April Winter Meeting
2023-04-21 19:00 - 21:30 (Europe/London) | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
Jeff Sawyer, a retired Metropolitan Police Officer will be coming to talk to us on April 21st about “Personal Safety and Security” – an issue that is relevant to us all.
In Jeff’s words “My commitment to the audience, is that they’ll be engaged, educated and, above all, reassured by the material I deliver. This presentation won’t be alarmist in any way; it’s designed to bolster confidence, not steal it.”
Please read here for more information.

Charles Butler 400th Anniversary Bee Fayre
2023-08-19 - 2023-08-20 | Wootton St Lawrence, Church Meadows, Wootton St Lawrence, Hampshire, RG23 8PE, United Kingdom
We invite you to come and join us to celebrate Charles Butler, The Father of English Beekeepers, and his publication of “The Feminine Monarchie” in 1623 at his pastoral home of Wootton St Lawrence, Basingstoke, RG23 8PE, over the weekend of Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th August 2023.  For details, please visit  www.charles-butler400.co.uk
The organisers will be bringing the best of beekeeping speakers, performers and bee craft to these Celebrations with presentations inside the Church and stall holders and specialists outside in the Church Meadows. They include;

Stile Antico, the world’s leading early music vocal ensemble will be performing on both days Charles Butler Bee Madrigal within his own church
Bostjan Noc and Peter Kozmus, from the Slovenian Beekeepers Association, who proposed 20th May as World Bee Day to the UN assembly and was adopted worldwide
Speakers from Europe, UAE, and the UK will be presenting their expert views from bee sound vibrations to the value of honey.
“The Hive” Education Centre designed by beekeepers to tell the bee story to adults & children.
Stallholders, Bee Craft, Organisations who want to tell their part of the bee story

Come and share your love of bees to help communities understand the need to create a sustainable environment for bees to thrive.

September Winter Meeting
2023-09-15 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
Our first winter meeting of the 2023-24 season will feature “Food Safety for the Beekeeper” by Andy Pedley.
Andy will deal with the practical side of food safety as it applies to bee keepers, from the hive right through harvest and sale.
Andy has been keeping bees for 30 years and as an EHO developed an interest in the law on food safety as it applies to bee keepers and honey production. Realising that there was a fair amount of misinformation and traditional, but not always good, practice, among bee keepers, he authored a series in BeeCraft on the Food Safety Legislation and has presented talks on this and the Food Safety law as it applies to bee keepers at the National Honey Show and to local associations. Northern Bee Books asked him to produce a book and this is now in print https://www.northernbeebooks.co.uk/products/food-safety-for-beekeeper-pedley/
Andy is currently the Training Apiary Manager for Oxfordshire BKA; this gives him responsibility for 10 colonies there as well as his own 7 in various apiaries around Oxfordshire.

October Winter Meeting
2023-10-20 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
Andrew Gibb, Master Beekeeper, will be giving a talk entitled “Drones, the weaker sex”. The talk will look at physical aspects of drones, bodily appearance, behavioural aspects and what we know and don’t know about drones – which may surprise you!
Andrew is currently a member of the BBKA Examination board and a past CEO of Bee Craft Ltd and Chairman of Surrey BKA.

November Winter Meeting
2023-11-17 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
This month’s talk by Celia and David Rudland is entitled “Nucs and their Uses”; a look at the several ways a nuc box can be used in the apiary.
The Rudlands began as back-garden beekeepers in 2004 then the hobby grew; they are now bee farmers, running around 300 hives with apiaries all over Surrey and into Kent. As well as producing honey and fulfilling pollination contracts, they also raise queens and nucs for sale and teach beekeeping at all levels – from children’s groups and specialist courses for established beekeepers, to the Bee Farmers Apprenticeship Scheme. www.eastsurreybees.co.uk

December Winter Meeting
2023-12-15 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
This month’s talk by Stephen Fleming is entitled “The Magic and Mystery of Drone Congregation Areas”.
Fascinated by the idea of drone congregation areas (DCAs), Stephen Fleming set out to try to find one. By accidentally ignoring the books, he was very lucky to find one within an hour. Since then, suitably warm sunny afternoons from May to July have tempted him to be lured him from his desk in search of more – from Watership Down to the Isles of Scilly – and to try to understand how drones and queens find them and why they are located where they are.
Stephen is co-editor of BeeCraft and occasionally writes about DCAs and the bemused looks he gets when he is out and about with his rod, lure, and UAV (radio-controlled commercial drone) looking for magical places.

