Bought a soup / jam maker from Karl Fritz for melting crystallised honey buckets and it will take 12 1lb jars too. Bought supplies from Thornes and Rawlings. Didn't go to the presentations but they looked very popular. Lovely venue, nice n warm and a lot nicer than Stoneleigh. Will definitely go next year. It certainly seems to be the new Tradex.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

a lot nicer than Stoneleigh. Will definitely go next year. It certainly seems to be the new Tradex.

they've already posted that they've started planning next year's

 

[JohnRB]

Did anybody watch the presentation?

I watched it and spoke to the thermomite guy afterwards. I think it looks promising. Cost was quoted as being between £200 - £300 in the presentation, but when I spoke to him at the stand he reckoned £235 and gave me a sticker that would get me 15% off at launch. Given that a box of FormicPro now costs nearly£40 for a 5 hive treatment, I think the price is reasonable. For that, you get the wooden tray that goes under the brood box, 6 'thermo' pouches (you need 4 for a national), a cover board with reflective thermal lining and a hive cover to help hold the heat in. The pads are recharged by heating in boiling water and can be re-used (if you have ever had one of the handwarmers where you have a pouch of liquid and you click a bit of metal and it changes to a solid, giving off heat, you know how this works). The chap also said they will sell all the parts separately - I think the pouches were £30 each, so if you have nationals and bought the standard 6 pouch set and a couple of extra pouches you could easily knock up an extra tray and cover and have a second set very cheaply. (or split the cost with a mate) I thought he would be a bit antsy about this idea, but he actually said that is what they expected some people to do.

Given MAQS is not available (the guy on the NOD stand said they'd been told there wouldn't be any this year) this is the only treatment you could (legally) use at any time of year with supers on.

My only worry is the damage to brood by temperature. In the talk, they showed the temperature graph in the brood box during treatment and it didn't go above 42C - fatal for varroa and tolerable to bees for the 3 hours it takes. Varroa in sealed cells are killed, a major bonus. The owner/presenter came over as bright (it was a bit like watching a good pitch on dragon's den!), but a couple of things said made me think he isn't a beekeeper (or wasn't when he started this journey

I thought it was interesting that the temperature rise was very slow in the box (the pads warm up to 55C). They reckon for the first hour the bees do their best to keep the temp at 35C, so the increase is very slow so there isn't a sudden shock of going from 35C to 42C.

Overall, I think I might give this a go (or persuade my association to buy one) as I'm keen to support entrepreneurs like this. There aren't many and lets be honest, there doesn't seem to be that much innovation in bee kit, presumably because it is seen as niche.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

for that price, you might as well burn fivers under the hive to keep them warm

 

[Erichalfbee]

Given that a box of FormicPro now costs nearly£40 for a 5 hive treatment, I think the price is reasonable.

But only if it works. Did he have any data on that?

this is the only treatment you could (legally) use at any time of year with supers on.

Ah, but you can use OAV with the supers off then put them back when vaped.