THE final apiary meeting of the summer season for Okehampton Beekeepers took place on September 8.

The meeting was at Caroline Mott's apiary at Comebow. Despite heavy rain and wind across the area, the meeting managed to go ahead with dry conditions.

Caroline is relatively new to beekeeping, having only acquired her first colony last year. She has had a successful first season, increasing to four colonies and harvesting more than 100lbs of honey. She also took and passed the basic certificate this year.

Hive inspections were undertaken by Glyn Berrington and Will Pyne. Three of them were situated together on the lawn, while a fourth was in a sheltered corner beneath bushes.

Will inspected his colony first, and the colony was strong and good tempered. The shallow and deep boxes were heavy with stores, with foragers returning with pollen loads from what appeared to be Himalayan Balsam, an invasive weed that provides a rich source of nectar for bees in late summer. The source may provide the answer to the bumper honey crop.

Two of the lawn colonies were strong and healthy, but the other was weaker, with a lack of stores. The presence of brood in all stages indicated the presence of a healthy, prolific queen.

After inspections the meeting adjourned to Caroline's farmhouse for a bring and share tea. The next meeting, the first of the winter programme, will be at 7.30pm at Whiddon Down Village Hall. This will host the new regional NBU bee inspector Simon Jones, who will talk about the role of the bee inspector.