August 4th – 8th sees the Dublin Horse Show at the RDS.  The beekeepers will be there to explain all about our craft – with live bees in an observation hive, so come along and meet the beekeepers!

Attention Co. Dublin BKA members – if you’d like to come along and help man the stand, please get in contact with Liam, our secretary.

Beekeepers in Ireland are blessed with one of the best (in your chairperson’s humble and ignorant opinion) beekeeping events in the world – the Gormanston summer school – and it’s on next week.  The summer school runs a beginner’s programme (ideal for absolute beginners!), an intermediate programme and a programme of senior lectures.  There are piles of practical workshops – the equipment sellers will be there – and this year we’ll have the scientists from IBRA along too.  At the end of the week you can take the Federation’s exams too.

You will find all the details on the Federation’s website – and if you need any more convincing, read this hymn of praise to the summer school or Dave Cushman’s review of last year’s event, here.  We reckon that about ten per cent of all the beekeepers in Ireland come along, and for good reason…

This is the season when honeybees swarm, and often a beekeeper will be able to help you by taking and rehoming a swarm from your garden. If you think you have a swarm in your garden, please check out the ‘help with bees’ page. You’ll find advice & contacts there.

Our  beginners’ course is drawing to a close for this years, and we are very keen to learn from our students how to improve our course.   If you are a student on the course, please be so good as to complete the feedback form.  You can receive a form by clicking on this link  CDBKA Beginners course feedback form 2010 or by asking the course organisers for a hardcopy.  Completed questionnaires can be handed to course organisers or emailed to secretary@dublinbees.org.

The final spring lecture, open to members only, has been moved from the 12th to the 19th April – same time, same place.  The lecture on the subject of winter losses will be given by D. Mary Coffey.

For the last nine years the municipal authority at Azuqueca de Henares near Madrid has been running a beekeeping photography competition. It’s open to anyone in the World, and is free to enter.  They tend to be more keen on pictures with beekeepers in them than close-ups of bees – this year’s rules state ‘Special preference will be given to photographs emphasising humanity’s relationship with bees’.  Here’s last year’s winning picture.  Click here to check out the website.  Entries close on the 30th April.  Your chairperson has entered a few times over the years and not won yet, but in the past, selected participants have received a book of photographs entered.

It’s well worth having a go.  Good luck!

Trevor Sargent, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, with special responsibility for Horticulture and Food today announced details of the third round of the grant aid scheme for the development of the horticulture sector under the National Development Plan (2007-2013). The closing date for receipt of applications is 19th February 2010 and only investments commenced after the issue of letters of approval will be eligible.

This aid, which is set at 40% (50% in the case of young farmers) of total eligible capital investment, will fund projects in commercial horticultural production carried out during 2010. The scheme covers all horticultural sectors - protected crops, nursery crops, field vegetables, soft fruit, apples, beekeeping and in limited circumstances mushrooms - and is aimed at assisting growers to efficiently produce high quality products in what is now a very competitive market.

Minister Sargent said that horticultural output is valued at almost €300m at farm gate level and retail sales are of the order of €650m. “The importance of fruit and vegetables in a healthy diet is critical and we must do all we can to increase Irish fruit and vegetable consumption towards the recommended target of 5-a-day. There is a need for improved production structures and equipment for energy conservation, high standards of hygiene, environmental standards and working conditions as well as improved overall efficiency of production. These are essential to increase competitiveness, ensure more sustainable production and to assist growers in meeting the increasing demands of retail outlets in terms of production standards”, Minister Sargent said.

The Minister said that there is also a need to sustain expertise within the sector and maintain production capacity to maximise production volume and food security. This will minimise our reliance on imports as well as the carbon footprint of our food.

Details of the scheme and application forms can be obtained from Crop Production and Safety Division, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Administration Building, Backweston Campus, Young’s Cross, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, 01 5058801/5058797 or at www.agriculture.gov.ie also visit

http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/farmerschemespayments/horticultureschemes/

Date Released: 19 January 2010

- Many thanks to Michael Gleeson of FIBKA for this information

If any members can share experience of applying for or receiving these grants, please contact the CDBKA committee.

Breaking news: Our ever-popular beginners’ course is full.

The course begins in early February.  This year the course has been further revised, and we have new material – but the fee remains unchanged. At EUR 100 including a year’s membership, it surely must be the best value adult education course in Dublin!   For more information on the course, or to be put on the waiting list, click the link here.

We wish all our members, prospective members and friends of beekeeping a Happy New Year.

Simon Rees, Chairperson

Now beekeepers can show their affiliation with stylish headgear!  The new ‘Dublin beekeeper’ caps come in a range of five colours including dark green, light grey, light brown, red and a rather fetching blue/tan combination.  Wear one while visiting you bees to keep the veil of your bee-suit away from your face, or wear it when out in company and be the envy of your friends!

Our caps cost €8 for members and €10 for non-members, and will be sold at Co. Dublin beekeepers’ events.  Supplies are limited, so make sure you snap one up while you can!