Somerset BKA Lecture Day 2026

Somerset's annual Lecture Day offers a packed programme of talks, workshops and a trade hall in a spacious conference centre with parking and refreshments. The day is aimed at beekeepers of all levels of experience.

Lectures:

• Maggie Gill: Tropilaelaps: a lesser known menace
• Dr Ciaran Harris: Can the honey bee help identify seasonal gaps in nectar supply?
• Clare Densley and Martin Hann: Simple queen rearing

Seminars and workshops:

Choose one workshop/seminar in the morning and one in the afternoon.

• 1c AM - seminar - The effect of global warming on honey bee behaviour and what this means for us as beekeepers: Geoff Blay MB
• 1d & 2d AM or PM - seminar - Asian hornets tbc

Workshops:

• 1a & 2a AM or PM - workshop - Microscopy: an external look at the honey bee: Bridget Knutson MB
• 1b & 2b AM or PM - workshop - Making wax flowers (cost £5 to cover materials): Maggie North

Choose one workshop/seminar in the morning and one in the afternoon. Note: Workshops have limited numbers - buy now to avoid disappointment!

IMPORTANT! A Lecture Day ticket is required to attend any of the workshops/seminars.

Or enjoy free-time to catch up with friends or visit the trade hall. Also, a great raffle! The programme is subject to change.

Trade hall opens from 8.30am until 3.30pm.

Lecture Day tickets cost £15.00 which includes two cups of tea/coffee during the day & booking fees.

Programme*

9.00am Registration and chance to browse the trade hall and catch up with friends

9.30am Welcome

9.40am Tropilaelaps: a lesser known menace: Maggie Gill

10.40am Can the honey bee help identify seasonal gaps in nectar supply? Dr Ciaran Harris

11.40am Tea/coffee break and chance to browse the trade hall

12.05pm Workshop/seminar session AM – a Lecture Day ticket is required to attend any of the workshops/seminars. Select from one of the following:

• 1a workshop - microscopy: an external look at the honey bee Bridget Knutson MB
• 1b workshop - making wax flowers Maggie North(cost £10)
• 1c seminar - The effect of global warming on honey bee behaviour and what this means for us as beekeepers Geoff Blay MB
• 1d seminar - Asian hornets speaker tbc

1.05pm Lunch – either pre-order sandwiches, purchase soup and snacks at the venue or bring a packed lunch

2.05pm Workshop Session PM – a Lecture Day ticket is required to attend any of the workshops/seminars. Select from one of the following:

• 2a workshop - microscopy: an external look at the honey bee Bridget Knutson MB
• 2b workshop - making wax flowers Maggie North(cost £10)
• 2c seminar - tbc
• 2d seminar - Asian hornets speaker tbc

3.05pm Tea/coffee break and chance to browse the trade hall plus

3.30pm : Simple queen rearing Clare Densley and Martin Hann

4.30pm Farewell and raffle draw

* The programme is subject to change.

Lecture

Tropilaelaps: a lesser known menace: Maggie Gill, PHIRA-Science (pictured below)

Did you know that a tiny mite is posing an emerging global threat to beekeeping? Meet Tropilaelaps - a brood parasite that is targeting honey bees. These mites naturally infest giant Asian honey bees (Apis dorsata), but they have now jumped species to western honey bees (Apis mellifera), causing significant colony losses. The reason behind these devastating losses? Tropilaelaps can reproduce faster than their notorious cousin, the varroa mite, and cause more damage to bee brood as they feed.

With increasing global trade and climate change expanding their range, Tropilaelaps has become a looming danger to the UK. Following a similar path to varroa in the 1980s, Tropilaelaps was confirmed in Europe in 2024, in the Krasnodar region of Russia and Georgia. With beekeepers there reporting high colony losses for years before the culprit was identified.Are you curious to learn more about this lesser known menace? Discover the intricate details of their biology, behaviour, and distribution, and understand the threat they pose to UK beekeeping. Stay informed with the latest research, unravelling how our understanding of Tropilaelaps is evolving, and explore new discoveries about potential treatment options.

Let’s delve into this tiny mite’s world and uncover the challenges beekeepers face in their fight against Tropilaelaps!

Maggie Gill: For over two decades, Maggie has dedicated herself to the world of beekeeping. She not only produced queens and colonies on a small commercial scale but also conducts extensive research in the field. As a senior scientist at Defra for the UK government, Maggie’s primary focus lies in understanding how agri-environment land management impacts pollinators as part of the Future Farming and Countryside Programme.

