Maldon & Dengie 100 Beekeepers

12/10/2026

A more detailed article can be found here regarding the wasp attack!!!

I never expected to be writing this in mid-October, but unfortunately, it’s happening and I think it’s worth sharing.

12/10/2026

🐝 Late-Season Wasp Attacks – Are My Bees Too Nice? 🐝

I never expected to be dealing with this in mid-October, but the unusually warm weather seems to have brought a late surge of hungry, aggressive wasps!

After a week away from my hives, Saturday’s inspection revealed a serious attack. I have three colonies, all coping differently. One looks to be in real trouble, another is holding its own, and my calmest, most productive colony is struggling to defend itself.

I’ve fitted a wasp robbing screen, installed an underfloor entrance and placed three wasp traps nearby in the hope of turning things around.

But here’s what puzzles me… 🤔

My nicest, strongest honey-producing bees are struggling, while my temperamental, aggressive colony seems much better equipped to defend itself!

Are more defensive bees better at protecting their hive, or does it come down to other factors?

I’ll be checking again and will keep you updated. I may have to move the struggling hive to give the remaining bees a chance.

The video is worth pausing a sliding slowly to see the bees defend their hive at the end of the clip.

🐝 Fellow beekeepers, have you noticed anything similar this year? I’d love to hear your experiences!

03/10/2026

🐝🍯 Winter Jobs for Beekeepers! 🐝

We’re all thinking about those winter jobs as beekeepers, and one of Darren’s favourites is cleaning frames… NOT! 😂🐝

I’ve already started steaming some of mine, while Darren is busy cleaning his in the Burco.

♻️ Recycling and cleaning frames is one of the many important tasks we carry out to keep our bees healthy. It involves removing the old comb, taking the frames apart and dunking them in a boiling mixture of soda crystals and washing-up liquid.

🐝 This helps ensure our frames are clean and ready to go back into the hives, reducing the risk of spreading diseases and harmful pathogens that could affect our precious bees.

🍯 We have plenty of delicious honey available at the Museum of Power, and it’s thanks to the dedication and hard work of our beekeepers, who contribute to the care and welfare of our bees throughout the year.

There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes before you end up with a jar of delicious honey. Every jar really is a labour of love! 💛🐝

🍯🐝

28/09/2026

🐝🌼 Lovely to see the girls bringing in the pollen! 🌼🐝

Today I spotted some lovely, fat, orange pollen balls coming into the hive. It’s always a joy to see, especially at this time of year! 🧡

There are so many possibilities for where they’ve been collecting it. We’re mainly surrounded by fields, but there are plenty of gardens nearby too. Some likely candidates could be:

🌼 Dandelions
🌸 Dahlias
🌺 Nasturtiums
🌼 Michaelmas daisies
🌼 Marigolds

So many possibilities — and that’s one of the joys of keeping bees, never quite knowing exactly where they’ve been foraging! 🐝

The video also shows a perfect example of a guard bee doing her job. She happily lets her sisters into the hive while taking on a wasp trying to get in. 🐝💪

Good job, girls! ❤️🐝

27/09/2026

Caught this little bumblebee drinking from my steamer for the longest time! 🐝💛 She must have really needed a break.

The honey bees were joining in for a little dip too. I’m not sure they should actually be drinking it, but the water is steamed, so it’s sterile. 💧🐝

It seems to be quite the attractant at this time of year. It was a cooler, windy day, so I imagine their little flying tanks were getting pretty low! ⛽️

And just look at all that pollen on the bumblebee’s head! 🌼🐝 Such a pleasure to see these beautiful little pollinators up close. ❤️

23/09/2026

🐝🌿 Julia’s bees are currently making the most of the ivy, taking full advantage of this late-season source of nectar and pollen.

It’s always lovely to see the bees busy foraging, but there’s something especially satisfying about watching them working so close to their own hives. A little reminder of just how much wildlife can benefit from the plants growing right on our doorstep. 💚

The ivy is absolutely buzzing at the moment — a great late-season resource for bees and other pollinators as they prepare for the colder months ahead.

Always a joy to see them hard at work! 🐝🌿

18/09/2026

For a more detailed article on our Ufest event please click the link below:

In August, we were delighted to attend the very popular Ufest event at Maldon Promenade Park. It certainly turned out to be a day to remember, with...

18/09/2026

🐝☀️ A Scorching Day at Ufest! ☀️🐝

In August, we had a fantastic day at Ufest at Maldon Promenade Park, and what a scorcher, with temperatures reaching 35°C! 🥵

There was a brilliant turnout and plenty to see at our stall, including our observation hive, skeps, mini hives, honey tasting, bee quiz and information about our Taster Days and beekeeping training. 🍯🐝

Keeping our bees cool was a top priority, so they had plenty of water and shade throughout the day.

Our very own Chairman, Ron Pratt, also had the honour of opening the event in his role as a Maldon District Councillor.

It was lovely meeting Bird Aware Essex Coast and seeing the fantastic bumble bee-themed car raising funds for Hearing Help Essex. 🐝🚗

A huge thank you to everyone who came to say hello and learn more about bees. It was a brilliant community day — although we were all very glad to get home and cool off! 😎🐝

03/09/2026

NOW is the time to set up a monitoring station for:

Yellow Legged Asian Hornets

Current advice is not to try and trap them, if you have a good place in your garden, put out a monitoring station.

🕵️‍♀️Check once a day by having a cuppa and watching, if you see a Yellow Legged Asian Hornet then take a picture and follow the instructions on or Website. LINK IS BELOW

There is also more information on how to make a monitoring station on our website too.

https://maldonbeekeepers.org/pests-and-diseases

02/09/2026

EBKA Conference

Buy your tickets by the 20th September for the early bird offer.

Open to members only