Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead Beekeepers' Society

Dec 4

The other day I remembered reading through the Association Constitution. I say Association because it was so long ago that it might have been Slough’s, Maidenhead’s or even the Federation’s. In those days it only saw the light of day at AGMs when it was needed to put down the sort of minor revolt by some upstart(s), newly joined and not yet beaten or bored to the governing will. That it was so long ago indicates that life for the Committee has been pretty uneventful over the decades.

But we are the Society and the Constitution is there to serve us and not the reverse. There may be a higher purpose but it has to be achieved through the members' efforts. It may be a good thing to have a look at it now and again to see if it still serves a purpose.

Sadly you’ve only got my memory to go on at this stage but there’s always the option of a second opinion.

QUIS CUSTODIET ?

You all knew I’d lapse into Latin eventually, so let’s get it over with. It’s followed by ipsos custodies and means “who guards the guards?”

The first bit of constitutional mud dredged from memory is that all vacant places on the Committee will be filled by election. There has not been an election for as long as I can remember in any organisation with which I have been associated. People can’t spare the time or don’t want to do these jobs any more. Co-opting is the customary method these days and that only works if you do it with an honourable way out again, after a relatively short spell. Most people, in my opinion, take up a hobby so as to enjoy doing something over which they have more complete control than they have in their place of paid employment. Beekeeping gives just that thrill but it is largely a solitary pastime and many of us won’t take on the politics of the Association as well as of the workplace.

I see a particularly nasty bit of politics coming if the “natural“ methods of beekeeping gain much ground. The more of you that get to the January meeting the better, in my opinion.

So where are we going to get the workhorses to do the jobs which we’ve already decided will be forever voluntary? I think, for the time being, the answer might come from that expensive anachronism -the Federation. Up until now the only remaining essential reason for its existence is as a buying unit for our Public Liability Insurance. The BBKA won’t insure any unit with less than 100 active beekeepers. Incidentally, does anyone know a beekeeper who has had to make a claim on this Policy? The experience would, I think, make a good talk for a winter meeting. Now that membership is on the up, some Associations may be thinking of going it alone and winding up the Federation. However, it might be worth waiting until it has shaken the Fred Smiths out of its hair and then amalgamating with the Association next door. As well as getting the stable membership to over 100, it will increase the number of willing and able workhorses by something like 75%. Perhaps you would be able to ask the, now, two Treasurers to share the work and the two Apiary Supervisors to work alternate weeks during the season and achieve the Holy Grail of an effective swarm prevention programme.

GO FORTH AND MULTIPLY.

The next bit I remember was an admonition to spread the good word about the craft, without, however, stating how far we should spread it. The result is that my postcode is RG10 (Reading), the man who lives 400yds from me is a South Chilterns member, the one half a mile across the field shouts for Wokingham and the one half a mile to the north won’t join an Association to save his life. To my shame I have to admit that I introduced him to beekeeping and mentored him for the first couple of years.

Our representatives have toiled on our behalf in sun and rain at shows and other field events and their effort has not been wasted. We now have by far the largest membership in my memory. I think that I can say that this bit of the Constitution has been well served.

Finally, TRAINING & SUPPORT.

We were required to train and offer assistance to existing members and newcomers, and to facilitate this a Society apiary was to be established.

Now this was in an age before most of us were born and this is the 21st century and life is a bit more complicated. If Associations are going to take on the training role there will need to be a lot of preparation and decision making. Here’s my slant:-

Break up the process into four distinct stages, all to be successfully endured before the “New chum” is given full membership, which should be an honour and source of pride, and earned .

1. INDUCTION. Applicant interviewed by experienced beekeepers to find out what he expects to do and get out of the craft. The main objective is to weed out the Fred Smiths before we have spent too much effort and they have spent too much money.

2. CLASSROOM. The standard 6 – 10 session winter beginner’s course. To be conducted in a classroom stocked with visual aids and demonstration materials to the standards expected of a modern apprenticeship scheme.

