Welcome

We are an active beekeepers association covering Bishop’s Stortford and outlying villages. On this website you will find information on beekeeping and honeybees.

If you think you have a swarm, please check out the article on swarms here and if you recognise what you see then please contact one of our swarm collectors, who will hopefully be able to help you.

Events

Swarms

If you have a swarm on your property, contact one of our local Swarm Collectors who will come and retrieve it for you. If you are not sure if you have a swarm, please see our articles About Swarms and Know Your Bees. If possible it is best to leave bumble bees where they are. Honey bees should be collected by a swarm collector.

If you are outside the locality then please see the British BeeKeeping Association (BBKA) website to find a swarm collector local to you.

https://www.bbka.org.uk/swarm

Swarm Collectors

Allison EvansCoordinator, Takeley01279 87113907901 644785
Andy FrenchWareside01920 46572907920 567129
Jim JonesEastwick07484 744809
Dylan CurryBishop’s Stortford07703 760386
Jean JohnsonTakeley01279 87140407545 211546
Simon RiceBuntingford07879 642550
Bryan MasonBuntingford01763 273493
Tim ActonPuckeridge07757934040
Richard PyleWhite Roding01279 876186
07973 797414
Philip SmartBirchanger07436 793912
Simon PageFarnham07810 647572
Robert CroftLittle Hallingbury07794 833097
Dennis OsborneWare07791 689508
Graham SmithBishop's Stortford07711 916630
Darren WilliamsBishop's Stortford07914 758948
Robert TrundleMargaret Roding07580 524718
Karen DavisPerry Green07710 587777
Robin LeesMolehill Green07778 165207
Toby WalnePatmore Heath07740 925946

Or e-mail swarms@stortfordbees.org.uk

Each of the members listed is covered by Third Party Public Liability Insurance and has several years experience, they may bring a new beekeeper with them who needs to learn good swarm collection techniques. Swarm collection can take a bit of time and they may need to make several visits to ensure that all the bees are collected, Honey bees are wild insects and they may take longer to collect than you had hoped.

 If the swarm is inside a building structure you will be consulted on what can or can’t be done.

Getting Started & Training

We are pleased to offer a beginners course which provides information on how to get started and an insight into the world of the Honeybee. We cover everything from how to build your hive to the importance of gardening for bees and the vital role that pollen and nectar play in their building colony strength. While also covering the importance of disease recognition to handling bees – whether in a National or Top Bar Hive. You will gain from visits to our Training Apiary while also benefiting from visiting members’ garden apiaries and enjoying a support network of beekeepers within your local area.

The beginners course normally runs in the spring and comprises 4 weekly classes at The Crafton Centre, Stansted Mountfitchet plus weekend visits to the Association Apiary in Bishop’s Stortford throughout the summer.

Contact training@stortfordbees.org.uk for more details or you can register for the course here.

For membership, please register here, or email Mail: membership@stortfordbees.org.uk.

Other training resources

Those members who have been keeping bees for at least a year are eligible to take the BBKA Bee Basic assessment. The syllabus for this can be found on the BBKA website here: https://www.bbka.org.uk/learn

We are also a member of Hertfordshire BKA and can participate in their training courses. Please see their website for further details.

Registered members can access study units provided by BBKA by using their membership number as a login and creating an account at: https://learning.bbka.org.uk/.