Engaging with new BKA members

[peterbees]

How does your BKA engage with members?
We have over 160 members, double what we had seven years ago, but attendance at our evening meetings has hardly increased. We're lucky to see ¼ of our members there. New beekeepers attend our courses, get some bees, join the BKA, and in many cases we don't see them again, until it's time to renew their subs. Most do renew.
We send out email newsletters every week. We have a very good website, and we have a good programme of talks and apiary sessions. We don't have formal mentoring, but we do offer assistance from neighbouring beekeepers, and we encourage members to work together in small clusters.
Where are we going wrong? Does it matter?
We'd welcome any suggestions.

 

[Heather]

Try a social evening in the summer- barbecue etc, where bees discussed but not main agenda, just to meet and chat.

 

[Pete D]

Hi Peter,
one of the things we introduced a dcouple of years ago was bulk buying and reselling to members at good discounts.
Typical of this was Ambrosia feed at £14 a drum and fondant at £17 a box. We also do varroa treatments, foundation and jars. We dont really carry stock but through the news letters get pre orders which are then collected at association events. We now need a bigger car park............. at our varroa treatments demo day in August we had about 60 people came for a couple of hours, got their treatments and feed after watching the demo and went home happy saying that this alone made membership worthwhile.
We will still struggle for numbers though for our Christmas meal so it doesnt always work. We also offer events on skep making, honey extraction and soft set, soaps and creams, queen rearing, microscopsy, etc
I think maybe younger people are less sociable face to face now days due to other social outlets so its a struggle. Also with so much information available from so many places people can sit at home and learn beekeeping........untill they pop the crown board............then its either panic or leave them be !
We are trying to recruit new younger beekeepers on to our committee to hopefully tap in to what they want.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hi Peter,
one of the things we introduced a dcouple of years ago was bulk buying and reselling to members at good discounts.

Do you know,Pete, that is so important. Something my BKA is severely lacking in.
When I have been a member for a year and have attended a few winter meeting I might try to organise this in the face of all the shrugs I've received so far.......

I got a good deal on some invert syrup but the deal had to be done in a pub car park with some bearded fisherman from Carmarthenshire

 

[pargyle]

It's a tough one .... any club or association committee member will tell you that getting everyone (or even the majority) to participate is a tough nut to crack. Our association has over 100 members but attendance at the monthly meetings is probably only 25/30% and depending on the speaker/weather/time of year/what's on the TV etc. etc. it can be a lot less.

One of the main reasons people join BKA's (IMO) is to get the bee insurance and have little or no intention of 'joining in' unless there is something really exciting or something 'in it for them'.

I think Pete's idea of bulk buying is a really good one ... but the reality is that someone will have to organise it and the 'hard' work is likely to fall, again, on one of the members who already participate.

I don't think it's usually about people feeling 'included' ... our association is very friendly and welcoming - I think it's more a sign of the times - where social responsibility (ie: If you join ~ you participate fully) generally has reduced.

It's certainly a problem for committees everywhere ...

 

[alldigging]

We have over 160 members
We'd welcome any suggestions.

Have you surveyed your members to ask whether they're happy with what there is, or if there's anything else they'd like that the BKA could/would be happy to run?


Are there other groups that meet on the same regular date?
Are they happy with the venue/meeting day/time?

 

[alanf]

one of the things we introduced a couple of years ago was bulk buying and reselling to members at good discounts...
We also offer events on skep making, honey extraction and soft set, soaps and creams, queen rearing, microscopy, etc...

Good suggestions. The bulky stuff like syrup and fondant needs some storage and handling but the smaller items like varroa treatments are appreciated in per hive quantities along with "how to" demonstrations. Wax workshops have been popular - making candles, polish etc. What's your education set up like? Now is a good time to think of taking study groups through to basic certificate next season.

 

[victor meldrew]

I have demonstrated hive manipulation to newbies and your technique does improve with practice!
I started by ensuring everything I did was textbook !
On future demos I was more relaxed and shifted my attention bias towards the newbies !
I noticed the different personalities needed different handling .
You get a few whom you have to physically move out of the way to get to the bees
The highly nervous hanging well back .
The ones who also hang well back but are thinking deeply about what they are witnessing!
The trick is to bring the nervous forward bearing in mind just how far from their comfort zone you are , as this early treatment can either make or break them as Beekeepers .
You have to contain the medallion man ( he usually tolerates this .being irrepressible )
Don't allow the one person(s) to corner you at the expense of the remainder!
It is difficult to please every one believe me . There will always be someone feeling neglected ,usually they complain in low tones to anyone who will listen.
BEWARE THE DELIBERATELY OBTUSE ! And the ones who loudly contradict everything you do or say ( I usually hand over the hive tool and stand back )
VM
Hitting the right formulae is an art .
VM


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

fondant at £17 a box.

bit steep pete - just got a quote from BAKO for our association bulk buy - £11.00 a box.
Same as your association Pete we bulk buy invert syrup, Apiguard and jars if required but it's the same hard core that turn up for meetings - social or not.

