Bradninch Beekeepers

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About the Project:

Jan 2010

Working in partnership with other organisations in the area, a group of local residents has set up acommunity apiary. As well as lots of delicious honey, keeping bees has encouraged community spirit, and brought together those who are interested in the well-being of the countryside.

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Latest News

May 2012 (scroll down for earlier news items)

Activity in the Bee Yard increased hugely with the warm spring weather in March. The bees became much more active and so did the Bradninch bee keepers.  We are determined to keep pace with the weather this year to try to prevent swarming and help the bees produce as much honey as possible.  We currently have two hives with two hives empty and waiting for any swarming bees that come our way.  One of the colonies is looking very strong and already is storing surplus honey.  The other colony looks a lot weaker and we have been feeding that one to help it develop especially during the cold and wet April weeks we have just experienced.

The weekly inspections have started up again and are usually carried out on a Saturday or a Sunday (weather dependent).  We have also had a morning session up at the apiary making frames for the hives and sorting out equipment.  We have bought some new bee suits so even more people can take part in caring for the bees.

We have been awarded a £50 grant from Bradninch Town Council which we will use to buy or replace much needed equipment.  We have also just heard that we have been successful in a bid to the Big Lottery who have funded us to encourage even more people from Bradninch to become involved in this activity.  We are going to organise some training including a session for beginners who would like to find out more, we will buy some smaller suits so children have the opportunity to find out more and we will be holding an event especially for the younger age group.  Look out for publicity about these events over the coming summer if you are interested in becoming involved in this group.

If you would like to find out more now please ring Gill Sole on 8812444.

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December 2010

December newsletter

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November 2010

The Bradninch Bee group are making yet more hives – this time top-bar hives as a local expert has volunteered to help! We are keen that all group members are confident in both the theory and practical sides of bee-keeping, so HogCO have asked bee expert Michael Street to assist with a further day of training for group members and interested locals.  As it’s important that not too many people are with the bees at any one time, Michael, who is local to Bradninch, can hopefully also come and work with small groups at the hives themselves.

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October 2010

We have had a very successful summer (2010), collecting 25 lbs of honey by the end of June.  We have also been awarded a grant of £200 from our local council and have managed to scrounge lots of second-hand equipment to get us started.

Having had some initial training organised by HogCO and now having some experience, we find we have lots of new questions and are now looking to get some more in depth training.

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April 2010

In February HogCO organised a Bee Party - a public information session on bee keeping and health and safety issues raised by the community. 30 people joined up on the day!

During March and April HogCO funded practical courses and bought equipment for the group.

We are now meeting every 3 months, and deciding what jobs need doing in that time.  To help coordination and communication, one group member volunteers to both make sure all the jobs get done and keeps everyone up to date.  Then a new person will take on this role following the next meeting.