Please see the recent article in the local press about our move to Brockencote Hall, which will be our new club home. We are very excited to welcome you there and be able to hold club events there in the future.
NEWBKA is a branch of the Worcestershire Beekeepers' Association. It exists to promote beekeeping in NE Worcestershire by providing public information, swarm collecting and by running courses for intending and improving beekeepers.
Social Meeting this Monday (14th)
Please remember that it's the monthly Social Meeting this coming Monday (14th).
We will be meeting in the snug at the Boat & Railway in Stoke Prior from 7:30 onwards.
Everyone is welcome including non-members!
Social Meeting on Monday
Please note that the Bowling Green Inn has closed, so the next Social Meeting on Monday 9th September will be at the Boat & Railway, Shaw Lane, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B60 4EQ
Social Meetings
A reminder also about our Social meetings. These are held on the second Monday of each month at the Bowling Green Inn, Shaw Lane, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove B60 4BH
We meet from around 7:30pm Friends, relatives and non-members thinking about becoming beekeepers are always very welcome. The remaining 2024 dates are:
Monday 8th July
Monday 12th August
Monday 9th September
Monday 14th October
Monday 11th November
Monday 9th December
Avoncroft Windmill Apiary Sessions
A reminder - the Avoncroft Windmill apiary meetings are being held each week, subject to weather.
You are very welcome to come along to support and/or learn from some of NEWBKA's most experienced beekeepers. Please see the schedule below, showing the Session Leader:
Sunday 7 July Chris Broad
Sunday 14 July Adam Lovick
Saturday 20 July Dave Lantsbery
Saturday 27 July Dave Lantsbery
Saturday 3 August Tim Vivian
Sunday 11 August Adam Lovick
Sunday 18 August Chris Broad
Saturday 24 August Dave Lantsbery
Saturday 31 August Dave Lantsbery
Sunday 8 September Adam Lovick
Saturday 14 September Tim Vivian
Sunday 22 September Chris Broad
Saturday 28 September Dave Lantsbery
We meet in the Avoncroft Museum car park at 10:30 am.
Honeybees helping in the fight against Lung Cancer
New research from Michigan State University has found that honey bees can detect biomarkers or chemical concentrations associated with lung cancer just by smelling human breath.
Not only that, but they can also distinguish between different lung cancer cell types. For the article, please click here
Avoncroft Windmill Apiary Sessions
A reminder - the Avoncroft Windmill apiary meetings are being held each week, subject to weather.
You are very welcome to come along to support and/or learn from some of NEWBKA's most experienced beekeepers. Please see the schedule below, showing the Session Leader:
Saturday 15 June Dave Lantsbery
Saturday 22 June John Gower
Saturday 29 June Tim Vivian
Sunday 7 July Chris Broad
Sunday 14 July Adam Lovick
Saturday 20 July Dave Lantsbery
Saturday 27 July John Gower
We meet in the Avoncroft Museum car park at 10:30 am.
World Bees Day at Busy Bees
Ed Payne has again given his time to highlight the importance of bees, as part of World Bees Day.
This time, it was at the aptly named Busy Bees Pre-School in Droitwich. As usual, it was well received, as seen in the photos below.
MINI TALKS & SOCIAL
Members are invited to a social evening of beekeeping talks over a few drinks at the Astwood Bank Social Club at 7.30 pm on Friday 19th April. Catch up with your fellow beekeepers and to listen to some fantastic speakers share their knowledge and experience on some really important topics.
Our own Asian Hornet Alert Co-Ordinator, Jas Payne, will be talking about the threat posed by the invasive Asian Hornet and how you can play your part to help protect against their spread. Asian Hornets have spread quickly along the south coast of England and last year we received alerts in our area of sightings, which thankfully turned out to not to be Asian Hornets, but we need to be ready this year to protect our bees.
Robin May is a beekeeper who uses the Flowhive system in North East Worcestershire. He will be talking about his personal experiences of using the system and we will conclude with a question and answer session about the system. Please come armed with questions for him!
Dave Lantsbery and Mike Bickerton will speak about small cell beekeeping, its advantages, and how it can be used in your apiary.
We hope to see you there!
Windmill Apiary Sessions
The Apiary meetings at the Avoncroft Windmill site are now being held on a weekly basis, subject to weather.
Any member who'd like to come and learn from some of the most experienced beekeepers in NEWBKA, or support them in their work, would be very welcome.
Please see the schedule below of the next set of meetings and the Session Leader:
Sunday 21 April Tim Vivian
Sunday 28 April Adam Lovick
Sunday 5 May Chris Broad
Saturday 11 May Dave Lantsbery
Saturday 18 May John Gower
Saturday 25 May Tim Vivian
We meet in the Avoncroft Museum car park at 10:30 am.
ANAPHYLAXIS - What To Do
For a timely reminder as we start the beekeeping season, please see the attached poster which advises what to do if someone with you experiences anaphylaxis.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S-H4a9VaAlEVw64vfcMcU2aJ3VSHz6WO/view?usp=sharing
Apiary Sessions
The Apiary sessions at the ORCHARD APIARY have started and it is hoped to run them each Tuesday from now on, subject to weather.
We meet at 10:30am in the Avoncroft Car Park. If you would like to attend on any particular week, please contact Alex Bignell to make sure that the session is being run.
The WINDMILL APIARY sessions should begin soon on Saturdays (or occasional Sunday). More details to follow shortly!
BEE SOCIAL
Our next Social Meeting is on Monday 8th April from 7:30pm onwards, at the Bowling Green Inn, Shaw Lane, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove B60 4BH.
Everyone is welcome - whether you are a member, or would just like to find out more about beekeeping.
What is the Basic Assessment Like?
Have you wondered what it's really like to take the BBKA Basic Assessment? Have a look at Mike Richardson's account of his experience last year:
https://newbka.blogspot.com/p/taking-bbka-basic-assessment-with.html
And for some better news.....
A recent study by the University of Sussex provides an interesting insight into the ratio of wild versus managed honeybee colonies around the world - plus the implications for disease resistance:
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/honey-bees-suprisingly-abundant-research-173056150.html
Beware the Asian Hornet
As we approach the beginning of the beekeeping season, the BBKA has highlighted a number of recent articles about the Asian Hornet:
https://www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/yellow-legged-hornet-italy-government-officials/
https://www.fruitandvine.co.uk/asian-hornets-could-reduce-uk-agricultural-yields/
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/24153263.brighton-beekeepers-urge-vigilance-asian-hornets/
Novice Course 2024
Have you made a New Year's resolution to become a beekeeper this year?
If so, you might like to join our Novice course which starts on Monday 12th February and runs weekly over six weeks.
It's an ideal way to learn about beekeeping and hopefully avoid some of the common mistakes made when starting out.
If you're interested, email us at neworcsbeekeepers@gmail.com for more information.