BRIDGEND & DISTRICT BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATlOh Charlty Reglstratlon Number 1159663 BRIDGEND BEEKEEPERS GWENYNWYR PEN-Y-BONT Annual Report 2022
Trustees
John Gilbert - Chairman
Ceri John - Secretary (from Dec 2021) Graham Tierney - Treasurer Membership Secretary Chris Jones - Apiary Manager Huw Evans - Association Shop Manager Dafydd Pett - Website Manager Jonathan Griffiths - Trustee
Volunteers Greg Nuttgens Paul Whatley
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FROM THE CHAIRMAN – ANNUAL REPORT
1[st] April 2021 – 31 March 22
Annual reports are a time for looking back and in so far as it relates to Bridgend beekeepers last year was a continuation of the holding operation to keep the basics in place for when we came out of the Covid pandemic. My recollection was that the Covid Pandemic was easing, official ‘lockdowns’ had gone, those catching the virus stayed at home and regular personal testing was the order of the day as we opened. In November we held our first face to face social meeting, attendance was low, slightly below the numbers we might normally expected to attend but it was enjoyed, and members wished for similar meetings in the future. With the onset of winter infection rates escalated and membership meetings and Beginner Theory Training were all held online, and it wasn’t until this April that we again welcomed a speaker back to Coytrahen Hall.
To ensure effective governance of the Association the Trustees have continued meeting monthly through the year excluding August. I must say that it is a pleasure to work with such a strong and experienced team. In December Shirley Myall did finally get to retire having extended her time in ‘post’ beyond the years determined by our constitution. So, to Shirley a massive thank you and to Ceri, welcome. Whilst most of you haven’t had the opportunity to meet Ceri she has taken on the role as Secretary with all the efficiently and enthusiasm we could ask for. As a new beekeeper Ceri is keen to learn, but as our administrator, she is proof that you don’t need to be an expert beekeeper to be a Trustee, her common sense and a ‘get it done’ attitude make her an ideal Trustee. Also we managed to persuade Jonathan Griffiths to become a Trustee, Jonathan is known to some as he helps Greg with beginners, and is one of the few within our membership that has actually passed beekeeping qualifications through BBKA:-
Basic Assessment (Practical)
Module 1 - Honey Bee Management Module 3 - Honey Bee Pests, Diseases and Poisoning (Written)
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Dafydd Pett built us a new website allowing us to cancel our contract with TCRM. As might be expected there were some teething problems when the new site went live but I have every confidence that any access issues to the site can be dealt with quickly. Looking forward I hope to see critical Association documents maintained online and available to members. Suffice to say the trustee are happier now to deal with some-one who has the interest of the Association at heart and issues about charging and or service contracts no longer apply. The redesigned website is set up ensure that only ‘paid- up’ members can access the shop and view ‘member only’ material. Dare I suggest that some of us need to become more familiar with the site, remember our passwords and to renew our annual membership on time.
I hope that you will continue to support the Zoom or Webinar tutorials offered by the UK Bee Associations (Wales, England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland). We have all had the opportunity to improve our learning in the comfort of our own homes by simply listening to real experts. Presently these online seminars come at no addition cost above our basic Capitation for each member.
Finally, Greg Nuttgens and Paul Whatley are scheduled to retire as Trustees at this coming AGM. Once again, we will need to replace them in a numerical sense as our Constitution requires us to have a minimum of 6 Trustees. It should not be assumed that the roles that Greg and Paul do are automatically transferred to any person elected as a Trustee.
JOHN GILBERT Chairman
The Training Apiary Report 01.04.21 – 31.03.22
Apiary site maintenance and inspections were continued during the reporting period despite Covid restrictions.
Land maintenance of the site has continued, with the hedge line being trimmed and maintained at a manageable height with new whips added to strengthen the hedge. The original plans for the site had to be modified as access became an issue and the weather was not suitable for moving material or machinery around, so the apiary has six new hive stands and some of the ground has been levelled and re-seeded, with
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further work to be carried out at a later date. There were several members assisting with the project and the committee would like to thank them for all their hard work.
In the bottom left-hand corner, we still have a Japanese knotweed stand, although this has been treated there are a few shoots which will be treated again, this is an ongoing issue, but we are getting the upper hand.
