Somerset BKA Lecture Day 2026

Somerset BKA is looking forward to welcoming friends old and new to its 2026 Lecture Day!

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: an emerging threat to global beekeeping
• 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 session in the morning and one in the afternoon:

• 1a & 2a AM & PM - workshop - Microscopy: an external look at the honey bee: Bridget Knutson MB
• 1b & 2b AM & PM - workshop - Making wax flowers (cost £10 to cover materials): Maggie North
• 1c AM - seminar - The effect of global warming on honey bee behaviour and what this means for us as beekeepers: Geoff Blay MB
• 1d AM & PM - seminar - Asian hornets tbc
• 2d PM - seminar - Tropilaelaps: Transmission, treatments and more: Maggie Gill

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.
• Maggie Gill will sign copies of Tropilaelaps: At the gate of your apiary

A Lecture Day ticket costs £15.00 which includes two cups of tea/coffee during the day & booking fees.

Refreshments:

Hot & cold drinks plus cake and crisps etc are available to purchase all day.

Lunches are available to pre-order by 30 January 2026 - collect and pay on arrival at the venue:

Red pepper and tomato soup + roll - £6.00

Sandwiches, crisps and fruit - £6.00

Sandwich option - choice of whire or brown bread

egg & chive

ham & salad

cheese & pickle

tuna & sweetcorn

cheese & ham

Falafel wrap (vegan) +£1

info@thecanalside.co.uk

Alternatively, bring a packed lunch!

Lecture

Tropilaelaps: an emerging threat to global beekeeping: Maggie Gill, PHIRA-Science (pictured below)

Did you know that a tiny mite is an emerging global threat to beekeeping? Meet Tropilaelaps -a brood parasite that is infesting honey bee colonies and causing significant colony losses. The reason behind these devastating losses? Tropilaelaps can reproduce faster than their notorious cousin Varroa, 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 global beekeeping and is following a similar path around the world to varroa.

Discover the intricate details of their biology, behaviour, and distribution, and understand why they are becoming such a threat to beekeeping. Stay informed with the latest research from Thailand and Georgia, where Maggie and her team have been unravelling the complex biology and behaviour of Tropilaelaps. Find out what you can do to help safeguard your bees and the UK from the threat of 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.

Maggie Gill

Lecture

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

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.

Dr Ciaran Harris

Lecture

Simple queen rearing: Clare Densley and Martin Hann

Why buy in queens?

Forget grafting, starter and finisher colonies, Hopkins methods, cup kit systems and Miller. Here is a simple system that anyone can do that works with your bees’ natural rhythms and instincts.

Some myths are busted, and common beliefs are questioned.

Instead of seeing queen rearing as a separate activity, it can be part of your seasonal management. Understanding your colonies and their relationship to the seasons is key.

Why not have a go?

Clare Densley has been keeping bees since 1992. When in 2008 she got the chance to become assistant beekeeper at Buckfast Abbey she thought that she had 'died and gone to heaven'. Since then, the department has changed from a honey producing unit to a gentler approach to beekeeping involving education, environmental awareness, and wellbeing. She now runs the department with Martin and it’s still the best job ever.

Martin Hann has been keeping bees since 2008. He was a seasonal bee inspector for the Southwest region for 6 years and was working alongside Clare at the Abbey part time. He now does this full time and the list of benefits to the department are too numerous to mention!

Both are self-confessed “Beeks” and share a passion for understanding honeybee behaviour and the mechanisms which underpin colony life.

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

Martin Hann and Clare Densley

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

2c - Seminar (PM only) - Tropilaelaps: Transmission, treatments and more Maggie Gill

Please note: this seminar is pitched at intermediate and advanced beekeepers

As the parasitic Tropilaelaps mite spreads beyond its Asian origins and into Europe, it’s becoming clear that we still have much to learn about this fast-moving honey bee pest. Reports suggest the mite may now be present in parts of Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, Belarus, and possibly Türkiye.

For years, many believed that the tools used against Varroa - such as standard treatments and natural winter brood breaks - would also keep Tropilaelaps in check. But recent experiences in western Russia and Georgia tell a different story: beekeepers there are facing significant colony losses, reduced honey production, and unexpected overwintering success of this tropical mite in colder climates.

This lecture explores what we now know about how Tropilaelaps spreads, why it can survive winters far from the tropics, and what the newest research reveals about effective control options. Whether you’re a beekeeper or simply curious about honey bee health, join us to learn about one of the most important emerging threats to bees worldwide.

Programme*

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

9.30am Welcome

9.40am Tropilaelaps: an emerging threat to global beekeeping: 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 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 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 - Tropilaelaps: Transmission, treatments and more Maggie Gill

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.