South East Hertfordshire Beekeepers Association

26/04/2026

What a brilliant day we had! 🐝💛

The South East Herts Beekeeping Association was buzzing with excitement at the St George’s Fun Day at the Laura Trott Centre on 25th April and we even had a special visit from the Mayor of Broxbourne!

We brought along our display hive so everyone could meet the bees up close (don’t worry… no stings included 😄). It was amazing to see so many curious faces, especially the children, learning all about honey bees, larvae, brood, the queen, and of course… honey! 🍯

We chatted, we shared, we sold some lovely local honey and beeswax candles and to top it all off, a few real honey bees decided to pop by and join the fun. Clearly they heard there was a good crowd! 🐝😂

A huge thank you to everyone who came to visit, ask questions, and support us. Days like this remind us how special our little pollinator friends really are.

Same time next year? 🌼🐝

03/02/2026

🐝BuzzBuzz 2026 Member's Meeting 🐝

A gentle reminder to all our members that tonight’s February meeting is upon us!

We’re delighted to welcome the wonderful Ted Gradosielski, who will be guiding us through his approach to queen rearing. The talk is perfectly pitched for beginners and seasoned beekeepers alike, exploring how rearing gentle queens can mean fresh comb each year and a healthy surplus honey crop 🍯

Ted also embraces one of beekeeping’s great truths:

"When there are at least six ways of doing everything, if your way works, it can’t be wrong"!

There’ll be plenty of time for questions, curiosity encouraged, and wisdom shared.

📍 Venue: Methodist Church Hall, 55 Middlefield Road, Hoddesdon, EN11 9ED
🕖 Start time: 7:00 pm prompt
🐝 Subject: Queen Rearing – By Ted Gradosielski

We look forward to seeing you there, let’s get buzzing!

01/01/2026

🐝 A MASSIVE Happy New Year to all our members!! past, present, and future! 🐝

May this year bring you huge pollen blooms, calm bees, and a prosperous honey harvest when the time comes 🍯✨

As it’s the 1st of January, the bees are still huddled together, vibrating away to keep the hive at the right temperature. The queen is being lovingly fed from the stores you collected, or from that pollen patty / fondabee concoction you swore you’d only “top up a little” 😉

Now is the perfect time to start building those super and brood frames, and maybe knock together a few extra hives for those “just in case” swarms you’ll definitely, absolutely, totally be ready for in spring and early summer…

(Although, in true overachiever fashion, my bees decided to swarm not once, not twice, but THREE times in November and December 🙄🐝)

Keep your eyes peeled as I’ll be posting memories from 2025, and don’t forget, our AGM is this Tuesday at 7pm, at our usual meeting location.

Here’s to a buzzing year ahead! 🐝🥂

13/10/2025

🐝 Reminder: Members’ Meeting!!!

This Tuesday at 7pm!
Join us at Hoddesdon Methodist Church Hall for our next meeting.

We’re delighted to welcome Sue Lang, who will be giving a fascinating presentation on “Preparing for a Honey Show.” 🍯

Feel free to bring along any items you might have entered into a show or are planning on entering, Sue will offer helpful feedback and insights. With her many years of judging experience and deep knowledge of the honey competition world, it’s sure to be an evening full of useful tips and inspiration!

We look forward to seeing you there! 🌼🐝
Drinks and refreshments are provided ❤️

27/09/2025

🍯🐝 Good Luck & Congratulations! 🐝🍯

Good luck to all our members competing in the Herts Honey Show today, we’re buzzing with excitement for you! 🏆✨

For those attending to enjoy the lectures and soak up the atmosphere, we hope you have a lovely day too. 🌼

And a big congratulations to all our members who have passed their beekeeping exams this year, what a fantastic achievement! 👏🎉

South East Herts Beekeeping Association always learning, sharing, and celebrating together. 💛

15/09/2025

Hi everyone! 👋🐝

We’ve got a few exciting dates and opportunities coming up, so here’s a quick round-up:

✨ Varroa Treatment-Free Beekeeping Talk
Last week, the brilliant Gary Brooks gave an insightful talk on The Principles and Practicalities of Varroa Treatment-Free Beekeeping.
If you missed it, don’t worry, you have another chance to watch it live this Wednesday, 17th September at 7pm, hosted by CBKA, right from the comfort of your own home.
👉 https://www.tickettailor.com/events/cambridgeshirebeekeepersassociation1/1838983

🍯 Herts Honey Show, Saturday 27th September
If you’re entering, please remember to sign up!
Need your entries collected because you can’t make it? Contact Emma, and she’ll be happy to arrange collection.

🏆 National Honey Show 23rd–25th October
We haven’t had much interest yet, so this might be one for next year. BUT if you’d like to attend, let us know! If we get enough interest, we can even arrange a mini-bus to take us there and back.

Let’s keep celebrating and supporting our beekeeping community together! 🐝💛

The principles and practicalities of Varroa-treatment free beekeeping, with Gary Brook, hosted by the CBKA, Wed 17 Sep 2025 - Gary, along with his wife Jane, started keeping bees12 years ago in 2013 when a friend moved some hives into their garden. They initially kept bees conventionally, but only u...

19/08/2025

🐝 Quick Reminder for All Members!

For those who attended our Introduction to Beekeeping course and all members alike, tonight is our “Closing Down the Hive” meeting! Learn the correct way to get both you and your bees winter-ready. ❄️🐝

Liz has already sent out reminder emails, but if you haven’t received yours, just message us or drop a comment below and I’ll send you the details.

📅 Time: 7 PM
See you there!