The County Dublin Beekeepers' Association

Special lecture on 6th Sept. – for members and their guests

Simon Rees — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:10:15 +0000

Next Monday, 6th September there will be a special lecture for CDBKA members at Wesley Hall, Leeson Park at 7.30pm

The title: Beekeeping experience in New Zealand by Vanessa Drew. Secretary Dromore & District BKA

Following the Co. Dublin BKA visit to our northern friends in Co. Down in June ,Vanessa was invited to give this lecture which she had given to the Dromore BKA on her return from New Zealand.

Vanessa spent 4 months in New Zealand last winter. During this time she made contact with one of the largest beekeepers in the Southern Hemisphere: John Berry of Arataki Honey in Havelock North. The Berry family have been keeping bees since their arrival in New Zealand in the 1950s. They now have around 20,000 hives covering both islands of New Zealand. John and his brother, 3rd generation beekeepers, manage around 2,000 of these hives themselves. Vanessa was able to benefit from first hand experience of how beekeeping is done on such a large scale.

An added attraction:

Joe Thompson from the Dromore BKA will be travelling with Vanessa. Joe, as those that were on the trip north will remember, gave an interesting gadget demonstration. He will be bringing some of his ‘GADGETS’. He has asked any of our members who have any gadgets or inventions to bring them along also.

Bees for sales to members

Simon Rees — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:57:12 +0000

Commercial nucs for sale to members

Our association still has some nucleus colonies of bees for sale to CDBKA members, so if your stocks are low or you are without bees, now is your chance to restock. NB these colonies are on commercial frames. The nuc boxes themselves are to be returned, so you will need an empty hive ready to receive your bees.

The price to members is EUR 130 each, and they are ready for delivery. For further information, contact your webmaster: webmaster[at]dublinbees.org. If you are not a member you can join first – see the ‘join’ page for further details.

Gormanston 2010 – the movies

Simon Rees — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:20:11 +0000

Well, last week was the Gormanston summer school. By all accounts it was a great success – with all the overnight accommodation full, and the numbers swelled by a record number of day visitors, your correspondent included. From South Dublin it takes well under an hour to the college by car, so for many of us a day trip is entirely feasible.

To help bring the spirit of Gormanston to the many Dublin beekeepers who were unable to attend, Claire Kehoe and I decided to make some videos with some of the more notable attendees. Here they are:

First, Claire welcomes you to Gormanston:

Next, here is the indefatigable Michael Gleeson, Federation Secretary and a tireless supporter of beekeeping, explaining all about the wonders of the Gormanston summer school.

Trevor Sargent TD was at Gormanston. Trevor is a great friend of the Irish beekeeper and recently become a beekeeper himself. You can read more from Trevor at his own (non-political) website. Watch Trevor on the Gormanston Summer School and on urban beekeeping here:

The guest lecturer was Dr. Dewey M. Caron. Dr. Caron is retired Professor of Entomology & Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. A popular speaker, here he gives his views on the Gormanston summer school and his own online beekeeping course at the University of Delaware.

Finally, that master breeder of bees, Micheal Mac Giolla Coda gives us an introduction to the Gormanston Honey Show. Here’s a man who knows his stuff:

Gormanston 2011 is already organised and bookings are being taken. If it is anything like as busy as 2010, you’d best book early to get your accommodation organised.

See you there!

Beekeepers at the Dublin Horse show

Simon Rees — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:48:30 +0000

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.

Next week is Gormanston week

Simon Rees — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 22:22:02 +0000

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…

‘Colony’ beekeeping movie at the IFI

Simon Rees — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:20:35 +0000

COLONY
23rd – 29th July at the IFI

“One of the most aesthetically beautiful documentaries of the season, as well as one of the more urgent and intelligent,” Variety.

This debut feature from Dubliner Ross McDonnell and Brooklyn-based Carter Gunn penetrates the tight community of North American beekeepers during the ongoing crisis of Colony Collapse Disorder, which has seen the unexplained loss of over a quarter of the United States’ bees in recent years. The impact of this crisis on honey production, on pollination of a vast range of agricultural crops and on the beekeeping community itself is explored through Gunn’s skilful editing and through McDonnell’s breathtakingly beautiful cinematography [more].

The film is being screened on the 23rd, 27th, 28th & 29th July.

To book tickets, please click [here].

IFI Box Office: 01 679 3477
Online Bookings: www.ifibooking.ie

Have a swarm in your garden?

Simon Rees — Tue, 18 May 2010 10:14:36 +0000

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.

Calling all CDBKA beginners’ course students – your feedback please!

Simon Rees — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:14:42 +0000

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.

Final spring lecture moved to 19th April

Simon Rees — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:49:26 +0000

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.

International beekeeping photography competition open

Simon Rees — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:58:59 +0000

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!