BBKA Examination Structure
BeeCraft have produced a great infographic to represent the structure of the BBKA Examination paths.
Feel free to download it and use as a referenence for your own route to a deeper understanding of beekeeping.
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Knowledge Articles
Is your garden buzzing?
Tim Riggs explains why gardeners need to protect pollinating insects, and suggests how.
One of the dreamy delights of a garden is the sound of buzzing insects as they move from flower to flower, gorging on nectar and transferring or collecting pollen. If we like to save our own seed, or wish to encourage self-seeding, these pollinators are welcome agents of fertilisation, and of course they pollinate our apples, pears, plums and raspberries, but whether we benefit directly or not, we can enjoy their presence. A garden devoid of bees, hoverflies and butterflies is unthinkable.
Obtaining Your First Bees And Starting Beekeeping
There are numerous good sites offering sound advice about how to source your first bees.
This is simple sound advice and can be expanded on by further reading.
You can ask other bee keepers, but remember the old adage if you ask three experienced beekeepers the same question you will get at least 5 answers.
How Many Hives Should I Have
Obviously you have to start with one. You could buy 2 lots of bees or get two nuclei.
It is important to go steadily – doing too much at the start it is often easy to get carried away at start.
Having started with one colony. First lesson:
Beginner's Equipment
Beginners equipment: What do you need and how to source.
It depends what you want. Also how much you want to spend.
The first lesson is :
BeeBase
Beebase News Web feed-
LAST CHANCE: to answer our survey on how training and information sources for beekeepers and bee farmers can be improved
20 April 2021With thanks to those of you who have already responded. For those of who haven’t yet had chance to answer the survey there is still time but it closes tomorrow. For further details please see below.
Gyda diolch i'r rhai ohonoch sydd eisoes wedi ymateb. I'r rhai nad ydynt wedi cael cyfle eto i ateb yr arolwg mae amser o hyd ond mae'n cau yfory. Am fanylion pellach gweler isod.
Defra and the Welsh Government want to ensure that beekeepers and bee farmers have access to training and information that can help them implement effective biosecurity and maintain good standards of husbandry, so as to minimise pest and disease risks and improve the sustainability of honeybee populations.
A short questionnaire is available for current beekeepers, people who have recently stopped keeping bees as well as bee farmers to give their views and opinions on the type, accessibility and range of training and information available and how it could be improved. It should take no more than 15 minutes.
Please go to https://eu5se.voxco.com/S2/87/healthy_bees/ to complete the survey by 21 April.
Defnyddiwch y ddolen hon i gwblhau'r arolwg erbyn 21/04/2021. -
Seasonal Bee Inspector (SBI) Vacancies
19 April 2021The National Bee Unit currently has a number of Seasonal Bee Inspector (SBI) vacancies advertised in the following areas South Kent & East Sussex, South West Devon and South East Wales
If you are interested in applying for the job, full details can be found on Civil Service Jobs.
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Reporting Varroa
12 April 2021Amendments to the Bee Diseases and Pests Control (England) Order 2006, the Bees Diseases and Pest Control (Scotland) Order 2007 and the Bee Diseases and Pests Control (Wales) Order 2006 come into force on the 21st of April 2021 requiring all beekeepers and/or officials in GB to report the presence of Varroa in any of the hives that they manage. This amendment will allow Great Britain to comply with the Animal Health Law which is necessary for future working relationships with the European Union.
To make this simple, a tick box will be introduced to BeeBase, the voluntary register for beekeepers managed by the National Bee Unit. This will be the easiest way to report Varroa but an alternative mechanism will be provided for those who do not wish to register on the BeeBase system. Details of this alternative system will be provided after 21st April. If Scottish Beekeepers wish to, they can report varroa by contacting the Scottish Bee Health Inspectors (BeesMailbox@gov.scot).
Although Varroa is known to be widespread, it continues to be one of the most serious pests faced by beekeepers. Reporting Varroa will contribute to the overall pest and disease surveillance work of the National Bee Unit and the Scottish Bee Health Inspectorate. We are grateful for your assistance with this new simple measure.
No action will be required until after 21st April.