News & Events
SWHBK Members' Meetings & Events
02/09/26 Matt Sommerville - 'Log hives'
07/10/26 Dan Basterfield - 'Moving bees and small scale migration'
11/11/26 Paula Carnell - 'Beekeeping in the Cocos islands: why it matters to the UK and how it ties in with
spiritual beekeeping'
02/12/26 Christmas social for members, family and friends - location tbc
Venue - all meetings take place at Boldre War Memorial Hall, Boldre, Lymington, SO41 5QG unless otherwise stated.
For all BBKA talks available on YouTube click here.
Summer 2026
Busy few months
June's meeting proved as technology let us down so no speaker on Zoom. Instead we held a very useful 'Beekeepers Question Time'.
We had great exam success in July with 4 members passing the BBKA Basic Assessment, 2 achieved distinctions. A further 7 members passed the BBKA Honey Bee Health assessment. This was the first year the club had run this. Congratulations everyone.
The apiary has been busy - looking after the club's bees, providing hives for all the assessments, bees for the observation hives and honey for the outreach events and nucs for members. Thank you Philip and all members helping out at the apiary.
Our summer social proved to be very popular with many members joining the committee on a lovely summer's evening so we could sit outside. Lots of delicious food was brought, so much many of us took goodies back home with us. Thank you everyone who made it.
May 2026
Dylan Gussman talk
We had a fantastic turnout for Dylan Gussman's talk on 'Drone congregation areas'. His talk was fascinating and even included a video of a queen mating - amazing.
His enthusiasm came over and engaged us all. Who knew you needed a fishing rod to help find drone congregation areas and they could cover such a large area?
Some of the committee were talking about a field trip to find drone congregation areas in the New Forest. Perhaps next year...
April 2026
Club practical session
The committee ran a great indoor practical session on 6 April.
Members visited four different 'workstations':
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Frame and brood box making - led by Simon and Claire G
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Hive splitting (a swarm control method) - what to do if you can find the queen and if you can't - Chris and Wendy
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Shook swarm (strong colony) and Bailey comb change (for a weak colony) - John
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Feeders, equipment and gadgets - Philip
John said Simon and Claire G excelled in creating noise in the hall so much so John almost lost his voice.
