Twickenham and Thames Valley Beekeepers' Association

Module study group
2025-10-08 19:30 - 21:00, 2025-10-15 19:30 - 21:00, 2025-10-22 19:30 - 21:00, 2025-10-29 19:30 - 21:00, 2025-11-05 19:30 - 21:00 (Europe/London) | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Study group for module 2.
The next and last meeting is on the 13th due to a committee meeting on Wednesday the 12th

Committee meeting
2025-11-12 19:30 - 21:00, 2025-12-17 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-01-28 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-03-11 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-04-22 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-06-03 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-07-15 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-08-26 19:30 - 21:00 and 3 more dates | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
This is the regular meeting of the committee. Meet at the apiary.

Module study group
2025-11-13 19:30 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Final study group meeting. Exam is this coming Saturday.

President's evening
2025-11-14 19:00 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Presentation on a bee/pollinator related subject from an external speaker (TBA) followed by social evening.

BBKA Module assessment
2025-11-15 09:00 - 13:30 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
If anyone is taking a module assessment, then they take place today. Assessments can be in-person or online. In person assessment take place at the apiary.

Winter course - Introduction to beekeeping in the UK
2026-01-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Overall view of beekeeping in the uk. The importance of bees and pollinators and why learn about them? What are the issues around bees and pollinators. What is meant by a ‘bee’ anyway? Do I want to become a beekeeper- an overall view of what’s involved? The organisations and the ethics, styles of beekeeping

Winter course - A life's work
2026-01-22 19:00 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
A life’s work. start by looking at the basics – honey bees as individuals, the honey bee life cycle (insect life cycle) naming of parts, how they develop, the different types of honey bees in a hive/colony? What do they eat? What comes into and goes out of the hive?

Winter course - The community of the bees
2026-01-29 19:00 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
The community of the bees. How the bee colony is more than just a collection of individuals. It can be viewed as a Superorganism. How the colony bees have evolved to co-operate with each other, how the colony is regulated – how it functions.

Winter course - Bees, Plants and Honey
2026-02-05 19:00 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
How does the bee colony survive? Honey and pollen. How are they detected/collected and processed. How do the bees interact with the plant world? How do we interact with the bees to get honey. How do we as beekeeper process honey for consumption and selling? Legislation – the Honey regs.

Last date for March module application
2026-02-08 08:00 - 17:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom

Winter course - Pests and diseases
2026-02-12 19:00 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Bees have their own pests and diseases as we do. Look at what they are and how they affect individual bees, bee colonies and the consequences for beekeeping. “Meet” the yellow legged /Asian hornet which has been in the media. Legislation – Pest and diseases control order.

Winter course - The Beehive
2026-02-19 19:00 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Development of the beehive. What constitutes a hive, how and why a hive is manipulated. Look at other pieces of equipment: clothing, tools etc.

Winter course - Seasonal management
2026-02-26 19:00 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
How a hive/colony is managed throughout the year. What the beekeeper needs to do during different parts of the year as the needs of the bees and the environment/weather changes. How, what you do, depends on what type of beekeeper you are.

Winter course - Swarm mangement and control
2026-03-05 19:00 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
What is swarming? Why do bees swarm? Why is it important to beekeepers and what can beekeepers do about it.

First night for Members
2026-03-13 18:30 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
First night of the new season for members

First night for beginners
2026-03-20 18:30 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Beginners, non-beekeeping, intros & info

March Module exam
2026-03-21 09:00 - 14:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Date for exam. Usually held in the Twickenham apiary unless it is taken online.
1st sitting 09:30-11:10, 2nd sitting (if there is one) 11:30-13:10.

AGM
2026-03-27 19:30 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Our Annual General Meeting, voting on proposals, voting for officials and committee members, deciding on the direction the association will take for the coming season.

Woodworking workshop
2026-03-28 10:00 - 14:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Ray and the Apiary team will be running a woodwork shop for those that are new to or not too confident in building frames, brood boxes, supers, stands etc. This workshop will also be of use to those that are taking the Basic Assessment this year as making a frame is a key element of the assessment.

First night for beginners - Practical
2026-04-10 18:30 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
First evening in the apiary with the bees – weather permitting

BBKA Spring Convention
2026-04-17 08:00 - 17:00, 2026-04-18 08:00 - 17:00, 2026-04-19 08:00 - 17:00 | Harper Adams University
The BBKA’s annual spring event at Stoneleigh.
Three days of seminars on beekeeping, workshops and a trade show.
This is not a TTVBKA event.

My Experience as a Beekeeper - Stephen Taylor
2026-04-24 20:00 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
TTVBKA member Stephen Taylor will be sharing insights from his own beekeeping journey and the lessons he’s learned along the way.

Nosema and Acarine workshop
2026-04-25 11:00 - 17:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Have your bees tested for acarine and nosema. To be tested you need to bring along a sample of at least 30 bees. The bees will be killed if you bring them alive to the lab.
If we have enough time we will guide you through doing the tests yourself if you wish.

Swarms! – Ray Nicol
2026-05-01 20:00 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Ray will give a short talk on swarms.

TTVBKA Library System – Patrick Brennan
2026-05-08 20:00 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Patrick will provide an overview on the new library system including how to create an account, search for publication and reserve a book.

