A Special Offer for W&DBKA New Members. Have you been captivated by the world of bees, buzzing with curiosity about starting your own apiary? Are you a new member, within your first two years at the club and still gathering knowledge about this fascinating hobby? Well, W&DBKA offers the perfect opportunity for you to confidently take flight! Our “Nurturing New Beekeepers” initiative is designed to guide you on your beekeeping journey with a head start and expert advice to hand. Here’s the honeyed deal: Purchase a nucleus (Nuc) of healthy honeybees directly from the Association at a co ..read more

Where: Wokingham Bowling Club (the bar will be open) Dress code: Festive hats or jumpers When: Wednesday 13 December 2023 From 19.30∼ 21.30 Partners welcome Entrance fee is a plate of nibbles and/or a wrapped raffle prize. And for your entertainment we will have a “what do I do with my wax” themed evening with steam and solar extractors on display, a crock pot, a range of moulds, practical solutions for cleaning and working with wax to minimise waste and protect your kitchen and drains. See how wax wraps can be made ( Christmas presents?) and Mark can answer questions on how to make ..read more

Commences on Thursday 11th January Duration 8 weeks Start time 20:00 Cost – no charge Please show your interest by completing the simple form below. The Association is pleased to announce that an ‘Introduction to Beekeeping’ course will be available to members early in the new year.  Kevin Cowley (Vice Chair) has created the syllabus which he will present. The Introduction to Beekeeping course will provide what you need to know to get started. Experience and colonies are not relavent .. its aimed at people who do not have bees, have no experience, and are either taking ..read more

Vespa velutina, also known as the Asian hornet is an invasive non-native species from Asia. It arrived in France in 2004 where it spread rapidly. As a highly effective predator of insects, including honey bees and other beneficial species, it can cause significant losses to bee colonies, and potentially other native species. Click on the link below for the identity of this invasive species. Asian Hornet Identity Poster ..read more

Please be advised that the Association has a quantity of fermented honey  (ideal for mead making) which is available for sale at a cost of £4 per 1lb jar. If you are interested please contact Mary on 07933076674 or email mary_gillan@yahoo.co.uk Please note the sale is on a collection only basis (location is RG41 2TD – full details to be provided to buyers).    ..read more

Turns out that wax moth larvae salvia can “dissolve” plastic. Any beekeeper who has a polyhive could have told the scientists that! Here is an extract from a BBC article: One of the worst forms of plastic pollution may have met its match in the saliva of a humble worm. Spanish researchers say they’ve discovered chemicals in the wax worm’s drool that break down polyethylene, a tough and durable material. The researchers say that one hour’s exposure to the saliva degrades the plastic as much as years of weathering. They hope the breakthrough will lead to new natural approaches to deal with pl ..read more

BUMPER HONEY HARVEST: 300lbs PLUS Many thanks to those members that answered the call for volunteer extractors – we couldn’t have done it without you.    We should also thank the bees who have worked hard this year to produce a bumper crop which we estimate will be over 300lbs (136kilos). As expected, the bees were so keen to get involved that they queued outside the Portakabin door.  Fortunately the bees that did sneak inside concentrated their efforts on trying to get back out via the closed windows. We think the air conditioning unit Tony provided may have encouraged the bees ..read more

Many thanks to everyone that turned up for our annual apiary clean-up day on Saturday, 8th January.  With the weather described as “fit for ducks” by our Apiary Manager, Tony, it was good to see so many people and, as the saying goes, ‘many hands make light work’.  Workmates were set up next to the farm building to offer some protection from the weather where hive components were scraped to remove any wax and propolis.  Our Vice Chair, Kevin, sought shelter at the side of the building to use his blow torch to scorch the equipment to ensure any unwanted bugs and bacteria were ..read more

At our February social meeting we had a very informative skep talk from Evan on feeding our bees followed by skep-making in action!  Tony presented a short history of skeps and their uses before demonstrating how a skep is constructed.  Then is was over to attendees to have a go which proved very entertaining.  Many thanks to Evan and Tony ..read more

The Association attended the Wokingham Winter Carnival on 27th November 2022.  There was considerable interest in the produce and products available and also membership.  A good day was had by all involved ..read more