For the second year in succession, the Association is unable to hold the annual sale of bees and equipment. In the meantime, there are plenty of new beekeepers out there looking to start and hopefully some responsible beekeepers with colonies to sell. Wherever possible, choosing locally adapted bees is the best choice, the clue is in the title. In order to assist both buyers and sellers, the Association is more than happy to host any advertisements for bees and equipment on our website and as ever, PBKA Committee members are always happy to provide advice and guidance.

When we were able to run the auction, all bees were bought to the sale site a few days before the auction to allow them to settle and to give our seasonal bee inspector and her colleagues time to inspect and report on colonies for sale. Their written reports were available to potential buyers on the day of the sale. For the most part, colonies presented for sale were in good condition, but like in any other area of sales, ‘buyer beware’ is a good rule to live by. This is especially important for those beginners with little idea of what a good colony looks like. Very kindly, our local Seasonal Bee Inspector, Maggie Gill, has offered to inspect bees offered for sale wherever possible and as stated above, the Committee are also on hand to provide a view if requested to do so. Any beekeeper offering colonies for sale should be more than happy to have their bees inspected prior to sale.  

Don’t be in too much of a hurry, it is still early here in Pembrokeshire to be able to inspect colonies, many of whom will only now be building up after the winter. We have already received a number of calls from new beekeepers keen to start, but patience is not only a virtue but also particularly important in every aspect of beekeeping!

And finally, just to remind potential new beekeepers; don’t forget to get trained before buying bees and equipment!

Be aware that there is a lot of unsuitable equipment which may be up for sale and keeping bees is not as simple as it first appears, hence its fascination! So please check out our post on training for further information. 

Good luck!