The Killinchy Beekeepers Association
and district
Programme for 2023
Meetings are usually held on the 4th Wednesday of each month.
They are a blend of in-person get togethers and occasional virtual, using Zoom.
Members should refer to their emails for details on how to join in.
In normal circumstances we usually meet in Andrews Memorial Primary School, Comber.
Throughout the summer months we also run a programme at our Apiary site.
7/1/23…(Sat)
Api-bioxal demonstration and collection - details will be emailed to members.
25/1/23 ... (Wed) Association meeting: 7.30pm
A Zoom presentation from Bees for Development
Bees for Development is the global charity which makes life better with bees. We promote sustainable beekeeping to combat poverty, build resilient livelihoods and benefit biodiversity.
We all get so much from bees as they pollinate food crops and wild plants. Honey bees enable people to make a living through working with nature, harvesting honey and beeswax, while helping to preserve biodiversity. Beekeeping is low cost, sustainable, and has the greatest effect on those who have the very least.
Bees for Development shares beekeeping skills with people in the poorest communities of the world, giving a reliable, sustainable income for life. We use local skills, local materials and local bees.
A link to join in will be emailed to members closer to the time
FEBRUARY
UBKA Conference at CAFRE, Greenmount Campus
Fri 17th & Sat 18th FEB
for booking please visit https://www.ubka.org/
22/2/23... (Wed) Association meeting: 7.30pm
The speaker for the evening will be our own Chairperson Keith Rolleston, and his subject will be 'My Beekeeping Journey/Beekeeping Year'
As you will all know Keith is a very accomplished beekeeper of many years standing, or as Keith would say he is outstanding (or perhaps that was - he was out standing in the apiary?) , and he has developed his beekeeping skills over the years to include a very successful Queen breeding business in association with our friend and member Fred Warden. Keith is very active in NIBHS and a great supporter of the Native Irish Black Bee and he has successfully exported locally bred Queens to many parts of Europe.
MARCH
23/3/22... (Wed) Association meeting: 7.30pm
Our member Conall McCaughey will give us a talk on his beekeeping experiences and in particular, his wonderful photography in relation to bees and plants.
One of Conall's photographs recently won a prize in a national photo competition In the Beecraft Mag.
Then,
Fran Benton from Queens University will give us a talk on her project, 'Pollen preferences in Bees'.
Fran is doing a Ph.D with QUB and has spent a year in Germany working with Prof Robert Paxton, head of Zoology at Wittenberg University.
Fran is keen to explain her work and would like to receive samples of honey from our members to be analysed to ascertain what pollen sources they are working on.
This should be an interesting evening with two very different subjects being presented so please come along and support our speakers.
APRIL
26/4/23… (Wed) Association Meeting
The Irish Apiculture Programme: Investigating the impact of multiple stressors on honey bees.
Our April speaker will be Dr Darren O’Connell of University College Dublin.
As part of Ireland’s National Apiculture Programme, Darren has conducted a comprehensive investigation into the prevalence of diseases and pesticide residues in Irish bee colonies. Over 160 apiaries have taken part in the study including some from KBKA members.
All the major bee diseases including virus pathogens were tested for, as were insecticides, fungicides and herbicides used in local agriculture.
This talk offers the chance to catch up the results of what is a valuable and unique study of honey bees in Ireland.
MAY
24/5/23… (Wed) Association Meeting 7.30pm
In Andrews Memorial PS, Comber.
Our speaker will be Hanna Fullerton, a Conservation Officer with BUGLIFE.
and insect and invertabrate conservation trust.
Buglife is the only organisation in Europe devoted to the conservation of all invertebrates and actively working to save our rarest little animals, everything from bees to beetles, worms to woodlice and jumping spiders to jellyfish.
As well as talking about her work for the charity here in Northern Ireland, Hanna will be giving us tips on how to improve our gardens for pollinators and help with identifying bumble bees.
We hope to see you there!
JUNE
22/6/23… (Wed) Association meeting.
Details TBC
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
28/9//23… (Wed) Association meeting 7.20 for 7.30pm
OCTOBER
26/10/23… Association meeting:
NOVEMBER
23/11/23… Association meeting:
DECEMBER
7/12/23 Association meeting: Christmas social evening date tbc
Programme for 2021
Meetings are usually held on the 4th Wednesday of each month.
Due to the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic all meetings are currently being held virtually using Zoom.
Members should refer to their emails for details on how to join in.
In normal circumstances we usually meet in Andrews Memorial Primary School, Comber.
Throughout the summer months we also run a programme at our Apiary site.
JANUARY
3/1/21…(Sun) Api- bioxal collection - details have been emailed to members
28/1/21... (Thurs) Association meeting 7:30pm via Zoom.
Presentation from Dr Victor Onyekachi Asuzu titled "Beekeeping In Nigeria- Practice, Research and Outputs.
Victor recently completed a PhD at QUB in molecular immunology, is also a beekeeper and will be giving us his presentation all the way from Nigeria about his interesting background and also the medicinal applications of bee products as health benefits.
Members should check their email for details on how to join us.
