Author: Birmingham Beekeepers
Bumble Bee Conservation Trust
As always, a HUGE Thank You to the Birmingham and District Beekeepers Association for making us so welcome at the Birmingham Honey Show.
Special Thanks also to our 2 Bee Inspired Walsall volunteers for their amazing help on Saturday.
So, we engaged with well over 300 people.
We raised £159.50.
We possibly have 4 new members for BBCT.
We met some great people.
We were overwhelmed with the rise in pollinator awareness, so many people of all ages turning their gardens in to havens for bumblebees.
The weekend left us filled with optimism and hope for the future, we had a lot of fun and talked so much we had sore throats.
We left tired but very happy, calling at a flower known in Stafford known as the Greyhound. A sure source of nectar for thirsty bees!
Ron Rock
Bumble Bee Conversation Trust
Beekeeping experience day at Kuenhe Nagel Aston
NATURE BUDDIES BEEKEEPING CLASS

Abid Hussain


Marsh Hill Allotment Open Day
A Day using an Observation hive at St John,s Church Halesowen
In 2015 the theme for the RHS Britain in Bloom Competition was Pollinators. Being part of the Halesowen in Bloom committee, it seemed a readymade opportunity to take up beekeeping. Visits to Highbury Park, joining the B&DBKA and going to Winterbourne Gardens followed. A hive was purchased from a retiring beekeeper and was set up in a fairly remote and unused church hall walled garden. A local beekeeper offered a six frame NUC of bees, having first inspected the hive and location. So in June 2015 everything was up and running!
The Local Primary School had shown an interest, but the best I could offer was to show them the working hive, from a distance and the safety of the back door to the hall. The following year I gained a lot more experience from working with the bees and beekeepers and I discovered the Observation Hive. This enabled the bees to be shown up close. My talk still consists of a short DVD on the History of the Honey Bee and the Working of the Hive followed by making up a basic hive from the various individual parts. Then all we need are some bees and the front plywood panel of the Observation Hive is taken off. The surprised look on the faces of the children and adults together with their questions is worth getting up early to sort out a frame of brood in all stages and the marked queen. Two frames of stores with open nectar and sealed honey complete the Observation Hive. The Halesowen in Bloom RHS Judging Day takes place every July in St John’s Church, an 11th Century Grade 1 Listed Building. The location of the hives moved to Leasowes Walled Garden some years ago, but the Observation Hive is as popular as ever with children and adults alike.
By Ken Rudge
School Visit
One of the aims of our association is to ‘advance the education of the public in the importance of bees in the environment.’ Children and young people are fascinated by bees so surely taking an observation hive full of bees into a school is a good idea?
Two of our members, Jan and Jane, visited Lindsworth School (at the end of June 2023) a specialist school in south Birmingham. The 20 youngsters who took part in the visit were really knowledgeable about bees and enjoyed rolling candles, tasting honey and meeting the queen and her entourage.
The staff enjoyed the visit as well and couldn’t help trying on the bee suits and buzzing around the playground
Gardeners World Live 15/6/23
I was recently asked to attend Gardeners world live as a bee steward.I arrived at the BBKA stand at 9 am for a four hour slot.Their stand was very impressive with lots of information about bees. There was a chance to look at bees and pollen through a microscope and a chance to spot the queen in an observation hive.
Once the public stampeded into the show there was a lot of attention at the stand and a quick chance to try various types of honey(not the mead unfortunately!)
The Gardeners world presenters were filming throughout the day but sadly they didnt come and say hello. It amazed me how many people were needed to do the filming.
At the end of my 4 hours I was free to walk around the show and enjoy the wonderful gardens and plants.
Richard James
Swarm Management training day 8/7/23
Yes, why bees swarm, what to look for before they swarm, how to recognise when they are in a swarming mood. How to perform a pagden Artificial swarm split
- When the queen is found
- When she is not found
How to perform a split using a Nuc. Equipment needed to catch a swarm, how to collect a swarm, and how to hive it. All the techniques on swarm control were demonstrated using modified national and nucleus hives without bees.
Handouts were produced and distributed to the members who attended. They seemed to enjoy it and found it useful despite the threat of thunder storms, we then visited the apiary where I examined and manipulated three colonies.
Colin Overton
Spring Beekeeping Shows in 2023
British Beekeeping Show
This is at Stoneleigh Park on 4th February 2023. This is a far smaller show than the old Tradex at Stoneleigh.
https://www.britishbeekeepingshow.com/
The Beekeeping Show
This is a new show on the 25th February 2023 @ Telford. This has more of the big names that you would expect and looks a lot more like the old Tradex.
https://www.thebeekeepingshow.co.uk/
Note that neither of these shows are anything to do with the BBKA so don’t confuse their names with anything to do with the BBKA.
The BBKA Spring Convention
The BBKA’s annual spring show and convention is on 21st – 23rd April @ Harper Adams college. They start to advertise & start ticket sales at the end of Jan so I would expect more details available then. There is a trade show as well as many education talks that might be of interest. The trade exhibition is usually fairly large and the educational programme is designed to support all levels and a broad range of interests.