Honey Preparation Room Workshop – Patrick Brennan
2026-05-09 11:00 - 12:30 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Patrick will provide a demonstration on how to use the Honey Preparation Room (HPR) including the motorised extractors and other equipment safely and hygienically.

Food Safety for Beekeepers - Andy Pedley
2026-05-12 20:00 - 22:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Andy will deal with the practical side of food safety as it applies to bee keepers, from the hive right through harvest and sale. He’ll deal with compound foods and allergens.
Andy has been keeping bees for 30 years, and as an EHO developed an interest in the law on food safety as it applies to bee keepers and honey production about 14 years ago. In 2009, he authored a series in BeeCraft on the Food Safety Legislation and has authored other relevant articles on the Honey Regulations and Recycling jars. He’s recently worked more on the nuts and bolts of food safety for bee keepers, and how Food Safety law applies to bee keepers
Andy is currently the Training Apiary Manager for Oxfordshire BKA which gives him responsibility for 10 colonies there as well as his own 7 in various apiaries around Oxfordshire.

Queen Rearing – Ray Nicol
2026-05-15 20:00 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Aimed at the beekeeper who has only a few hives and so doesn’t have the resources to build and maintain a large, queenless hive for any length of time. The emphasis will be on using queenright techniques which do not interrupt the bee’s honey processing and so maintain the honey crop. In particular, we’ll look at the Ben Harden/NBU methods alongside the Miller frame and grafting. The outcome of the talk will be to equip the beekeeper with enough information to try queen rearing for themselves.

TTVBKA Annual Open Day
2026-06-06 13:00 - 16:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Join us at our annual event, where we promote our work to the local community, sell some of our honey, have some fun and raise some important funds for the association.

Making Mead – Warwick Francis & Rue Turner
2026-06-26 20:00 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
TTVBKA members Warwick and Rue will talk about the art of mead making, a tradition that dates back thousands of years. They will discuss the different types of mead, basic fermentation and production, bottling and storage methods and share tips and tricks that they have picked up over the years.

NBU/TTVBKA Bee Health Day
2026-07-11 09:30 - 16:00 | The Exchange, 75 London Rd, Twickenham, TW1 1BE, United Kingdom
This is a special event organised in partnership with the NBU, focusing on how to ensure your bees are healthy, how to prevent and detect any diseases, and what to do in case a problem is found.
This is a fantastic opportunity to learn from experienced bee inspectors the telltale signs to look for in your hive(s) for the various types of disease that can afflict a colony. The day will consist of a mix of lectures and practical sessions.
To be held at The Exchange, Twickenham, this event will be by ticket only, further details to follow.

The National Honey Show & BBKA Spring Convention – Ray Nicol & Patrick Brennan
2026-08-21 20:00 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Ray and Pat will outline the benefits of visiting the BBKA Spring Convention and The National Honey Show, from the wide range of lectures and workshops to the chance to meet other beekeepers, share ideas, and pick up fresh inspiration for your own beekeeping.

Microscopy – Sally Ewen
2026-09-08 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Details and timings to come

Honey Sensory Analysis with Helen Rogers, The Honey Guild
2026-09-22 19:30 - 21:30 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Helen is a honey sommelier and co-founder of The Honey Guild of the United Kingdom. She was trained by the Italian Experts in the Sensory Analysis of Honey in Bologna. She runs honey-tasting workshops to highlight the importance of bees and demonstrate the array of delicious kinds of honey available. She owns Highgate Honey, a beekeeping company based in North London, she co-authored “80 Flowers for Bees” which is a manual for picking the best plants to benefit different types of bees. She is a judge for the Great Taste Awards and The London International Honey Awards. She is also a director of BeeCraft.
Helen’s talk will be a dive into the world of honey sensory analysis. She will cover the main techniques and why it can benefit beekeepers and consumers. She will bring along a selection of UK mono-floral honeys and there will be an opportunity to sample them
Website: highgatehoney.com + honeyguild.co.uk Socials: @highgatehoney + @honeyguilduk

Last night (for beekeeping)
2026-09-26 18:30 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Last night of the season. No actual beekeeping to take place, Bring a nibble and a drink to share

Last date for November modules application
2026-09-30 08:00 - 17:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom

TTVBKA Honey Show - Set up
2026-10-02 18:30 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Competitors to bring their entries to the apiary – not open to the pubic.

TTVBKA Honey Show Judging
2026-10-03 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
Judging day for the honey show. No access to the public, no access to members other than those helping with the judging.

TTVBKA Honey Show
2026-10-04 13:00 - 16:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
The association’s annual Honey Show it is a great opportunity to see a range of different honeys, bee-related products and winning vegetables. Open to members and non-members, there is a wide range of categories, including open classes for children and local schools too. The day culminates in an auction where people can bid to buy some of the best entries that members kindly donate to raise money for the club.

The National Honey Show
2026-10-22 - 2026-10-24 | Sandown Park racecourse, Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey, United Kingdom
Held at Sandown Park in Esher, Surrey – https://honeyshow.co.uk/
This is not a TTVBKA event.

President's Evening
2026-11-20 19:30 - 21:00 | Twickenham apiary, The Apiary, 41 Whitton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1BH, United Kingdom
An external speaker to speak on a subject related to pollinators with a short awards ceremony to recognise and celebrate those members who have passed assessments and/or won prizes during the year. Finishes ostensibly at 21:00 but often carries on until a bit later.