The hives were inspected during the Winter/Spring/ months by me. On the 2[nd ] April 2021 we had a quick inspection of the hives for stores and condition, two of the four colonies had failed although they had plenty of stores, a sample of bees was taken away for testing, no disease found. During this period, we made several site inspection s and all colonies had been flying, with weather permitting, so for these two to go was a shock.
On the 4[th] April 2021 the apiary was vandalised all four hives had been pushed over or been taken apart and left open to the elements. There was a very small cluster with a queen which we managed to put into a brood box, unfortunately these did not survive.
We informed Committee Members and started ball rolling with reporting to Police and advising B-Leaf to check their property. All hive parts were cleaned and placed back in the stores.
Committee purchased new Nuc’s and they were delivered on the 18[th] April 2021 and placed on the lower set of stands and strapped, following day we placed all nucs into hives ready for the start of inspections for trainees in May. Hives to be kept strapped down from now on, just as a deterrent from further vandalism.
Inspections were carried out throughout summer/autumn 2021 and six full supers of capped honey were removed from the hives and passed on for extraction.
The hives were inspected 2021/2022 during the winter/early spring months by me and new beekeepers from the beginner’s course, where we demonstrated hefting, varroa treatment, hive/frame construction and open discussions. With the start of the new beginners’ course 2022 with the easing of restrictions all hives were available for use.
Chris Jones Training Apiary Manager
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Bridgend and District Beekeepers Association Membership report for 1[st] April 2021 - 31[st] March 2022
On 31[st] March 2022, we had a total of 105 paid up members, this compares with 110 registered with WBKA on the same date in 2021.
The total number of Colonies insured on 31st March 2022 was 649,
(651 in 2021) (660 in 2020) (693 in 2019) (640 in 2018)
The breakdown of membership into categories, on 31[st] March, was: -
2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 Individuals 53 61 60 38 60 64 Families 29 20 27 23 21 23 Juniors 0 0 0 0 0 1 Supporters 0 1 2 1 2 2 Corporate Members 2 2 2 1 2 2 Schools 2 2 1 1 1 1 New Members 10 17 1 11 2 3 Beginners 9 19 15 20 21 16 Total to 31[st] March 105 110 108 95 109 112 Total for year ( 120 ) 123 116 119 125
If the pattern follows previous years, the total membership for 2022/2023 should be approximately 120, an anticipated reduction of 2.4% which follows the pattern experienced in the years before Covid
The totals for beginners are not a direct comparison, year on year, as we have capped the number of people on the course to 20. For 2022 the total includes 5 Family Memberships, which we count as two people.
On 31[st] March, there were 27 members from 2021 that had not renewed their membership (23 in 2021)
Some Beginners from 2021 were included in the 2022 course.
Graham Tierney - Membership Secretary
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Bridgend and District Beekeepers Association
Registered Charity 1159663
Accounts for the period 1[st] April 2021 to 31[st] March 2022 prepared using the Receipts and Payments method.
Bank Accounts
Cash at 31[st] March 2022 - Current Account 199.53 Deposit Account 11,190.59 PayPal 0.00 11,390.12 Cash at 31[st] March 2021 - Current Account 861.55 Deposit Account 10,860.79 PayPal 0.00 11,722.34 Deficit for the year ending 31[st] March 2022 332.22 The surplus for the year ending 31[st] March 2021 was £709.99
Turnover
Cash through Bank accounts 32,166.34 Less Payments 20,776.22 Cash in bank on 31[st] March 2022 11,390.12 Cash in PayPal account 0.00 11,390.12 Cash on 31[st] March 2021 11,722.34 Deficit for the year 332.22 Income was from membership fees and shop sales, there were no charitable donations in the year. We have not carried out a check to establish the stock value in the Association “Shop”. An estimate of the value of stock is as follows: - The approx. stock value on 31[st] March 2021 £ 5,000.00 Additional stock purchased, during the year: - £ 6,239.26 £11,239.26 Sales during the year via PayPal 3,296.98 via Bank Transfer 3,076.19 6,373.17 Estimated Stock Value on 31[st] March 2022 £ 4,866.09
Following the 50% drop in sales last year, which was due to the various Covid restrictions, sales this year were closer to the value we normally expect. (£7,239 in 2019/2020) This stock value is within the amount declared to our insurers.
