Hello.

Just a little about the Association.

What We Can Offer You

Our Association has around forty members, most of whom keep one or more hives of bees. We have an active calendar of meetings during the main beekeeping season, mostly at one of the Association's own sites, but sometimes at member's personal apiaries. During the year, we have an evening meeting once a month featuring a talk or film show about bees, beekeeping or an allied subject, or with classes or discussions about beekeeping activities. Details of these events and other news are published in our quarterly newsletter.

We are a part of the spray liaison scheme in Hampshire, passing news about spraying from spray contractors to members whose bees are within range of the spraying. This gives members the opportunity to shut-in or move their bees to keep them safe from harm.

Membership of BDBKA also gives membership of the Hampshire Beekeepers' Association (HBA), and via HBA, area membership of the British Beekeepers' Association (BBKA).

HBA membership gives you quarterly issues of the HBA magazine "Hampshire Bee Talk", the HBA year book, and use of the HBA Library and Audio-Visual Library situated near Romsey.

HBA's area membership of the BBKA entitles you to quarterly issues of "BBKA News" covering topics of national concern to beekeepers, and gives details of beekeeping events around the country. The BBKA membership gives you third party insurance and allows you access to the BBKA audio-visual library. Our Secretary holds a copy of the BBKA year book that gives full details of the benefits and facilities available to beekeepers.

Bee Diseases Insurance" (BDI) covers against the compulsory destruction of the bees, hives and equipment due to discovery of a notifiable disease. BDI is available only to members of beekeeping associations.

Within Hampshire, we are entitled to elect one "Delegate" for each twenty of our members to represent us at meetings of the HBA. Any of our "Ordinary Members" may go to HBA Delegates' meetings, but only Delegates are entitled to vote. In the same way, HBA has Delegates to the BBKA and represents the County at national meetings.

Hampshire Beekeeping Conventions are arranged each year, with speakers on a wide range of beekeeping subjects and includes the County Honey Show. The BBKA arranges National Spring Convention at Stoneleigh in Warwickshire, home of the National Beekeeping Unit (NBU).

Now that "Varroa", a mite that attacks our bees, is established in this Country and indeed in our own area, we need even more to work together for the benefit of our bees. Bees are now very much at risk from this mite and it is safe to say that without our help they will die! We, like all other groups in the Country, must now help and protect our bees, not only for the honey we can get, but also for the good of the many wild and farmed plants that rely on bees for pollination.

Above all, membership gives you help, information and the fellowship of other beekeepers both in your area and throughout the County and Country.

Sadly, despite the valiant effort of so many people, our County has recently lost one of the few full-time beekeeping schools in the Country at Sparsholt College near Winchester. Fortunately John Cossburn, the beekeeping lecturer from the the college, has decided to continue his lecturing in a private capacity. He is able to do this as he has long been a professional beekeeper and is able to sustain himself to some extent by this means, enabling him to continue teaching in the evenings. We, HBA and other local Associations support John who also attends and participates in HBA meetings and is a senior member of the Bee Farmers Association, our professional body. John is very valuable to all beekeepers in the County and should be treasured and supported by us. He runs several theoretical and practical courses in various aspects of beekeeping from queen rearing to candle making, running some of the theoretical courses and also offers a bee diseases diagnosis service testing a sample of 30 bees per colony for signs of some bee diseases.

Our Association offers a bulk-buy scheme that allows you to purchase beekeeping goods at advantageous prices. Although only a recently started, it already shows many signs of success and is being gradually extended to allow us to keep some stock of frequently needed materials.

What You Can Offer Us

When you become an "Ordinary Member", some of what you pay goes to us. But, some goes the Hampshire Beekeepers' Association (HBA) and some to the British Beekeepers' Association (BBKA).

The members of any Association are its "life-blood", both because of the income that an Association obtains from its members, and because there are benefits when people with common interests join together. As with most things in life, you "get out what you put in". All three Associations are there to help you, but they need you if they are to work well. Bee meetings, winter talks, conventions, outings etc. are all there for the members. Most are at no extra cost, and even when a charge is made are great value for money, but they all need you if they are to continue to be viable.

The savings made on the bulk-buy scheme are shared between the members and the Association. This means that not only do you save money buying your equipment and materials, but the the Association also gets finance, rather that the profits going to some third party (this helps to keep membership fees down and will help us to finance future projects and activities).

We need you to monitor and control the prescence of Varroa. You can help us by checking your bees to help keep the numbers and spread of the mite, and you could also help us to keep records of how Varroa behaves and spreads in this country.

There are many activities with which you could help us to prosper. We sell hive produce on our "Fete stand", and some of this produce must be "made", for example, candles and confectionary. We also have several Association colonies of bees to manage, apiaries to keep neat & tidy, and the work is all voluntary.

Ordinary Membership costs £17.00 and includes HBA and BBKA capitation. £1.50 extra will give membership to all members of the family living at the same address. An Associate class of membership is available to members of other Associations and there is a concessionary rate for senior citizens. BDI costs 37p per colony.

Varroa

Varroa Jacobsonii is the biggest threat to our bees since the Isle-Of-Wight disease problems of many years age.

Varroa is manageable! But from now on you must check your bees for Varroa and take action when you find it or they will die.

Whether or not you are a member of our Association, we are offering in both your interests and ours, to help guide you through the checks and actions you can take when you find Varroa in your colonies.

Please Call Us

Membership Secretary & Treasurer Tony Burton, 16 Wedmore Way, Basingstoke. Tel. 01256-352409