2019 was a busy year for the club and it looks like 2020 will be even more so. This section will be updated regularly throughout the year, so check back every now and then to see what’s on in the near future. Dates and events are listed below, with those in italics to be finalised as we go through the year. Summer meetings, in the active beekeeping season (April – October), start at 2.00 pm while the winter meetings start at 2.30 pm.

January

Friday 10th – Winter social event at the Monument in Whitstable (7-7:30 start)

Monday 13th – Club committee meeting

Tuesday 21st – Honey Bee biology course (in Herne Mill and every Tuesday until 17th March)

February

Saturday 1st – Monthly meeting, starting at 2.30 pm, at Herne Mill. The title of the talk is ‘African beekeeping: working with rural communities in Uganda and Zambia’. The talk will be given by Stuart Andrews and will cover personal experiences of working with local partners in-country on behalf of Bees Abroad (https://beesabroad.org.uk/). It will include the importance of setting up and managing the apiary based primarily on the use of top-bar hives. Stuart is a biologist with a PhD in veterinary parasitology. “Retired” in 2018. Member of Canterbury Beekeepers and former Trustee and Vice-Chairman of Bees Abroad; currently BA project manager for Uganda and Zambia.

Monday 24th – Committee meeting.

Saturday 29th – Beginners course (day 1 in Herne Mill)

March

Sunday 1st – Beginners course (day 2 in Herne Mill)

Saturday 7th – Monthly meeting ‘Bee handling, health & hygiene’ – talk by Julie Coleman (indoor meeting). The talk will start at 2.30 pm and will be in Herne Mill.

Saturday 28th – Monthly meeting “Hive inspection -why?” April meeting brought forward to avoid conflict with BBKA event below.

April

Friday 3rd – Monday 5th – Info only – BBKA Spring Convention

May

Saturday 2nd – Monthly meeting “Comb change – why?”

June

Saturday 6th – Monthly meeting “Disease”

July

Saturday 4th – Monthly meeting “The honey harvest”

August

Saturday 1st – Monthly meeting “Disease inspection”

September

Saturday 5th – Monthly meeting “Feeding bees as part of winter preparations”

October

Saturday 3rd – Monthly meeting “Winter preparation”

November

Saturday 7th – Branch AGM

December

Saturday 5th – Monthly meeting “Winter lecture – guest speaker“