2003 Chairman's Address 2003 AGM	Secretary's Report, to the Galtee Bee Breeding Group at 2003 AGM

This year has seen the Group membership grow to fifty, drawn from fifteen Associations and from various parts of the country, mainly Munster and Leinster. Our main focus is to improve beekeeping by improving Apis Mellifera Mellifera. Progress was made along this road by member participation in the many activities organised throughout the year.

The "Four Seasons" continues to keep everyone informed and up to date by Claire's use of article content which is appropriate to the beekeeping season.

The Study Group met every second Monday night throughout the Spring... As many of the sixteen participants prepared for their examinations at Gormanston.

Congratulations to Donal, P.J., Jim Power and Jim Clerkin on passing their exams and a special congratulations to Claire who received her Diploma and to Tom who received his Certificate - both conferred at Cork Institute of Technology.

The Group now has seven participants who hold the most senior qualification of FIBKA. The Study Group has again re-convened over the Winter - the twenty participants are divided into two groups - one pursuing the Intermediate course, while the more established participants study the Senior syllabus.

A dozen volunteers turned out for the work day at Dun Aonghusa Bee Garden on the 16th of February as a result of which there is more light in the equipment store, the insemination hut is safe from the rain and all the Apideas were cleaned and ready for treatment.

In April a most interesting afternoon was enjoyed by those who came to the Band Room, Cahir for Ruary's workshop on pollen analysis. We are very for fortunate to have such a dedicated member who is qualified to carry out this very important work.

The two outdoor open-hive demonstrations were well supported - at Ben's apiary in Uriingford on May 4th and at Ger's apiary at Longueville House on June 29th. Such demonstrations fulfill a vital role in standardising the methods of colony evaluation and recording for all members present. Everyone was given an evaluation card and asked to rate each colony - a comparison was then made with the master card which was completed by Ger. Micheál emphasised the fact that colonies selected for breeding purposes should have as a minimum a total rating of 15 points on the five characteristics evaluated during the previous season. Docility and Brood Pattern are at present regarded as the two most important characteristics for our current breeding programme and these should have an average of at least three points in each column for a colony to be included in the following year's selected breeding stock. The proceedings concluded with a chat over tea and sandwiches. We are most grateful to both Ben and Ger for hosting our visit and to Charlotte, Rose and Elizabeth for their welcome and kind hospitality.

The Forest Walk on May 18th took place in Glengarra Wood, where we were taken along a forest trail under the expert guidance of Micheál. The mature trees, shrubs and flowers throughout the wood were many and varied as we walked beside the Burncourt River to finally rest at the summer house where we had our picnic.

On June 22nd the Group hosted a party of beekeepers from South Kildare and Dunamace Associations. The demonstration took place at the Dun Aonghusa Apiary where members looked on in amazement as each manipulation produced no aggressiveness whatsoever. Many aspects of bee breeding were covered which included colony assessment, queen rearing and the importance of the Apidea in increasing stocks.

In July we attended Gormanston Summer Course which has developed into an outstanding week of beekeeping education. As in other years many members of GBBG played prominent parts in various aspects of the course - giving lectures and workshops as well as entering the National Honey Show. Congratulations to Finola on passing the Lecturer's exam, to Bea on passing the full Senior Bee Masters exam, to Jim on passing the Practical Bee Masters exam and to Norman who passed his Honey Judges exam.

Many Group members successfully exhibited at Honey Shows throughout the country - we especially congratulate James on winning the World Cup at the London Honey Show.

Overall it was a busy year and I think members were pleased with our varied program of events. Our thanks to Claire for all the hard work she puts into organising the newsletter - The Four Seasons, to James for keeping the Group Records which is the basis for the Group's "Stud Book". We wish Dave every success in taking over the website from Jacob who is now concentrating on Morphometry with Liam.

In conclusion I wish to thank everyone who gave me assistance during the year especially Redmond our treasurer and Micheál our chairman.

Dennis Ryan

Originated... 29 February 2004, Upgraded... 16 June 2005,