January Winter Meeting
2024-01-19 19:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
A very timely talk by Jenny Morgan – “Preparing for Spring and starting the Season” – which will explain what to look for when you first open the hive up in Spring. Disease checks and other things to look out for at that first inspection, plus cleaning equipment and methods of comb change so you can get organised in good time with everything clean and ready.
Jenny is a Master Beekeeper and a member of Reading BKA, has been keeping bees for about 14 years and currently keeps around 30 hives. Jenny has been a BBKA Trustee and now sits on the BBKA Examination Board. She is also an assessor for the BBKA Basic, Bee Health and Microscopy Assessments.

February Winter Meeting
2024-02-16 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
A talk by Andy Willis entitled “Wax Purification”.
This will be an ideal opportunity to find out how to process Bees Wax, whether it’s for trading in against new foundation or getting wax up to show standards and for candle making. The processes Andy has developed over the years takes wax from the hive to the final pure wax product including harvesting, storage, grading, melting, and filtering, ‘The Andy Method’.
Andy Willis is from Southampton Beekeepers and has won numerous prizes at shows for his candles which includes firsts at the National Honey show. He has hosted wax workshops for the BBKA and also made the candles which were given as the BBKA’s gift to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in her 2012 Jubilee year.

March 2024 AGM
2024-03-15 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
Details to follow.

April Winter Meeting
2024-04-19 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
A timely talk by Christine Coulsting on “Swarming – Prevention and Control”.

September Winter Meeting
2024-09-20 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
Our first evening meeting is this Friday 20th September where Andy Barnes-Willis will be speaking about “Bees and Plants”.
Andy is from Southampton Beekeepers and is well known for his talks on processing beeswax, having won numerous prizes at shows for his candles including firsts at the National Honey Show. In this talk we can look at another of Andy’s passions in beekeeping and look at the plants honeybees visit for pollen and nectar, emphasising the importance of pollen to honeybees and their brood.

October Winter Meeting
2024-10-18 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
Well timed for the colder weather, Steve Delo will be talking about “Mead & Other Honey Brews” with samples to try afterwards.
Steve started making mead during lock-down when, with a bumper stock of honey and time on his hands, he explored brewing as a past-time. Initially experimenting with traditional sweet and dry meads, he soon moved onto to melomels, metheglins, hydromels, bochets and braggots – which introduce additional ingredients and processes. Steve will give a light-hearted talk on mead-making, ‘how-tos’ and what you’ll need to start your own brewing journey, before providing an opportunity to taste a range of meads and other honey-based brews from 4.5% to 25% ABV.

November Winter Meeting
2024-11-15 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
Our speaker this month is Christine Coulsting, who will be giving a talk entitled “All things Queens”.
Christine is a Master Beekeeper from Romsey Beekeepers and is a BBKA Assessor. The talk will cover various aspects of the queen including her role, when and how queens are produced and how the queen influences the behaviour of the colony. The second part will look at some beekeeper applications involving the queen: Is my colony queenless? How to requeen, and what to do if you end up with a drone layer.
All essential knowledge to assist in planning our strategies for next season’s beekeeping.

December Winter Meeting
2024-12-20 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
Our own David Holloway will be talking about his work with Bees Abroad following his trip to Uganda this summer.
David Holloway is one of the Partnership Managers for Bees Abroad and looks after one of the larger groups of beekeepers in the Rwenzori Mountains in Western Uganda. Working with a large group of beekeepers that keep excellent records, has given him the opportunity to look at the pros and cons (cost-benefit, sustainability, performance and environmental impact) of a wide range of hive types (Top Bar, traditional Log and Woven hives etc) which he would like to share with us which should create some lively debate.
He will also talk about some of the other projects that Bees Abroad are actively involved with and will be promoting our Hive Twinning programme. He is a Trustee of both BDBKA and HBA, has been keeping bees for about 7 years and is actively involved with our own training and mentoring programmes.

January Winter Meeting
2025-01-17 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
This month’s talk will be given by James Donaldson entitled “What’s that Bit for?”
James Donaldson has been a beekeeper since 2005 and looks after around 15 colonies in North East Hampshire. He is a Master Beekeeper and holds the Microscopy certificate. He is the Secretary and a Trustee of Fleet Beekeeping Association, a past Chair of Hampshire Beekeepers’ Association and until recently a Trustee of HBA. James is also an examiner for the BBKA Basic and Bee Health Assessments.
What’s that bit for? This talk will describe some of the honeybee’s anatomical features that contribute to what makes them so successful. It will include the features everybody can know about and can see (and feel!) as well as some lesser-known external features and internal organs that make bees work so effectively. A deeper insight into the fascinating honeybee.