3. FIELD COURSE. Main objective of the outdoor sessions is to get the apprentices stung as often as they need to get used to what will be a fairly regular occurrence. While this is going on they can be gaining experience in bee husbandry. Again this will require access to representative working hives in a range of conditions and the premises required to service them. Doing this in an Association apiary would not be practicable mainly because it would be difficult to maintain an adequately representative range of hives, all with bees. I would want to see National (11/2, standard, 14 x 12,) WBC, Langstroth in wood and polystyrene, Beehaus and top bar. This sounds ridiculous and it is –for the resources of an Association. But it is marginally less than what the customer is currently expecting. You might be able to cover some of the range by visiting members’ apiaries. For example I work National 14 x 12s and I’d be happy for them to be used for a test run. But, sorry, my bees are much too docile to achieve anything on the primary objective of the exercise.

This is a lot to expect from an Association struggling to achieve a stable enough membership to stand alone on Public Liability Insurance. Fortunately, we have on our door step, a ready-made answer.

The BCA has the facilities, the skills, and far more experience than we have. I suggest we sub-contract sections 2 and 3 to them. If they need a bit of subsidy didn’t I hear that we were looking for something constructive to do with all that extra cash, before the Treasurer flits off to Venezuela?

This should give them the background to get their first hive or retire gracefully without leaving derelict hives in bramble bushes. It should also give us a report from the trainer as to what we might expect of them. We shall have to think of some other scheme for the ladies!

This report will be invaluable because the apprentice now comes under the influence of his:-

4. MENTOR.

Shortly after this subject first came up in the BBKA News I was at an apiary meeting and realised that I’d been working 14 x 12s for so long that I’d forgotten all the finer points about working 11/2s. The BBKA News said a lot about what a good idea it was but gave very little away about what was actually involved. I decided to wait for more details and I’m still waiting. I think that a beekeeper gets to a certain time in his life when he’s found the hive that suits him and will henceforth hear of nothing else. Not only hives but also .....well, take me and swarms and WBCs and.......this is getting embarrassing.

Now I happen to think that the Mentor system is both excellent, as a concept, and long proven to be practical. If I wanted to, I could remember how to work a National 11/2, but a Dartington/Beehaus, Top bar or Warre ? *1. And what are a Mentor’s liabilities if something goes wrong? Define and describe the job and I’ll consider it, but I won’t take on an open-ended responsibility. Likewise swarm collecting, “who yu gonna call” when you fall off the ladder? I know, 118 118!!!

LAST VERSE

I don’t really give a tinkers about the Society’s constitution, it was just a peg to hang this particular hair shirt on. I think I’ve gone on long enough to upset everybody.

To end on a positive note I’d like to tell you about something which has been, and continues to be, of more value to me both in and out of beekeeping, than almost anything else. I commend it to you as something to encourage and follow on with when Mentoring peters out.

Two other beekeepers and I have casually formed a relationship which has no name, objectives, rules, cash, timetable, officers or Constitution. We do, however, live within a couple of miles of each other and work the same hive types.

We largely communicate by Email but meet in each other’s houses whenever we want to discuss our plans and post mortems. We share some of our facilities and above all give each other a helping hand when required. We “put the Beekeeping world to rights” but do our best not interfere with it -and I don’t doubt I’ll be gently chided by the other two for this bull-at-a-gate stuff.

The result of all of this unspecified activity is that we get on well with our bees and our neighbours and turn in a respectable honey crop each year. More than this, I believe the relationship keeps our bee husbandry at a relatively good standard, short of perfection (because we are not zealots) and leaves our hives ready for inspection by anyone, at any time.

I don’t know about you but, at 73, I still need a Mum to run home to. Beekeeping is a relatively solitary pastime.

*1 Offer up a prayer of thanks to your particular god that I’ve spared Schumann Catenary Top Bar Hive. This you, to date, you have been spared, and was the hive that was going to cost less than £20 and be shipped out, in kit form, in thousands to save the starving in Africa. I worked the prototype for three years and then threw it on the bonfire and destroyed all the photographs. Nuff said.