REMINDER: PBKA Beginners’ Beekeeping Course 2026

Please note that the PBKA Beginners Beekeeping Course, is being held this year on Saturday 14th March 2026 at Scolton Manor Park.

This classroom based course is run by Pembrokeshire Beekeepers’ Association (PBKA), and has been very popular over the years, giving many potential beekeepers the confidence to proceed to practical lessons with Pembrokeshire Beekeepers’ Association (PBKA)

If you are interested, or have already asked to be placed on our provisional list, please confirm asap that you wish to attend the course by completing the application below.

One-day Beginners’ Beekeeping Course 2026 application details

If you have any queries in the meantime, please email Paul Eades at pbkaapiarymanager@live.co.uk

Stores check reminder!

The miserable weather has been making it difficult to get out since Christmas.

But just to remind beekeepers everywhere to try and check their bees for stores (especially nucs), as we are coming into a high risk time for starvation and the queen will be getting into gear, which can result in the remaining winter stores being used up.

Personally, I always take the roof off to avoid getting a false impression of weight, but I avoid taking the cover boards off and going into the hives, in case I chill the developing brood.

So give your hives a heft and if needed, give them some fondant or candy (not liquid feed!).

Webinar – Managing Comb in the Spring for Healthy Colonies with Lynfa Davies – Thursday 19th February at 7.30pm

You are invited to register for a Zoom webinar!

Register in advance for this webinar:

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_T_jbaeixRKmvVtObglSBlA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Regular comb changes are important for boosting the health of your colonies, as well as making your inspections far easier. In this webinar we will look at some of the techniques you can use to manage combs effectively in the Spring while ensuring your bees have everything they need to navigate the process smoothly. We will discuss the optimum times for performing these manipulations and handy tips to help you.

Lynfa lives near Aberystwyth in mid Wales and has kept bees for 20 years. She is a Master Beekeeper and in 2019 was awarded the National Diploma in Beekeeping.

Lynfa has 30 colonies which she manages for honey production and for the joy of looking after bees! She raises her own queens and uses these to produce nucleus colonies and to replace her own stock. In Spring 2022, Lynfa’s first book, The Miller method of queen rearing, was published by Northern Bee Books, followed by her second book, The Beekeeping Year, in 2024.

Outside of beekeeping, Lynfa works for Mentera providing support and advice for farmers in Wales. She brings her expertise on insects to this work promoting the value of biodiverse ecosystems in a farmed landscape. In addition, Lynfa has written an online training resource called the Healthy Bees Academy which is funded by the Animal and Plant Health Agency. 

PBKA exciting new appointment for 2026!

On behalf of the PBKA Committee, I am delighted to announce the appointment of Committee member David Moore, to the position of ‘Apiary Manager’ at Scolton Manor.

As PBKA members will know, I have been the Apiary Manager for over 15 years now and have decided that it is time to pass the apiary smoker over to David, who has a wealth of beekeeping experience and some great ideas for the apiary!

David, who has been my deputy for the last couple of years and done a terrific job, is taking over the reins with immediate effect and I know he will do a great job for the association.

Contact details for David (to include a new email address) will follow in due course. In the meantime, you can continue to use the following email address pbkaapiarymanager@live.co.uk

I know you will all give David your full support!

Very best regards

Paul Eades

Chair

Pembrokeshire Beekeepers’ Association

Pic: PBKA Apiary – Paul Eades 2024