Her career with the National Bee Unit spanned a decade, where she contributed to the UK’s bee health monitoring programme as both a seasonal and regional bee inspector. Maggie’s passion for bees and environmental conservation drives her honey bee research, which delves into pollinator nutrition, pests, and diseases.

Maggie has collaborated with universities, government departments, and research institutes across Europe, North America, and Asia, making significant contributions to the field of apiculture. Her dedication and expertise continue to shape the future of beekeeping and pollinator conservation.

Lecture

Can the honey bee help identify seasonal gaps in nectar supply? Dr Ciaran Harris (pictured below)

There is great interest in improving nectar supply for bees and other pollinators. However, nectar supply is not constant but varies seasonally due to changes in the availability of flowers and activity of foraging pollinators. Knowing which periods nectar is in short supply could improve conservation efforts by allowing targeting of periods that are more challenging for foraging bees. In this talk, I will discuss how the honey bee can be a useful indicator of seasonal changes in nectar supply, and how this information can be applied to pollinator conservation.

Dr Ciaran Harris: I am a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sussex. I completed my PhD at the Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects (LASI) at Sussex, looking at seasonal changes in pollen and nectar supply and how farming practices can be altered to help improve food supply when bees need it most. My current research examines how habitat fragmentation impacts ground beetle biology, behaviour, and survival.

Lecture

Simple queen rearing: Clare Densley and Martin Hann

Easy ways to propagate lovely queen bees without the need to graft or invest in cup kit systems.

Martin Hann started at Buckfast in Devon as a volunteer, then became part time and worked for the National Bee Unit as a seasonal bee inspector for six years before finally working full time in the Buckfast Bee department in 2019 in what he considers to be his dream job.

Clare Densley acquired her first bees in 1992 and was instantly hooked. She started work at Buckfast Abbey in 2008, helping to manage 400 colonies. Today, Buckfast has 30 colonies and the focus is on education so Clare and Martin run courses and educational visits as well as watching over Buckfast's bees.

They are the authors of the recently published book, Beekeeping: A Practical Guide for Considerate Beekeepers.

1a & 2a (AM & PM) - Microscopy workshop - An external look at the honey bee led by Bridget Knutson, MB

Find out what makes the wings work together, look at the eyes, and how the legs hold pollen. Can you see the sting and the barbs on it? You will have a worksheet to guide you through all the external parts of the bee. No dissection required.

Bridget Knutson has kept bees for over 20 years. She gained her Master Beekeeper qualification in 2018. She developed an interest in microscopy following a taster course with Ken Edwards MB, a renowned Somerset microscopist, in 2008 and gained her BBKA Microscopy Assessment in 2010. She is also a Senior Honey Judge.

The microscopy workshop at last year's Lecture Day.

Bridget Knutson, master beekeeper, will lead the microscopy workshop.

1b & 2b (AM & PM)- Wax flowers workshop led by Maggie North

The workshop will guide participants through the basic principles involved in making wax flowers and you will make a wax flower to take away. Maggie says that with practice you will be able to enter an arrangement at your local honey show! The course is aimed at beginners and no previous experience is required.

Maggie lives on the Blackdown Hills in Somerset and her hives are approximately 1,000 ft above sea level which delays the start of her season. She has been beekeeping for about 20 years during which time she has dabbled in all aspects of the craft including entering honey shows. She describes the wax flower classes as "a fascinating and challenging aspect of the showing scene" and has enjoyed considerable success at the Somerset and Taunton Honey Show. (One of Maggie's first prize winning arrangements is shown below.)

There is an additional charge of £10 to cover the cost of materials - you will take home two wax flowers and some tools.

Please note: this workshop will be held in an upstairs room and there is no lift.

One of Maggie's first prize winning arrangements of wax flowers.

1c - Seminar (AM only) - The effect of global warming on honey bee behaviour and what this means for us as beekeepers:

This presentation explores the relationship between global warming and climate change, how this can affect supplies of pollen and nectar and the implications for honey bee management.

NOTE: A LECTURE DAY TICKET IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND ANY WORKSHOP/SEMINAR!

Geoff Blay, master beekeeper

1d - Seminar (AM only) - Yellow-legged Asian hornets (Vespa velutina) speaker tbc

NOTE: A LECTURE DAY TICKET IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND ANY WORKSHOP/SEMINAR!

Photo: Yellow-legged Asian hornet, copyright Chris Issacs

Refreshments:

*Lunches will be available to pre-order - the menu will be published nearer to the event; the arrangement is to collect and pay on arrival at the venue: info@thecanalside.co.uk

Alternatively, bring your own pack lunch!