January Winter Meeting
2025-02-21 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
We are delighted to welcome Jenny Morgan, a Master Beekeeper from Reading, to talk to us about ‘Tanker Bees and Water Control in the Hive’. Jenny’s talk will describe how bees manage the nutritional resources in the hive.
Jenny Morgan is a Master Beekeeper from Reading and a member of the BBKA’s Examination Board.

March Winter Meeting
2025-03-21 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
Steve Riley will be speaking about ‘Bees and Varroa without Miticide Treatments’.
Steve Riley is the author of the book “The Honey Bee Solution to Varroa” and a member of the “Path to Varroa-resistance in the UK” team, led by Emeritus Professor Stephen Martin, that launched the education and science website: www.varroaresistant.uk in April 2023. He is the current Chair and Education Officer at Westerham Beekeepers, a club in the south-east of England, who are in their 7th year of looking for and finding Varroa-resistant honeybees.
The presentation will discuss the biology of how honeybees in the UK and elsewhere control their varroa populations and how beekeepers can monitor and select for these traits in bees.

April 2025 AGM
2025-04-11 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
Further information to follow.

September Winter Meeting - cancelled
2025-09-19 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
Due to unforeseen circumstances we regret that this month’s meeting has been cancelled. The next one will be on 17th October.

October Winter Meeting
2025-10-17 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
A talk by Dylan Gussman on “Biotechnical Varroa Control”.
Few threats have reshaped beekeeping as dramatically as the arrival of Varroa destructor. Understanding the biology and life cycle of the mite is essential, as it underpins every management option available. While chemical treatments remain widely used for their convenience, biotechnical methods are often underutilised despite their potential to reduce chemical load and lower costs. By exploring a range of strategies, this presentation will provide beekeepers with practical methods to adapt Varroa control to their own circumstances.
Dylan has been keeping bees for 10 years and currently has 4 colonies situated at home. Writing regularly for Beecraft magazine, he has particular interest in climate change and beekeeping, threats to honeybees and understanding the behaviour of the superorganism.

November Winter Meeting
2025-11-21 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
Clear and Present Dangers – Tropilaelaps and other threats heading our way up the M3, by:
Mark Cooper (Trustee Hampshire BKA and Asian Hornet Coordinator) and David Holloway (Trustee Hampshire and Basingstoke BKAs)
Mark Cooper – I am a recently retired IT consultant specialising in network and application performance monitoring. I along with my wife Claire started beekeeping in 2018, learning our newfound hobby with the Fleet Beekeepers Association.
I am an active member of the FBKA and am now serving my 3rd year on their management committee. I’m also a long-time member of the Fleet Lions Club (CIO).
David Holloway – I have been keeping bees since 2018 and am a committee member of Basingstoke BKA.
I am also part of Bees Abroad Business Team and an organizer of the Charles Butler 400th Anniversary celebrations in August 2023.
I trained as a Plant Scientist, was a horticultural extension worker for 16 years and have my own business growing wildflowers and sedum trays for green roofs.
I am now semi-retired living near Basingstoke.

December Winter Meeting
2025-12-17 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
Honey Tasting and Christmas Social led by Sue Howe
Bring your own Honey and Mead for tasting and vote on your favourite, including a presentation on how to prepare your hive products for formal showing at the Hampshire and National Honey Shows.

January Winter Meeting
2026-01-16 19:00 - 21:30 | Sherborne St John Village Hall, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, RG24 9HR, United Kingdom
Introduction to Queen Rearing by Philip Latham Trustee HBA and South West Hants BKA
Like many of us I began beekeeping on a whim 8 yrs ago. I quickly discovered this interest is dangerously addictive needing increasing input each year.
Keeping bees is not a solitary endeavour and through your local, regional and of course national associations strong friendships develop based on your shared interest.
I am working my way through the BBKA modules and also passed the Microscopy section last year. As a trustee of the HBA I represent the interests of all beekeepers in Hampshire.
As well as my own, I now also run the South West Hampshire apiary and believe that teaching others and developing your own knowledge base is the key to rewarding beekeeping.
