Kingston Beekeepers

The final newsletter of the year. Please keep sending in your stories and bee related articles for possible inclusion next year. To read or download the newsletter, please click here

Please click on the document to apply

The final newsletter of the year. Please keep sending in your stories and bee related articles. To read or download the newsletter, please click here

Click on the page to apply or express your interest.

Wisborough Green Division - West Sussex BKA

An excellent programme - well worth listening to. Click here.

Kingston Beekeepers Association will once again be offering a series of Winter lectures from January 2012 through to March/April. These lectures are intended as an introduction for those interested in taking up beekeeping.

Those attending the series of lectures may then wish to continue with our practical beekeeping course starting in April and running through to September. There is no obligation to do so, but those attending the theory course will be given first refusal in attending our practical course. We are often oversubscribed so please contact us with your interest as soon as possible.

We believe that this is the best route to becoming a competent and responsible beekeeper. To express your interest, please click here

A large amount of this season's honey has been stolen from the apiary at Hampton Court Allotments. It seems likely that it was stolen on Sunday 28th August in the evening. The thieves cut a hole in the mesh fencing and then used bolt cutters to cut through the padlock on the main shed.  The theft has been reported to the police.

The honey was all in 454g (1lb) jars and labelled as HAMPTON COURT HONEY (green and cream coloured labels) The tamper labels had handwritten details/lot numbers on them. We, as beekeepers, are very upset that all the bee's hard efforts as well as our own over the last season, has been, to a great extent, wiped out by these callous thieves. Unfortunately, the theft of bees and beekeeping equipment has been on the increase. But now it seems that even honey has become a target for these criminals.

If you are offered honey for sale from an unknown source and are even slightly suspicious, please do contact the police. You can even contact us here if you'd prefer. Thank you.

So you've done the BBKA Basic Exam....so what's next?!

Put this date in your diary - Saturday 22nd October 2011. Open to all Surrey BBKA members. Starts at 11:30am until about 2:30pm in Claygate Church Hall. There will be a number of speakers, with years of experience in beekeeping,  discussing the options for further beekeeping training.

Remember, this is a FREE event, open to all Surrey BBKA members. More details to follow. Watch this space.

This season's honey will be available to purchase from our apiary starting on Saturday 13th August 2011. I don't have the exact figures of how much we have managed to extract this year, but if it's anything like previous years, then we are likely to run out of stocks within a few short months.

Our apiary is open on Saturday afternoon's from 2:00pm to approximately 4:30pm,  April through to end of September.

To be held at The Royal Festival Hall, South Bank, London.

This free public event will be held in the Clore ballroom at the Royal festival Hall, 1pm to 5pm as part of the 60th anniversary celebrations for the Festival of Britain. This is a free event for both beekeepers and the public. There will be a stalls so that the public can meet their local beekeeper and buy a jar or two of honey. The public will also be invited to taste a wide selection of the capital’s honey and vote for your favourite local honey, with prizes for the winning beekeeper. More details can be found here.

Our 2011 Fast Track Course - two days of intensive beekeeping, was very successful so we have decided to offer this again in 2012. It will take place in May over two consecutive Sundays. It will be held at our apiary and will be very much' hands on' beekeeping.

Please use the 'contact us' form to express your interest.

Kingston Beekeepers Association will be offering a series of Winter lectures from January 2012 through to March/April. These are intended as an introduction to honeybees for those interested in beekeeping.

Those attending the series of lectures may then wish to continue with our practical beekeeping course starting in April and running through to September. There is no obligation to do so, but those attending the theory course will be given first refusal on attending our practical course. We are often oversubscribed so please contact us with your interest as soon as possible.

The following review represents the opinion of an individual member and is not intended to reflect the views of Kingston Beekeepers Association or its members. If any other member would also like to read/review Bill Turnbull's book, then please contact Andy Watters.

The review can be read here.