 Members of this Branch come from towns and villages in the Bradford on Avon, Trowbridge, Westbury and Warminster areas.We hold meetings monthly during the winter months at the Methodist Church Hall, Station Road, Westbury on Monday evenings, with talks by knowledgeable beekeepers on various allied subjects, also practical evenings. Apriary training sessions are held fortnightly from April to the end of August at the branch apiary which is located on a farm below the White Horse, and these are opportunities for beginners to see inside a hive and determine whether beekeeping is for them. Picture by Geraldine Lenert Courses are run for beginners and those wishing to take the basic beekeeping exam. Established beekeepers can always learn from seeing the conditions in other hives, and discuss any problems they may have with others of many years experience. Full membership of West Wilts Branch also gives membership of the Wiltshire Beekeepers Association and British Beekeepers Association, the National body giving third party insurance relating to members' bees and beekeeping.
Check out the forthcoming meetings on our meetings page In the first instance please contact:- Geraldine Lenert, Secretary of the branch - 01380 870229 geraldinelenert@gmail.com During August the wasps will begin their annual search for a way into your beehives with the intention of stealing honey. Their presence is usually pretty obvious but, these days, beekeepers should also be on the lookout for Asian Hornets as well. The presence of Asian Hornets may not be quite as obvious. They may be ‘hawking’ in front of the hive or ‘skulking’ behind or under it to seize tired or unwary bees which they will butcher before taking the thorax (which is high in protein) back to feed to their larvae. We hope that Asian Hornets do not get into this country but we must all be on our guard – the earlier the presence of Asian Hornets is detected the sooner action can be taken to find and destroy the nest.
If you are not sure how to identify the Asian Hornet, download the factsheet from the NBU website (www.nationalbeeunit.com/downloadDocument.cfm?id=698). If you think that you have seen an Asian Hornet, try to capture a specimen or take a good photo (video is often more effective) and report the sighting to the Non Native Species Secretariat at alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk. Remember to report the sighting to the Branch Secretary and to the Branch ‘Asian Hornet Action Team’ (David Newell 01373 825560, or Peter Walker 01985 851723) as well. The AHAT team will be willing to assist in obtaining a photograph or a specimen.
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