I got a good deal on some invert syrup but the deal had to be done in a pub car park with some bearded fisherman from Carmarthenshire

It's amazing how much social interaction goes on in pub carparks!

 

[peterbees]

Please do keep the suggestions coming in! I'm already feeling more upbeat about this! We sell consumables to members quite successfully: frames/foundation/jars/varroa treatments/Apifondia etc.
Our best attended apiary meeting is the New Year oxalic acid session. We could make this into a social occasion with hot drinks and mince pies.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Bee jumble sales are more of an excuse for a social evening as well - and a chance to get rid of any of that kit you bought on impulse and need to get rid (not that I ever have enough for my own stall, i just go for the craic)

 

[Pete D]

bit steep pete - just got a quote from BAKO for our association bulk buy - £11.00 a box.

Maybe but a lot cheaper than the £25 a box elsewhere.
We use the Ambrosia which is 5 x 2.5kg handy packs, some people even share a box.
No sticky fingers and convienient for the newbies and 1 or 2 hive owners
It cost us £15.80 and the £1 or so mark up covers feeding our association bees and allows the 'warehouse man' who takes delivery and organises distribution a free box.

We held a beekeeping car boot sale last year to coincide with our new beekeepers finishing their training and looking for equipment. It was well attended and was the first thing on this years events. Several stalls selling equipment they no longer need or have duplicates of, an association stall for people to just sell odd items, nucs for sale or to order and tea and coffee and cake. Good couple of hours on a Sunday morning.

 

[itma]

Mentor groups for the beginners in the same locality.

Emphasis on *groups*.
Not simply giving them the phone number of a distant senior who has never seen their apiary, hive or bees.

 

[dilys]

Peterbees. I understand the Derbyshire BKA started making monthly videos to show beginners at each meeting what they should be doing in the month ahead. Their meetings shot up from about 20 people to 100. They then had to use 2 rooms and have a meeting for beginners with the video and questions and answer sessions plus another for the more experienced.

 

[BILL.HEARD]

bit steep pete - just got a quote from BAKO for our association bulk buy - £11.00 a box.
Same as your association Pete we bulk buy invert syrup, Apiguard and jars if required but it's the same hard core that turn up for meetings - social or not.



It's amazing how much social interaction goes on in pub carparks!

Maybe I won't rise to this one!

However I have found that buying wax foundation for the local branch can save upwards of at least 10p per sheet if not more. Distribution is the pain however.

 

[Pete D]

However I have found that buying wax foundation for the local branch can save upwards of at least 10p per sheet if not more. Distribution is the pain however.

Yes, at least, bulk buying from Maiseys gets you 25% discount for starters.

Distribution at events only, given out at the end, you want it you turn up.

 

[sarlyka]

I've been along to one meeting organised by my local BKA and that was an apiary visit. All the other events have been talks and, to be honest, I have better things to do with my evenings than go and listen to someone talk about their bees. I can read books or read this forum for that stuff. I would prefer practical stuff. This could be based around the beekeeping - making a roof or a crownboard for example. Alternatively, it could be candle or soap making. Either way, I'd rather be doing something useful with my time.

 

[user 6228]

Ideas based on my biased point of view:

Invite more controversial speakers (people like targets to shoot at)

More hands on sessions/demonstrations to teach craft eg:
A/S
Microscopy slide preparation

Hard Science based speakers there's so much science on bees but our BKA doesnt show much of it.

 

[pargyle]

I've been along to one meeting organised by my local BKA and that was an apiary visit. All the other events have been talks and, to be honest, I have better things to do with my evenings than go and listen to someone talk about their bees. I can read books or read this forum for that stuff. I would prefer practical stuff. This could be based around the beekeeping - making a roof or a crownboard for example. Alternatively, it could be candle or soap making. Either way, I'd rather be doing something useful with my time.

Well ... I think you would probably miss out on an awful lot ... visiting speakers often bring lots of ideas to the table and there is always discussion over a pot of tea and biscuits afterwards, help is always on hand and relationships are made with like (and often not like) minded people. There are things that you don't really get from reading ... and many of the speakers are only indirectly bee related ... this year we've had cooking with honey, candle making, microscophy and a full day on bee health/disease as well as a very interesting talk from someone who had spent several months on a bee farm in China ! There are apiary visits during the season rather than evening meetings .... it's not just useful - it's invaluable.

 

[pargyle]

Ideas based on my biased point of view:

Invite more controversial speakers (people like targets to shoot at)

More hands on sessions/demonstrations to teach craft eg:
A/S
Microscopy slide preparation

Hard Science based speakers there's so much science on bees but our BKA doesnt show much of it.

Yep ... I'd thoroughly recommend an evening with this mad scientist bloke who builds hives out of Kingspan and measures temperatures in real time ... he even brings along a real beekeeper !! Very well received - even by the Sceptics !!