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Solitary Bees, Oct ’25
An illustrated talk on solitary bees by Brigit Strawbridge Continue reading
Winter Preparation 6/9/25
A talk by Nigel Boulton and John Badley 06/09/2025 Held at the Bee Shed. We start with a reminder of why we prepare the hives for winter. Everything revolves around keeping the bees alive and healthy through the cold period and ready for the start of the new season. There are three causes of colony […]
Honey Processing, Aug ’25
Honey Extraction in words and pictures Demonstration by Nick Silver at the Bee Shed, 9th August 2025 The whole process can be divided up into discrete operations. Removing the honey frames There are many gadgets to clear bees from the frames of capped honey, but all of them require more than one visit to the […]
Varroa update
Varroa: a problem or not, how do I know, and what to do about it.Plus: an overview of the Asian hornet threat. A talk by Nigel Boulton and John Badley A quick reminder of the life cycle of the Varroa mite will set the scene for the talk. CHEMICAL TREATMENT PHASE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT PHASE […]
I Spy… Getting your eye in. 2025
I SPY…. I Spy….. Getting your eye in. 7th June 2025 Thanks to all those who came to this meeting and asked all the questions. We hope you benefited from the discussions and will put some of the hints and tips to good use in your own hives. As promised, I have duplicated the Task […]
Improvers Day 2025
Hygiene in the hive Nick Silver introduced the session by saying we would be having informal discussions about various hive hygiene considerations. We would then go into the apiary for some demonstrations and hive manipulation practice to improve handling techniques. The following are notes of the topics covered. John Badley started the discussions by reminding […]
Wax moth in the hive Apr ’25
Wax moth in the hive - a talk by Zo Continue reading
When Asian hornets come to Devon
When the yellow-legged Asian hornet comes to Devon Understanding the insect and taking action – a talk by Judith Norman, General Secretary of DBKA. Report of East Devon Beekeepers meeting held at Kilmington Village Hall on 6th March 2025. 40+ attendees. Both hornets are predators, but the yellow-legged Asian hornet (YLAH) has a bigger nest, […]
Weather and bees 06/02/25
The effect of weather patterns on bees and bee management A talk by Geoff Blay, Master Beekeeper and Bee Farmer Report of the joint winter meeting of East Devon Beekeepers and West Dorset Beekeepers, Kilmington Village Hall, 6th February 2025. 64 attendees. Geoff’s first slide said:Unsettled conditions:— we’re British, we always moan about the weather— […]
Better season 02/01/25
East Devon Beekeepers January meeting 2025 Preparations for a Better Season – a talk by Dan Basterfield NDB Held at Kilmington Village Hall. Attendance 35, Including friends from West Dorset branch. Dan Basterfield and farther Ken run the Blackbury Honey Farm in East Devon, currently with between 90-100 hives. They are both BBKA and NDB […]