Information on various areas of Beekeeping are provided below. Please click a link to scroll to that section of information.
In January 2008 the Association ran a course for people who were interested in keeping bees.
The course consisted of 8 lessons/lectures on the theory of bee keeping and were followed up with 3 or 4 practical sessions in our training apiary in Caerphilly.
Beginners were then assigned to a local bee keeper to guide them through their first season of bee keeping.
A similar course has been planned for 2010 at a venue to be arranged.
For more information contact:
John King or Dinah Sweet. (contacts page)
The Association has a training apiary in Caerphilly for outdoor ‘hands on’ training. However to attend the training apiary, you would be required to join the Association, which would cover you for insurance purposes.
Membership of the Association runs from January to December.
This allows you to come to lectures, apiary visits and access to the library. It also allows you to exchange ideas with experienced bee keepers.
Included in your membership costs is 3rd party insurance for 2 colonies. Additional insurance for extra hives can be obtained.
If you are interested in joining the association, please download our membership form
For any other questions on fees or insurance cover please contact Cherry Clarke or Dinah Sweet (contacts page)
Between September and April, we meet indoor at Llandaf Parish Hall on the 2nd Tuesday of every month. A map to this location is provided below.
Please see our events page
These meetings are arranged at various members’ apiaries during May, June, July & August.
The main function of these meetings is to show how different beekeepers work their bees and provides a forum for members to exchange ideas.
It also gives the opportunity to experience the seasonal activities in the hive and show how it can vary at different locations in the area.
Light refreshments are usually provided after the meeting and this gives an opportunity for further discussion and an exchange of views and ideas.
Dates are usually published in the members’ association newsletter, or can be found on our events page
(In the case of bad weather please telephone one of the officers before hand)
The Association has a good library of Beekeeping books for loan to members.
These are suitable for both beginners and experienced beekeepers.
Plans are also available for the DIY enthusiast who might want to make their own equipment such as hives, solar wax extractors, varroa floors etc.
There are several ways of acquiring honeybees.
1. Complete colonies –Some members might be cutting down on their colonies and one method of disposing of their surplus equipment is to sell it to other members who might want to expand. The bees will usually have been inspected by the Seasonal Bee Inspector.
2. Nucleus Colony – a small colony on 4-5 frames, which would grow with the new beekeeper’s knowledge in the first year.
3. Swarm – usually free! - obtained from an experienced beekeeper from April – July who is on the local authority list for collecting swarms. These are passed on to anyone who might want a colony. Be warned, we do not know their temperament, or if they contain disease.
The Association usually has a member offering to sell second hand equipment at a reasonable price. There are also local agents who advertise in the association newsletter who sell new equipment.
Protective clothing, such as veils and gloves is also available for beginners to borrow on their initial apiary visits.
Advice on the type of hive and clothing to purchase is part of the Beginners’ course.
This is an expensive piece of equipment for the beginner to purchase and the Association has one available for members to hire.
It is needed to extract the honey from the frames at the end of the season
Although we are based in Cardiff our members come from Newport, Caerphilly, Pontypridd, Llantrisant, Penarth and Barry. Our meetings consist of lectures on the latest developments in bee keeping, how to control disease and swarms.
We have also introduced our own honey show for members to display their wares and be guided on how they can improve their produce under the watchful eye of experienced honey judges.
The Christmas social and mead tasting always proves to be popular. We have also had talks on candle making, cosmetics and cooking with honey.
A more recent development is preparing members for the basic certificate in beekeeping which is administered by the Welsh Bee Keepers. This shows people you are competent to keep bees.