Meetings

Winter Meetings 2026

Thursday 1st October 1930 hrs
Kilmington Village Hall
Whodunit! The Case of the Winter Losses
Talk by Dylan Gussman
Framed as a murder mystery, this talk delves into the common causes of winter colony deaths and how to uncover the “clues” left behind. Learn how to perform effective colony post – mortems and to use that knowledge to strengthen your overwintering strategy. Dylan is a member of the Meon Valley BKA in Hampshire, co-leads the training team and organises the website and newsletter. He writes regularly for BeeCraft magazine.

Thursday 5th November 1930 hrs
Kilmington Village Hall
Branch AGM
Hilary Kirkcaldie, President
The Business.  What has gone on in the past year?  What would you like to go on in the next one and who will keep the wheels turning?  All the facts, figures and business including election of committee and Officers. Your chance to have your say.
Followed by DARG and Bait Hive study, Richard Simpson
Latest research on the behaviour of swarms plus some tall tales from the sharp end of swarm collection and honeybee colony removal.

Thursday 3rd December 1930 hrs
Kilmington Village Hall
Xmas Social Evening + Expert Panel Q&A Session
John Badley, Bob Muckett, Nick Silver, Alasdair Bruce.
Bring your burning beekeeping questions to ask our panel of experienced EDBK beekeepers! They will do their very best but beware, you might get four different answers! There will also be some new (and maybe not so new) beekeeping gadgets on display – perhaps just in time to make it onto your Chrismas list. Together with our ever popular Xmas raffle, this is sure to be a fun and festive evening.

Winter Meetings 2027

Thursday 7th January 1930 hrs
Kilmington Village Hall and Zoom
The Bees Abroad Story – Making Beekeepers for Life
Talk by Richard Ridler.
Bees Abroad projects enable communities to empower themselves through sustainable beekeeping, changing lives in some of the most disadvantaged rural communities in Africa. We will look through the lens of the Rwenzori Rural Talent Group in the foothills of the Rwenzori mountains in Western Uganda. How and why they became involved in beekeeping, how they were trained, how they got their bees and beekeeping equipment and how their beekeeping practices differ from ours. This talk is suitable for all beekeepers and aims to stimulate thinking about how we must adapt to local circumstances. Richard is the Chair of the Trustees of Bees Abroad, President of the Essex Beekeepers’ Association and a Master Beekeeper.

Saturday 23rd January Time tba
Virtual
DBKA AGM
DBKA business, reports and elections, plus talks.

Thursday 4th February 1930 hrs
Kilmington Village Hall
From Buckfast to Buckingham Palace
Talk by Richard Rickett (Co-editor of BeeCraft magazine).
This talk begins at Buckfast and ends at Buckingham Palace, but there are many and varied locations in between. We meet beekeepers who keep their bees in skeps and those who keep them in enormous glasshouses. We visit the parish of Charles Butler, rediscover the site of the first recorded DCA’s, uncover the apiary location of one of Victorian Britain’s pre-eminent beekeeping experts, and meet the actress who played beekeeper Jill Archer. A roving beekeeping adventure with lots of fascinating photographs that will be enjoyed by beekeepers at all levels of experience.

Thursday 4th March 1930 hrs
A central East Devon venue. TBC.
Varroa. TBC.
Talk by Leila Goss. TBC.
Possible joint meeting with Exeter Branch. To be confirmed.

Thursday 1st April 1930 hrs
Kilmington Village Hall
Tropilaelaps – Joint meeting with West Dorset
Talk by Kevin Pope (ex SBI Dorset)
Kevin is one of the UK’s experts on this serious pest, and is one of a team studying its behaviour in Georgia. He will introduce us to Tropilaelaps, how to detect it, how Thai, Indonesian and Georgian beekeepers deal with it, and hopefully how to treat it based on the results of the latest ongoing research.