Stafford Bee Group

1st April 2021

Making & Selling Beeswax Lip Balm

Have you ever thought of selling products made from the beeswax, honey and propolis from your hive?

Gill and Penny along with Chris, and June are local beekeepers who got together to register their beeswax lip balm for sale. Gill and Penny told us of their journey from making the lip balm, 12 weeks of testing, the legal requirements, labelling, and selling.

You said...

"Really interesting talk" (PB)
"Very interesting" (SA)
"Its good to hear from really beekeepers about their experiences" (CS)

Roger Patterson started keeping Bees in 1963, is a writer and speaker, and owns and manages Dave Cushman’s website. He encourages beekeepers to use simple management techniques, keep good tempered, healthy and productive bees that suit their location.

4th March 2021

Swarms, Swarming and Swarm Management

Roger returned to deliver the members lecture choice: swarms, swarming and swarm management.

You said...

"Excellent presentation" (CC)
"Loved it" (HE)
"Excellent lecture" (CB)
"Very informative" (SS)
"Really good night" (KD)

4th February 2021

It Takes Two

Charles Davis spoke of his success using the 2 frame Nuc method, so we asked Roger to speak about the method he's used for 40 years.

You said...

"Very good lecture, well presented" (CD)
"Lots of really good tips" (PG)
"A really informative talk" (KD)
"Really interesting" (RK)

Clive Stewart has been keeping bees for twenty years and currently manages over 40 colonies throughout Staffordshire. Clive provides a honeybee removal service, and regularly advises authorities throughout the UK on honeybee removal procedures, as well as providing training in bee and pest removal.

7th January 2021

Our man Clive on ... The Importance of Apiary Hygiene

Clive focused on the importance of apiary hygiene to prevent the spread of pests and diseases, and gave us some helpful tips.

You said...

"Great talk" (CC)
"Like to hear more from Clive and his day to day work" (JM)
"Really interesting talk" (KD)

Ben Bowen is a Seasonal Bee Inspector working for the National Bee Unit since 2018, covering the Shropshire and Staffordshire area. As an inspector, he primarily deals with notifiable diseases, exotic pests and and import checks on bees, as well as supporting Bee health days for associations and various events.

3rd December 2020

Invasion of the Bee Snatchers

Ben focused on the Asian hornet, provided an update on the last two seasons, his week in Jersey carrying out our track and trace of nests and the lessons learnt for us.

You said...

"Fabulous webinar!" (GS)
"Enjoyed Ben’s presentation, very interesting" (TM)
"Brilliant talk by Ben Bowen, really informative, lots to think about." (KD)
"Ben Bowen’s illustrated talk was very good and well presented. I thought the information was important, up to date and raised our awareness about Asian hornet. The content was knowledgeable and prepared us for the next season ahead." (PA)
"Ben's talk was excellent, very appropriate and well delivered." (CC)

5th November 2020

No Accounting for Bees

Matthew Ingram talked about how he moved from accountancy to beekeeping, his experience of beekeeping in Australia and how he has developed an independent bee farm at Holt Hall Apiary.

You can find out more about Matthew at his website: holthallapiary.co.uk

You said...

"Thoroughly enjoyed the presentations" (CS)
"Really interesting presentation by a confident speaker last night" (PDT)
"A very interesting talk from Matthew with an insight into the Australian way of beekeeping and his commercial enterprise" (CC)
"Thanks for a great talk. Really interesting" (SK)
"I thoroughly enjoyed it and found the subject matter and content very interesting, it was also delivered in a very open and honest manner" (RB)
"Excellent lecture from Matthew on channel SBG" (AG)

8th October 2020

An evening with 'Chas and Dave'

Charles Davis and David Rawsthorne talked about how they started and why they are passionate about beekeeping, and let everyone in on a few beekeeping secrets.

You said...

"Thank you so much, what a smashing evening, informative and amusing."
"Looking forward to more of Charles and Dave can spare us the time" (PG)
"Excellent SBG evening tonight, well done to all of you" (AG)
"Many thanks Charles and Dave (and of course Kate)" (KR)
"Thanks Chas & Dave - this has been a really enjoyable evening!" (JB)
"Excellent evening well done all! Hope there will be a recording"(PT)
"Very good thank you" (BB)
"Brilliant evening" (AB)