Our Apiary Manager, Ken, will resume Wednesday evening meetings at the Branch Apiary on 17 April.

Meetings will be every week on Wednesdays from 5 pm until the jobs are finished. They'll be a great opportunity for beginners to get hands-on experience in managing colonies and follow their progress through the spring and summer. Anyone can come along (experienced beekeepers are welcome too!) although if you need to borrow a suit it's best to check with Ken beforehand. You'll be able to get to grips with swarm control, the weekly checks for things like healthy brood and adequate stores, and how to deal with problems, and you'll be able to see how your bees get on compared with the branch's.

We look forwards to seeing you there.

Members are welcome to advertise beekeeping items for sale and wanted here. Please send the details along with the contact telephone numbers and e‑mail address you want to be used to the Editor. Entries will usually expire after one month but may be renewed on request.

The Asian hornet Vespa velutina, an invasive species, was found in England for the first time in 2016 with confirmed sightings every year since; nests were found in Portsmouth and Ascot in 2021 and in Essex in 2022, and numerous nests were found in Kent, Dorset, Devon and East Sussex in 2023.

What does it look like? What should you do if you spot one? Find out here.

The Asian Hornet Watch smartphone app (announced in this article on GOV.UK) was launched to help everyone identify the Asian hornet and report sightings. It is available free of charge from the Apple and Android app stores.

Links to Asian-hornet-related articles around the Web (more will be added from time to time)

a blog which is a good summary: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/a-bit-of-a-hornets-nest/

BBC: The bees learning to fight off invasive hornets

The branch has a small collection of books about bees, beekeeping and related matters which have always been available to members to borrow. To borrow a book, read the article here.