Scottish Beekeepers Association

November Webinar Honey Sensory Analysis
2024-11-13 19:30 - 21:00 (Europe/London) | Online
Honey Sensory Analysis with Dr Gian-Luigi Marcazzan
We’re delighted to welcome our online guest, Dr Gian-Luigi Marcazzan at 7.30pm on Wednesday the 13th November. He shall take us on a sensory journey of honey and will be discussing ‘Honey Sensory Analysis and The Italian National Register of Experts in the Sensory Analysis of Honey’.
If you would like to join us please book your free place by clicking on the link below
BOOK FREE PLACE
Gian Luigi Marcazzan is the president of the Italian National Register of Experts in the Sensory Analysis of Honey and also a scientist at the Bee Research Group at CREA the Italian government’s agricultural laboratory, for more info please visit
https://www.crea.gov.it/en/web/agricoltura-e-ambiente/-/national-register-of-experts-in-the-sensory-analysis-of-honey

Honey Workshop
2024-08-31 10:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London) | Spey Bay Community Hall, Moray, Spey Bay, Moray, IV32 7PJ, United Kingdom
SBA HONEY WORKSHOP
Saturday 31st August
Its Production, Harvesting, Extraction & Filtering, Blending/Seeding and Preparation for Market
Join us in the North East for a one-day SBA Workshop to be held on Saturday 31st of August 2024 at Spey Bay Community Hall, Spey Bay, Moray, IV32 7PJ. The workshop will run from 10 am to 4 pm.
Delegates will get hands-on experience of extracting, filtering, and processing honey. The course will also include presentations on optimising colonies for production of honey, extraction methods, as well as advice on preparing honey for the market.
Cost
SBA Members: £50 Non-members: £60
The last date for applications is 24th of August 2024. Places are limited, so ensure you book early.
Application Form

Scottish Government Bee Health Day
2024-07-06 09:30 - 16:30 (Europe/London) | SRUC Aberdeen Campus, Ferguson Building, Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB21 9YA, United Kingdom
THE BEE HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PARTNERSHIP
(BHIP)
invite you to a
BEE HEALTH AWARENESS DAY
on Saturday 6th July 2024
from 9.30am – 4.30pm
at SRUC Aberdeen Campus, Ferguson Building, Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB21 9YA
The day will consist of lectures and practical sessions covering: American Foulbrood (AFB), European Foulbrood (EFB) as well as other bee diseases, an update on Asian hornet and notifiable pests, apiary hygiene, a Bailey comb exchange, a shook swarm demonstration and Varroa.
The main aim of the day is to raise awareness amongst beekeepers about the importance of honey bee health and to demonstrate techniques and best practice.
The cost is £25 per attendee which includes refreshments, lunch and all course materials (Please notify us of any special dietary requirements).
Given limited spaces, we would ask if you have already attended a Bee Health Day, you allow someone else the opportunity.
Early booking is recommended to avoid disappointment.
To book your place or for more information, please email Bees_Mailbox@gov.scot

ApiScotia Practical Beekeeping Weekend
2024-05-24 16:00 - 2024-05-26 17:00 UTC | Dumfries House, Near Cumnock, Ayrshire, KA18 2LN, United Kingdom
An enjoyable weekend of beekeeping for members who hold the Basic Beekeeping Certiﬁcate, who have been keeping bees for a few years, and who are ready and willing to support novice beekeepers to keep bees well.
With very limited places, tickets will be allocated on a ﬁrst come ﬁrst served basis. Tickets sales open at 9am on Monday 4th of March
NOTE: Only open to members of the Scottish Beekeepers’ Association
Programme
MEET
Friday 24th May

Join us at 4.00pm for a pre-dinner walk around the extensive Queen Elizabeth Walled Garden, where we’ll focus on planting for pollinators. Your expert guides will be Bron and David Wright, and Melissa Simpson, the Head Gardener.
Sat 25th May & Sun 26th May
LEARN
Our base for the weekend will be the new MacRobert Farming and Rural Skills Centre. Wearing our PPE, we‘ll split into groups and participate in six practical sessions each day, led by our excellent course tutors: Bron and David Wright, Graham Torrie, Margaret Murdin, Matthew Richardson, Stephen Sunderland and Yvonne Davidson.
Across the two days the practical sessions will cover Best Practice in:

