Hive Side Training
This is a Government funded course from DEFRA and the BFA aimed at beekeepers with 3 years+ experience. Refresh your current knowledge and learn more about disease and Integrated Pest Management.
Secure your free place with a returnable £20 deposit. Places are strictly limited so book now!
Yellow Legged Asian Hornet: the situation in Autumn 2025
Here is a link to a video with the most up to date information. Subsequent to this it has been shown that Yellow Legged Asian Hornet has overwintered in the UK and there is now a breeding population here.
Download the AH watch App for iPhone and Android or the online recording form.
Here is the Alert Poster, species ID sheet , nest ID sheet and gallery of images.
Starting out beekeeping? Here are some useful links:
If you are planning on keeping bees it’s a good idea to join your local beekeeping association as an Associate Member so you can benefit from attending educational meetings and meeting local beekeepers.
Follow this link from the NBU on how to make up hive tool wash, launder your beesuit, reduce your risk of disease and sterilise equipment.
Once you have bees, upgrade your membership to Registered Member to get PLI and bee disease insurance.
Register your hives on Beebase: it’s free and you will receive disease and pest alerts relevant to your locality, plus any national issues eg starvation alerts
Here is a list of reliable suppliers of beekeeping equipment. Don’t be beguiled by most of the exciting items in the catalogues: you really just need bees, hives, frames & foundation, a nuc box, a suit, hive tool, smoker, washing soda and wash & wax buckets, gloves (not leather!)
Beesuits: BBwear, Sherriff, Organic cotton.
Hives:Abelo (poly), Maisemore (cedar), Thorne (cedar)
Frames & foundation: Self Assembly: Maisemore, KBS Foundation, Ready made: Denrosa Apiaries
Nuc Box:BS Honey Bees
Bees: local suppliers: Epping Forest Honey, Bushwood Bees
Bees: national suppliers: Becky’s Beezzzs, Denrosa Apiaries
Once your bees start producing honey you need to follow the the Honey (England) Regulations 2015, a summary about labelling honey here.
Jar suppliers:Bottle Company South, Freeman & Harding
Label suppliers: Fastlabels,
Nuc Upgrade
This video guides you how to upgrade your nuc into a hive. If your colony doesn’t look as strong as the one in the video, keep it in the nuc box until it does, then upgrade it.
Frame making for Basic Exam.
Useful links on honey bee pests, diseases and husbandry:
NBU booklet on making up hive tool wash, laundering your beesuit and apiary hygiene.
NBU booklet on varroa: includes guide to Integrated Pest Management
NBU video on performing an alcohol wash for estimating varroa burden in colony
NBU booklet on foulbrood disease: includes EFB, AFB
NBU leaflet on sac brood
NBU leaflet on chalk brood
NBU leaflet on nosema
NBU leaflet on chronic bee paralysis virus
Video on CBPV with Giles Budge
NBU leaflet on equipment sterilisation
NBU leaflet on disinfecting a hive after disease and apiary quarantine
Video on cleaning and scorching wooden equipment (courtesy of Eric Beaumont)
Video on cleaning poly equipment (courtesy of Eric Beaumont)
Here is an excellent calculator for volume of hypochlorite required for soaking, courtesy of Wokingham & District BKA
Video on reducing the risk of transmitting EFB via clothing, equipment and vehicles (courtesy of Eric Beaumont)
NBU information on YLAH identification and monitoring
NBU rolling YLAH confirmed sightings and nests
YLAH watch app iPhone or Android
NBU leaflet on small hive beetle
NBU leaflet on tropilaelaps
Images below show abnormal larval gut.
image above shows normal larval gut.
Relative size of honey bee, SHB, varroa and tropilaelaps
Images above show the progression of EFB infection in larvae
Mentera Healthy Bees Academy
This is an online resource promoting knowledge about bee health and best practice honey bee husbandry. It is particularly useful if you are planning on taking the BBKA Healthy Honey bee Assessment. You will need to create a log-in to access the module contents.