Oxalic Acid Sublimation Demo - January 2017
As has become customary, we hosted a demonstration of how to treat Varroa in your colonies in winter, using the oxalic acid sublimation method.
Members Christmas Meal - December 2016
A great time was had by all at the Christmas dinner held on the 10 December at The Walnut Tree in Yalding. It was a great success with 35 people attending this year and the food and company was great!
'The Gardens' Open Day - July 2016
We were invited along to the first major open day held by the Gardens under its new management. See all the photos from what was a great day here!
Apiary Visit by Weald Beekeepers - June 2016
Weald Beekeepers were the first visitors to our new apiary site recently - it was a great opportunity to show off our lovely new site!
Owl Box Bees - June 2016
Some photos from Judy, one of our members, of her excellent relocation of a colony from inside an owl nesting box, into a proper hive. She 'tied in' the comb to frames, and the bees have done a great job of tidying it all up, and I'm told they're doing well!
Toward the end of the photos, there are also some photos she took of a swarm that moved into one of her bait hives.
Swarm Collections - 2016
See some of the more interesting swarms our members have collected this year so far. If you've any you'd like to add - please send them through!
The Gardens, Yalding Opening and Apiary - May 2016
See the photos from our stall at the Opening event held at The Gardens, Yalding recently.
First Apiary Inspection & a New Loo! - April 2016
Thanks to all the help we had this weekend, we got the club house rebuilt in the new apiary site, atop some weed-suppressant fabric.
Thank you again so much to all those who came along to help!
Rebuilding the Club House - March 2016
Thanks to all the help we had this weekend, we got the club house rebuilt in the new apiary site, atop some weed-suppressant fabric.
Thank you again so much to all those who came along to help!
Tree Pruning, Moving the Club House and Hedge Planting - March 2016
On a glorious spring day, a great deal of work was put in at the new apiary; pruning the old fruit trees, dismantling the Club House and planting our new hedging around the permimeter of the new site.
Thank you so much to all those who came along to help!
Installation of the Shipping Container - February 2016
With a few days of dry and cold weather to harden-up the ground a bit, we are finally able to get our new storage container installed in its final location!
Woodpecker Netting, Container Site Clearance & Container Arrival! - January 2016
The woodpecker netting has been re-erected around the moved hives, we've cleared the site for the new container, and the new container has arrived! How exciting!
Hive Relocation to New Apiary Site - January 2016
Thanks to getting some cold weather at last, the opportunity was seized to move the hives from the current apiary site, to a new site, just around the corner.
Oxalic Acid Sublimation Treatment Demonstration - January 2016
Once again, our apiary bees were treated against Varroa using Oxalic Acid sublimation.
New Apiary Site Clearance Day - December 2015
A few photos from a clearance day at what is hoped to soon be our new apiary site.
Yalding Yuletide Market - December 2015
Just a single solitary photo from our stall at the Yalding Yuletide Market, where we were selling our apiary-produced honey, along with candles and other associated products.
Members' Christmas Meal - December 2015
Evidence of some of the festivities at the annual members Christmas Meal, this year held at The Walnut Tree, Yalding!
Also, conveniently, Mel's birthday!
Skep Making Workshop - November 2015
A selection of photos from our recent day with Nick Mengham, making our very own straw skeps! A brilliant day was had by all, and most finished their skeps on the day - all ready for swarm catching next year!
Where Does Jools Get His Bees From? - August 2015
Jools, one of our Apiary Managers, is often attributed to the removal of some of the hardest-to-extract honey bee colonies in the area. In this gallery, he has shared some of the more interesting locations he has removed bees from!
Great Comp Garden Show - August 2015
With fantastic weather throughout the weekend, and increased advertising by Great Comp - their Garden Show this year was packed, and as always, we were there with our observation hive, showing the gardening public all the wonders of bees and beekeeping!
Honey Bee Fayre - May 2015
Thank you to everyone who made our annual Honey Bee Fayre another great success. Thanks to the help of all of our volunteers, stallholders, as well as the general public - we raised a fantastic £1,560. James, one of our Apiary Managers is already putting that money to good use in our teaching apiary!
See some photos taken on the day here!
Oxalic Acid Treatment Demonstration - January 2015
A few pictures from a demonstration at our apiary.
Christmas Meal - December 2014
Just a single solitary photo from our Christmas Meal - held this year at the North Pole Pub, Wateringbury.
Visit by Weald Branch to our Apiary - August 2014
We welcomed the Weald Beekeepers to our apiary - you'd be welcome back any time!
Visit to Dartford Apiary - July 2014
The Dartford Beekeepers kindly invited us to their apiary, and these photos are the result!