Reading a Colony
Swarm Monitoring

Handling Strong Colonies
Double Brood

Nosema/Chalk Brood
Bailey Comb Exchange

Mentoring
Swarm Management/Nuc Making

Varroa
Disease Inspection

Beekeeper Safety
Demaree

SHARE
Relax and get to know others on the course over dinner in the Tamar Manoukian Residential Centre when we all get together.
With breakfast, lunch, and snacks with home baking, included for everyone each day, you won’t go hungry.
Bookings
OPTION 1: STAY FOR THE WEEKEND
Are you ready for an adventure with friends?
We’ve booked the on-site residential centre, aka The Bunkhouse, which comprises separate male and female dormitories with bunk beds for two to eight guests per room. With a variety of extra activities on offer this is going to be the fun place to be.
Course fees and accommodation on
Friday and Saturday nights £270
Make the most of your visit to this lovely estate by staying on site until Monday morning.
Add Sunday night dinner, bed and breakfast for £75.
If this is not for you, there’s alternative luxury accommodation at the Lodge in the grounds of Dumfries House which you can book privately via- https://dumfries-house.org.uk/
OPTION 2: TRAVEL IN EACH DAY
There are plenty of places to stay in the surrounding area with Cumnock a 5-minute drive away, Kilmarnock and the seaside town of Ayr both only 20-minutes’ drive.
The weekend course fee for non-residents is £170, and includes all training sessions, plus lunch and snacks on Saturday & Sunday.
NOTE: Junior members who hold the Basic Beekeeper Certiﬁcate are eligible too.
The course and accommodation fee for Juniors is £216 or £136 for non-residents.
Please note that Juniors must be accompanied by a paying adult at all times

Train the Trainers Course (Nairn 12th March)
2024-03-10 09:00 - 17:00 UTC | Portmoak Hall, Main Street, Scotlandwell, Kinross-shire, KY13 9HY, United Kingdom
Two one day courses will be held this year. One at Portmoak Hall, Main St, Scotlandwell, KY13 9HY on Sunday 10th of March and the other at Nairn Community Centre, King St., Nairn, IV12 4BQ on Tuesday 12th of March, both from 9am to 5pm.
The fee is £70 and will include tea/coffee and a light lunch (soup and sandwiches). Your local association may want to help with the fee, as the skills obtained will help you to teach and mentor beginners at a local level.
These courses qualify for the teaching experience part of the SBA Beekeeping Trainer Certificate. The courses are aimed at beekeepers with several years’ experience, who have enough sound beekeeping knowledge and experience to pass on, and who are, or plan to be, actively involved in teaching and mentoring new beekeepers.
Applicants should have gained their SBA Basic Beekeeping certificate (BB).
The aims of these courses are:
• To help beekeeping tutors understand how adults learn
• To help them deliver information more effectively
• To enable them to pass on their beekeeping expertise to others so that their students become knowledgeable and competent beekeepers.
The course tutor will be Margaret Murden, NDB.
The courses will be limited to 14 attendees.
Please check for place availability with Alan Riach at alan.riach@scottishbeekeepers.org.uk or by texting or phoning on 07702 436 612.
The application deadline is the 24th of February 2024.

Train the Trainers Course (Kinross-shire 10th March)
2024-03-10 09:00 - 17:00 UTC | Portmoak Hall, Main Street, Scotlandwell, Kinross-shire, KY13 9HY, United Kingdom

National Honey Show Panel
2023-10-06 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Online
Join us online for an evening discussing everything on Showing Honey and The National Honey Show. Please Register here.

Scottish National Honey Show
2023-09-29 16:00 - 2023-09-30 17:00 UTC | Baldragon Academy, Dundee, 69 Harestane Road, Dundee, DD3 0LF, United Kingdom
This year’s Honey Show will take place at the same time and place as our Annual Convention, on Friday 29th and Saturday 30th September in Baldragon Academy, Dundee.With everything from novice classes, honey, beeswax, crafts, baking, photography, mead to young beekeepers and schools’ classes there’s a competition to suit everyone! So why not give it a go, and who knows you could add ‘Award Winning’ or ‘Scottish Champion’ to your products or promotions! Plus, it’s FREE to enter, nothing ventured nothing gained!
The schedule and entry form can be found in this listing.
Entries should be emailed before Saturday 23rd September to enid.brown@scottishbeekeepers.org.uk
Entries will be accepted after the 23rd September and at the event but there will be a late entry penalty of £5 which we will donate to Bees for Development.
Entries can be staged on Friday 29th September between 4pm and 7pm and then between 8am and 9.30am on Saturday 23rd September, with judging beginning at 10am.
Good luck and we hope to see you there!