20/1/21 (Wed) preliminary Beekeeping Course starts
In January and February being held in place of The Annual Conference:
Each date must be registered for individually. Follow the links below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_exopD7c3Ry22Y8AdIKZUYQ
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pF4YuNvXQ7CUv0yJFc3nuw
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_d_VnUIFtRnOiwksIIWiPyw
Wed 3/2/21
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zWjTdy1FRnqd9h34FMO8Pg
Thurs 11/2/21
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GV0LkakSR5esIYy5nTCQTA
Thurs 18/2/21
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wdUHno4MQFyufB0LXjEH4Q
FEBRUARY
24/2/21... (Wed) Association meeting: 7.30pm via zoom
Spring Management - A presentation with Keith Pierce
Keith is a master Beekeeper from Dublin and has be beekeeping for more than 25 years selectively rearing native dark irish Black Queens - Apis mellifera mellifera.
MARCH
24/3/21 ... (Wed) Association meeting: 7.30pm via zoom
A presentation with Vanessa Drew from Dromore BKA
Vanessa will be telling us about her experiences and adventures as a beekeeper in New Zealand.
APRIL
28/4/21… (Wed) Association meeting: 7.30pm via zoom
A presentation with Jonathan Getty from Belfast BKA
Introducing A Queen to a Colony.
MAY
26/5/21… (Wed) Association meeting 7.30pm via zoom
Sebastian Owen from Vita Bee Health
Will be presenting his popular talk at the moment:
Nutrition – it isn’t all about the sugar, honey.
https://www.vita-europe.com/beehealth/
JUNE
23/6/20… (Wed) Association meeting 7.20 for 7.30pm via zoom
With our member Debbie Gillies from True Harvest Seeds which is a plant conservation charity based near Downpatrick.
Debbie will be talking to us about their conservation interests and what they are aiming to achieve in regards to native plants, seed saving and preserving a future gene bank of Irelands precious wildflowers and plants.
Debbie obviously has a huge knowledge and a special interest in planting for pollinators so please come armed with lots of questions.
Their website and details of the services they offer can be found at https://trueharvestseeds.org/
JULY
No Meeting
AUGUST
7/8/21... (Sat) Apigard demo and talk about varroa treatment at our Apiary.
Details and directions tbc and will be emailed to members.
SEPTEMBER and OCTOBER
6/10//21… (Wed) Association meeting 7.20 for 7.30pm via zoom
AGM
Followed by Time to Chat!
With members talking about their Queen rearing experiences this year and anything else....
27/10/21… Association meeting : Autumn preparation with Belfast beekeeper Jonathan Getty...
Jonathan Getty is a former chair of Belfast & District branch of the Ulster Beekeepers Association which has over 250 members and is a current committee member. He is at least a fourth generation beekeeper in the Getty family. His main beekeeping interest is queen rearing based on our native bee Apis mellifera mellifera. He started up the Belfast Minnowburn queen rearing group in 2012 and is currently involved with a new queen rearing group in Co. Tyrone which started up in 2020. He manages over 100 colonies of his own spread over about a dozen apiary sites in NI. He also rears between 400-500 queens per season using 200 Apideas.
NOVEMBER
24/11/21… Association meeting: Presentation with Dublin beekeeper Keith Pierce
Keith is a master Beekeeper from Dublin and has be beekeeping for more than 25 years selectively rearing native dark Irish Black Queens - Apis mellifera mellifera.
DECEMBER
8/12/21 Association meeting: Social evening - details tbc
1/1/22…(Sat) Api- bioxal demonstration and collection - details will be emailed to members
There will be no evening meeting this month. Please refer to the below UBKA winter webinars instead.
In January and February - being held in place of The Annual Conference:
Each date must be registered for individually. Follow the links below:
New Year Management with Ged Marshall
Tuesday 12th January, 8pm
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_exopD7c3Ry22Y8AdIKZUYQ
Impact of Pesticides on Bees with Jeff Pettis
Tuesday 19th January, 8pm
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pF4YuNvXQ7CUv0yJFc3nuw
Landscape and Bees with Jane Stout
Wednesday 27th January, 8pm
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_d_VnUIFtRnOiwksIIWiPyw
Queen Management Essentials with Juliana Rangel
Wednesday 3rd February, 8pm
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zWjTdy1FRnqd9h34FMO8Pg
Swarm Control with Ged Marshall
Thursday 11th February, 8pm
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GV0LkakSR5esIYy5nTCQTA
Why are Queens Failing? With Jeff Pettis
Thursday 18th February, 8pm
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wdUHno4MQFyufB0LXjEH4Q
FEBRUARY
23/2/22... (Wed) Association meeting: 7.30pm via zoom
-
DAERA Senior Bee Inspector Tom Williamson will be giving us the latest update on honey bee health issues.
Then...
-
Our member Robert Dryesdale from Northern Ireland, currently residing in Trondheim, a city on the Trondheim Fjord, in central Norway talks to us about his beekeeping experiences there, Nordic - style
MARCH
23/3/22... (Wed) Association meeting: 7.30pm
APRIL
27/4/22… (Wed) Association meeting: 7.30pm
MAY
25/5/22… (Wed) Association meeting 7.30pm
JUNE
22/6/22… (Wed) Association meeting 7.30pm