We'd like to thank our hosts very much for their hospitality - it was a fantastic day out! You're welcome at our apiary whenever you like!
Honey Bee Fayre and Auction - May 2014
Another brilliant fayre - much fun had by all!
Christmas Meal - December 2013
A great evening out at The Plough in Leigh.
Club House Construction - May/June 2013
A couple of pictures from the construction of our shiny new club house, come bee house, come shed, come workshop!
Summer BBQ - June 2013
Pictures from the first of what we hope will be an annual BBQ at the Yalding Gardens.
Honey Bee Fayre - May 2013
All the pictures from our second fantastic Honey Bee Fayre and Auction.
Christmas Meal - December 2012
A great evening out at The Plough in Leigh.
Apiary Inspection - July 2012
Pictures from a recent inspection of the colonies at the YDBKA Teaching Apiary.
Yalding Gardens Open Day - June 2012
A great day, and with live jarring of honey!
YDBKA Inaugural Honey Bee Fayre and Auction - May 2012
What a fantastic day! Enjoy a selection of pictures taken on the day here! Submit your own now!
YDBKA Swarms 2012
Some pictures of swarms collected by our members this year. Submit your own now!
First Swarm of the Year! - February 2012
We thought we were breaking records in April 2011 when one of our members collected a swarm - but this is absolute madness!
Exploring Colony Loss - February 2012
James explores the possible reasons why one of the colonies from our apiary did not make it through winter.
Bees in a Tree 2 - February 2012
Chris sets to work removing another colony from a recently felled tree!
Ladybird Refuge - January 2012
It would seem that ladybirds have twigged that a beehive makes a perfect place to hibernate - as Chris finds out!
Knitted Bees! - January 2012
A swarm of knitted bumblebees has descended, in our latest fundraising endeavour!
(before you all moan - I KNOW bumblebees don't swarm... shush!)
Preparing Wax for Show by Peter Bashford - December 2011
Peter Bashford from Bromley Beekeepers' Association gave us a talk on preparing wax for show, in all its various forms.
Christmas Meal - November 2011
Thanks to all those who attended, and made our first ever YDBKA Christmas Meal such a lovely evening out!
Members Gallery - September 2011
It has been a long time in the making - but the YDBKA Members Gallery is now LIVE! This gallery contains various "sub-galleries", each containing photos of hives and bees belonging to our members.
YDBKA Swarms 2011 - September 2011
Some pictures of swarms collected by our members this year - some nice and easy... some a little tricky... and some not swarms at all!
Great Comp Garden Show Fundraiser - August 2011
The YDBKA went on a fundraising mission at the Great Comp Garden Show during the weekend of 13th/14th August - we were raising funds for our branch apiary.
Jeanette and Dave's Apiary Visit - August 2011
Jeanette and Dave were kind (and brave!) enough to be the first of our members to volunteer for a visit by members to their apiary - it was a great day - thank you to you both for your invitation.
First Apiary Inspection - May/June 2011
Now we have bees in our apiary, our weekly inspections of the colonies can begin! Join us on our first inspection of our new bees!
YDBKA Bee and Equipment Auction - May 2011
Chris Morris, our Vice Chairman once again held his annual bee and equipment auction in Yalding - turn out was lower than usual, but it was a good chance to meet up with other beekeepers, and perhaps partake in the odd bid, and chat over a BBQ'd burger, all on a nice sunny afternoon (if a little windy!)
Frame Construction at the Apiary - April 2011
With the swarming season well and truly upon us (albeit rather earlier than usual!), it was time to get the club apiary ready to accept some bees into some of those empty hives - a mass frame construction was called for!
Bees in a Tree? - March 2011
One of our members was recently called out to a building site, where he found a tree surgeon had felled a large, old hollowed-out tree, only to discover a large wild colony of bees called it home!
With a little help from some other branch members, and from a JCB, the log was removed, relocated and the bees rehomed into something a little more manageable!
The bees will soon be taking up more permanent residence at the club apiary.
The Big Out Apiary Clean-Up! - March 2011
Our new out apiary is lovely - but after many years abandoned, a little TLC was in order, to fend off the advances of Mother Nature !
Thank you to everyone who helped out - a job well done, we're sure you'll agree!
Welcome to Our New Out-Apiary! - March 2011 (and updated in May 2011)
A couple of pictures giving a brief introduction to our new out-apiary. We've already moved a few empty Langstroth hives in - but there is much more to come - watch this space !
Pete and Chris Tackle Some "Challenging" Swarms - August 2010
Pete (our Chairman) and Chris (our Vice Chairman) wrangle a couple of more "interesting" swarms into new, more convenient homes !