Meetings
Members of the public are welcome to come along to any of our Branch meetings though we advise you to check with the Branch Secretary that the venues, dates and times have not changed before attending.
All dates are provisional.
Winter Meetings held at New Church House, Ormskirk
Tuesday 1st October 2024 19:30- with John Hewitt of East Lancs BKA ‘Things I have learnt this summer’
As John says ‘Even people who have bought loads of beekeeping books, attended many lectures and done all the exams and assessments like I have, will still have a suspicion that they have just scratched the surface of bees and beekeeping practice’ This talk, aimed at a reasonably technical level, will cover topics such as biology, foraging behaviour, flying skills, swarming and winter survival.
Tuesday 5th November 2024 19:00 - Graham Curwen entitled 'An Introduction to processing wax' & AGM
The talk will be by Graham Curwen entitled 'An Introduction to processing wax' As some of you will know, Graham regularly wins prizes at honey shows. Recent successes for his wax include the blue ribbon for the best exhibit at Southport Flower Show, 1st at the Lancashire Honey Show in 2024 and 2nd at the National Honey Show in 2023.
Whether you simply want to produce rough blocks for trading in with the equipment suppliers, make 1oz blocks to sell, or candles as Christmas presents, Graham will be able to provide an introduction to how to go about it.
The meeting will also include our AGM (It seems we have been going for 83 years!) and the formal paperwork for this is attached to this email. As members know, our secretary Vicki Hall is retiring at the AGM. I am pleased to report that volunteers have been found to stand for the various roles she has undertaken for the branch in recent times.
Tuesday 3rd December 2024 19:00 - Karl Colyer entitled ‘Collecting swarms in difficult location’
Karl has been keeping bees since 2003. We've probably all seen or heard about Swarm Collectors and what they do. Some bees get to set up a new home and it can often be in people's homes and gardens. This talk will show some examples of bee extractions from walls, ceilings, floors, roofs, trees and sheds to give an idea of what can be found and how they can be relocated.
Tuesday 7th January 2025 19:00 - Viki Cuthbertson entitled 'Making and selling bee based products, including creams and lotions'
Tuesday 4th February 2025 19:00 - Elaine Hargreaves entitled '10 things you didn't know about a honey bee'
We all know what a honey bee looks like, and what it does, but how many of us know how it is able hear for example, or how it converts nectar to honey. How many eyes does a honey bee have (the answer is not two!). As one our members who has passed all the BBKA exam modules, everyone with either a credit or a distinction, Elaine is the right person to answer all these questions and ones I haven’t even thought about.
Tuesday 4th March 2025 19:00 - Mark McLoughan, the Regional Bee Inspector the North West of England
Mark is one of eight full time bee inspectors, and he covers from Cumbria in the North, across to West Yorkshire and down to Derbyshire. In the summer he has a team of seasonal bee inspectors to assist him cover this wide area. The National Bee Unit (NBU), of which the inspectorate is part, are funded by DEFRA, out of general taxation, and charged with ensuring that a healthy bee population in England & Wales. Mark’s talk will focus on the Importance of Biosecurity, and will cover the topics of what is and is not allowed to be imported into the UK, as well as the work they do to prevent invasive pests such as the Asian Hornet entering the country.