The accounts have been audited, a copy of the Auditors report is attached
Graham Tierney – Hon Treasurer
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BRIDGEND BEE KEEPERS &XAMINATION OF ACCOUNTS I" APRIL 2021- 31° March 2022 On examination of the association's accounts101.04.21 - 31.03.221, these were found to have been meticulou51y kept, following standard accounting procedures. The association use5 bank current & deposit accounts with money transfers made by cheque, Paypal and BACS. where all transactions had been accurately recorded and monitored. There are no risk areas to be noted. Ll Lc[Q.1gL Helen Embling ACIB Ty Coch The Court Coychurch Bridgend CF35 5EH 26, April 2022
Swarm Management report
The management of the Association’s swarms register is managed by Huw Evans, who deals with telephone enquiries and sends out text alerts to members registered on the register and Greg Nuttgens who deals with the enquiries that come in via email and the Association’s Facebook page. 45 reports of honeybee swarms were received and put out to members for collection but, in addition, more than 250 other enquires were dealt with, in relation to be wasps, or bumblebees. Numerous email queries from the public have been received through our website and through the Association’s Facebook page, requesting advice about bees. Advice and guidance are given to all who make contact.
Bridgend Beekeepers Association Social Media Report 2022
We have 2 presences on Social Media through Facebook - a Group and a Page
The Group can only be accessed by paid up members of the Association web address https://www.facebook.com/groups/BridgendBeeKeepers/ Those wishing to join are vetted to ensure they are members; non-members are invited to follow our Page instead.
Currently 104 Association Members are using our Facebook GROUP as a useful tool to exchange information, as we currently have approximately 120 members at present, an encouraging 86% are using it.
Our Page is a public free access platform for public discussion and promotion of Beekeeping in general.
web address https://www.facebook.com/BridgendBeekeepers/
There is also easy access via Google etc. @BridgendBeekeepers We currently have 312 followers, several from abroad, with regular submissions, enquiries and posts of information to share.
However, in the in the last month after promoting our Swarm Collection Service 9082 people were reached with 159 people engaging with us
We would encourage more to use our Facebook presence as most of us are now familiar with how Facebook works.
This also applies to using our newly revamped and fresh website which has undergone a substantial change making it fresher and more user friendly, courtesy of our young star member and Trustee, Dafydd Pett, my personal thanks go to him for
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his hard work doing this and enabling us to take full control of our website at which pleases our treasurer because of the considerable saving to the Association.
Paul Whatley - social media
Education Officer’s report, 1[st] April 2021 to 31[st] March 2022
Following the successful online beginner’s theory course held in January and February 2021, and the lifting of restrictions on outdoor meetings, a series of practical sessions for those on the course were held during the summer of 2021. These were initially well attended, with nearly all the course participants attending, perhaps a reflection of the lack of opportunities at the time for communal activities! Numbers did begin to drop off later in the summer.
These sessions were conducted mainly by Graham Tierney and Jonathan Griffiths, with assistance from the Apiary manager Chris Jones. Following an injury to myself in May I was unable to attend the later sessions.
It was felt that the time lapse between the theory sessions and the practical sessions was too great in 2021, so for the 2022 course it was decided to change the format, with the online theory sessions being held in and April and May 2022, with theory sessions on a Thursday evening being followed up by practical sessions at the apiary on the following Sunday. This format proved successful and was popular with participants.
In advance of the course, an introductory online session was held in February 2021, and a practical gathering to demonstrate hive and frame construction was held at the apiary.
A total of 20 people registered for the course.
Although we were not able during this period to host in person meetings at Coytrahen Hall, several online webinars were arranged, including an interesting talk by Dr Stephen Martin on Varroa resistance, talks by Lynfa Davies on queen rearing, and a talk by Abigail Lowe from the National Botanic Garden of Wales.
During the year, I dealt with numerous email queries from the public, through our website and through the Association’s Facebook page, about bees. These were usually about bumblebees nesting in nest boxes and roofs and showed how widespread Tree Bumblebees now are. There were also many queries about honeybees in roofs, walls, and chimneys.
Greg Nuttgens – Education Officer
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