WBKA Spring Convention 2023
Entrance Tickets
Door price £9.00
Reduced rate entry of £7.00 if purchased in advance of the Convention online using the link below.
https://wbka.sumup.link/
WORKSHOPS
To book a place on the workshop please contact the Events Secretary at
convention@wbka.com
as places are limited.
You will need to buy a convention entrance ticket as well as a workshop.
Details of the two workshops are given below.
Workshop 1
11.00 to 12.30: BBKA Module Exams
Have you thought about taking a module exam or would like to know more about what these cover and how they work? Maybe you are undecided about whether to go down the practical or theory route to achieving further beekeeping qualifications? Or perhaps you have never even considered either but are curious to find out more. Why not join us for this 90 minute workshop? We will give you an overview of the module exam system, an understanding of how these are delivered, and an opportunity to talk to other candidates. During the workshop we will work through some exam questions as a group and you will be provided with some useful study resources to take away.
Cost £5 per person
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Workshop 2
2.00 to 3.30: Varroa control – what is the best approach?
We will probably all have varroa mites in our colonies and at times these pesky mites may overwhelm the colony and cause significant harm. As beekeepers, we are very conscious of not using chemicals in our hives so what is the best way to reduce the number of mites in the colony?
In this workshop we will look at an approach called Integrated Pest Management that uses a variety of techniques to keep the number of mites below a damaging threshold and only uses chemicals when absolutely necessary. These techniques are also very relevant to beekeepers who are interested in a treatment free approach.
This workshop is aimed at beekeepers who are relatively new to beekeeping, maybe 1-3 years into the hobby.
We will learn about how the mites live in the colony and which techniques can have the greatest impact and at what time.
Come and join in this interactive 90 minute workshop to learn about the techniques and timings to improve the health of your bees.
Cost is £20 (to include resources to take away)
The Welsh Beekeepers’ Association (WBKA) is the national support organisation for beekeepers in Wales. It is a registered charity (number 509929) managed by a board of trustees supported by various officers, all of whom are volunteers.
Founded in 1943, WBKA is the umbrella organisation for 19 local associations across Wales. Representatives of these 19 associations, and specialist members, form the WBKA Council which meets three times a year.
The WBKA works to support its member associations, specialist and individual members by:
developing co-operation amongst beekeepers and other bodies, including Welsh Government and other national associations and bodies
improving the standard of bee husbandry by supporting the beekeeping education system in the UK.
We hope our website gives you an insight into the ways in which we support the objects of the WBKA as set out in our Constitution – the encouragement, improvement, advancement and promotion of beekeeping to provide a benefit to the public and the environment throughout Wales.
News
New!
Apiary and Brood Inspections
Three videos by Regional Bee Inspector Frank Gellatly, Gwenyn Gruffydd and Black Mountain Honey.
Frank Gellatly, Regional Bee Inspector for Wales has joined with Gwenyn Gruffydd and Black Mountain Honey to produce three useful and interesting YouTube videos. We thank Frank and both of these businesses for granting us permission to share the links to these very informative videos.
(Please note that the WBKA do not endorse any particular products or suppliers mentioned in these videos, or in any of the advertisements which appear via YouTube).
Click on the videos to view.
The Healthy Bees Plan 2030
has recently been published by DEFRA to cover Wales and England for the next 10 years.
The Plan is available below.
The Asian Hornet in the UK
The scientific journal Nature has published a detailed report on the sightings of Asian Hornets in the UK from 2016 to 2019 and the follow-up investigations. You can read it below.
Ulster BKA Webinars
Jan 2022
Members may be interested in the Ulster Beekeepers’ Association flyer of webinars starting in January 2022. Registration details are below.
Scottish BKA Webinars
2021 -2022
Here are some past webinars from the Scottish Beekeepers Association that you might find interesting.
Click on the button below.
WBKA Webinars
Currently we are are arranging at least one webinar each month. Our webinars are free and open to all.
Join us for a webinar on January 26th, 2023 at 8:00 PM BST.
Food Safety for the Beekeeper – Andy Pedley
Andy has been keeping bees for 30 years. As an Environmental Health Officer, he developed an interest in the law on food safety as it applies to beekeepers and honey production. He has authored a series of articles on the Food Safety Legislation, as well as on the Honey Regulations and recycling jars.
He’s recently worked more on the nuts and bolts of food safety for beekeepers, and has presented talks on this, and the Food Safety law as it applies to beekeepers, at National Honey Show workshops and to local associations. He recently published a book on the topic – reviewed in the Autumn 2022 edition of The Welsh Beekeeper and available through Northern Bee Books.
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.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
QUICK LINKS
