Local Beekeepers Associations !!

[peterbees]

26 reasons why you should belong to C*nwy BKA!

1. Seven evening lecture meetings, at Craig y Don Community Centre, Llandudno, on the last Tuesday of the month from September to April. Free refreshments.

2. Membership of the Welsh Beekeepers’ Association.

3. Free bee disease insurance for your first three hives. This covers American Foul Brood and European Foul Brood. Insurance for additional hives is available.

4. Assistance with access to oil seed rape and heather sites.

5. WBKA Welsh Beekeeper magazine four times a year.

6. Access to locally raised strains of honeybee.

7. Beeswax foundation, frames, honey jars and beehive floor mesh at members’ discount prices.

8. Owners’ liability insurance up to £5m. Your most essential benefit!

9. Product liability insurance up to £5m.

10. Regular newsletters and updates.

11. Training sessions with the bees at the Conwy BKA Apiary at Tal y Cafn, every four weeks, April to August, Saturday afternoons.

12. Mentoring for new beekeepers.

13. Varroa treatments at discount prices.

14. All the help you need to control varroa, and regular updates on varroa research.

15. Association Honey Show in October.

16. Conwy Honey Fair on 13th September and Conwy Seed Fair on 26th March, organized by Conwy BKA.

17. Two honey extracting kits for hire.

18. New for 2012…Heather honey press for hire.

19. New for 2012….Fifteen nucleus hives for hire.

20. Access to swarms of bees.

21. Evening course for new beekeepers at Henfaes, near Llanfairfechan.

22. Association website www.***************.org.uk

23. Honey selling opportunities at Conwy Feast every October.

24. 10% discount at Fragile Planet beekeeping supplies, Oswestry www**************.co.uk

25. Discount sugar and other shopping at Booker, Llandudno Junction.

26. Access to clean secondhand beekeeping equipment.

All this for just £16 per individual or £18.50 per family per year! However do we do it?

All we ask in return is that you pay your subscriptions promptly and support our activities.

 

[Tom Bick]

Could forum members please comment on just what benefits are to be derived from joining a local association or club and just what is to be expected from it in terms of support, help, advice and what form this advice should be reasonably expected to be delivered?

Ie at meetings
By phone
By email
By web site
Rumor
Grapevine
Or are we reasonably expected to find the information ourselves ??

There would appear to be a gap in my expectations and the reality , I would value other viewpoints


Thanks

For me its the home made cakes

 

[jackbee]

For me its the home made cakes

we occasionally get mead and cider at ours too

 

[susbees]

I was lucky to find an association member on the forum who hooked me up with a mentor.
Her help has been invaluable and I've learnt lots already.
She's one of the swarm liaison officers so I've been asked to accompany her on collections and even collected one myself last sat!

How many times do I hear "you need to learn to say no"...and yet I'd MUCH rather my mentees asked things than made expensive and avoidable mistakes (shhh, some may be listening...).

 

[alanf]

26 reasons why you should belong to C*nwy BKA!...

All this for just £16 per individual or £18.50 per family per year! However do we do it?

All we ask in return is that you pay your subscriptions promptly and support our activities.

Not that it applies to me or, I'm sure, your association. Some local BKAs have a reputation for not welcoming newcomers or there is some other reason such as work patterns or previous residence that make it convenient to join an association from a different area to the one you live in. I know some who straddle the boundary, but it's not far off. Is there any residence requirement for people joining your association? How far does that extend if, for instance, your argument was with the the BBKA and you preferred to support the WBKA? Just curious.

 

[susbees]

How far does that extend if, for instance, your argument was with the the BBKA and you preferred to support the WBKA? Just curious.

Hmm...we are resident in Wales but I am a member of an English BKA (because their set-up is generally better to put it briefly). I also choose to be an associate of a further BKA locally...mostly for their winter lecture programme which complements our own. The BKAs don't have demarcations around here...we have members in six adjacent counties and several former local members or other interested parties who live dotted around the UK and who like to keep in touch: that makes for 200 members.

Likewise you can choose to do say your BBKA Basic exam through a BKA you are not a member of.

 

[jackbee]

i'm in an adjacent local assoc to my area because the starter course was full up at my nearest and the one i'm with had spaces.

 

[Peter_s]

Interesting.

Hi all,
It would seem like some are very good ,some are very poor, and some just don't seem to care about us poor newbies .

I shall have to to a bit or research on the 3 or 4 near me , but keep one eye on the wider picture

Thanks All

 

[jackbee]

Hi all,
It would seem like some are very good ,some are very poor, and some just don't seem to care about us poor newbies .

I shall have to to a bit or research on the 3 or 4 near me , but keep one eye on the wider picture

Thanks All

most of the ones I've looked at let a newbie attend 1 or 2 meetings before they have to decide on membership - give some a go