2nd Worcestershire Beekeeping Conference

Saturday 11 June 2022 at 9:00 am

Pershore College

Worcestershire Beekeepers' Association are delighted to offer a full day of lectures and workshops for the 2nd Worcestershire Beekeeping Convention.

The 2nd Convention is a one day event at Pershore College where the very successful 1st Worcestershire Convention was held. The site has a large lecture hall where the three main lectures will take place as well as smaller rooms for workshops and an on-site apiary and ample parking. The day includes three lectures from well known and experienced speakers.

During the afternoon there will be the opportunity to attend two workshops from a choice including hands-on beekeeping topics, assessing bees for Varroa tolerance, and making the most of your wax & honey. There is something for everyone whether you are an experienced beekeeper or a novice. The price includes all consumables used in the workshops, tea/coffee and a buffet lunch.

Lectures

Ken Basterfield   Vertical splits for swarm control.  Swarm control with minimal equipment and space.

Dan Basterfield   Queenright & Broodright?    Colony cohesion and how to solve Queen loss problems.

Derek Mitchell   Ventilation - the natural, the bees and Us. Hive ventilation & how hive design & beekeepers affect it.

Workshop choices include:

Isobel Grindrod  - Assessing brood for natural Varroa resistance. A follow-on from the talk by Prof. Stephen Martin at the WBKA AGM.

Ken Basterfield -  Reading Bees               

                               - Producing soft set honey

Dan Basterfield - Requeening a colony           

                               - Handling the double brood box colony

Liz Gardner (Seasonal Bee Inspector) - Shook Swarms for comb changing, Varroa control & EFB control

Martyn Cracknell - Making & using foundation-less frames

Rebecca Day - Transforming hive products into cosmetics - making hand cream & lip balm

Lyndon Corbett - Handling & Marking Queens

Cheryl Cracknell - Making beeswax wraps

 Richard Toft - Mead Making

Tim Vivian - Processing wax for profit - how to save money / make money from your waste wax

Booking for workshops will take place on the day.  If you wish to attend an apiary workshop then a freshly washed beesuit plus clean footwear & clean non-leather gloves will be required.

Costs

Costs include a full day of lectures & workshops, tea/coffee and a light buffet lunch

Members of Worcestershire Beekeeping Association and their partners     £30 each

Non-members     £40 each

Time is now very short, we need final numbers for the caterers before 09:00am Tuesday 7 June so:
Send an e-mail to                      martyn.c@gmx.com
including Your name and Branch
Any dietary needs
Any mobility or other needs
 
Alternatively you may leave a message on phone  01386 462385

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An Intro to some of our speakers and workshop leaders

Ken Basterfield NDB runs a successful bee farm in Devon. He has been involved in training beekeepers up to NDB level for many years. Ken has been an active member of several prominent beekeeping organisations including the BBKA and held positions on the Exam Board and as a Trustee. Ken is keen to test out ideas and has used his engineering background to refine many techniques and tools to make life simpler for the beekeeper.

Dan Basterfield NDB grew up with beekeeping and was key in the expansion of the family business into the present day Blackbury Honey Farm. The farm has become a centre for beekeeping training as well producing honey. Dan has taught practical beekeeping up to NDB level, lectured at many events and developed teaching materials for the BBKA and NDB as well as recently co-authoring the BBKA Healthy Hive Guide.

Isobel Grindrod is completing her PhD at the University of Salford under the supervision of Prof. Stephen Martin. Her work has focused on the mechanisms used by Varroa-tolerant honey bees to detect and remove Varroa mites. Prof Martin spoke at our AGM in April about Varroa-tolerant bees and Izzy's workshop will show you how to identify this behaviour which has been found in some Worcestershire colonies. Izzy has already published her groundbreaking work in scientific papers and written for BBKA News.

Derek Mitchell is currently studying for a PhD at the University of Leeds. He became interested in honey bees when his wife took up beekeeping in 2010. Derek wanted to use his physics and mechanical engineering background to create better hives for bees and is studying the differences in the environment between natural nest cavities and hives. Derek has written articles for beekeeping magazines including BeeCraft as well as publishing scientific papers and his groundbreaking work has been included in Tom Seeley's latest book “The Lives of Bees: the Untold Story of the Honey Bee in the Wild”.

THE VENUE IS Pershore College

From the centre of Pershore take the B4084 Bridge Street signposted Evesham and in 1.4 miles follow the B4084 sharply left and uphill.

The entrance driveway to Pershore College is on your right in a 100 yards.

You will be directed to the appropriate car park on this large (60 hectare) site

Pershore College
Avonbank
Pershore
Worcestershire
WR10 3JP