Gloucestershire Beekeepers Association
A warm welcome to Gloucestershire Beekeepers Association (GBKA). New members of all ages and experience are welcome to join us.
GBKA is a registered charity with the principal objective of promoting and furthering the craft of beekeeping. GBKA has been doing this for over 100 years and has members from all over Gloucestershire and its neighbouring counties.
GBKA is a member organisation of the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA), the national organisation that provides a wide range of services to beekeepers including insurance, information, newsletters, examination programmes and legal advice.
The seven Branches of GBKA support beekeepers in their area and run their own programmes of meetings, talks, and training sessions. GBKA members can attend the meetings of any Branch.
Events
January 26
| Friday 9th 19:30 | BS Honeybees – from birth to present day by Daniel Bates | C&G BKA, Uckington Village Hall, GL51 9SR |
| Thursday 22nd 19:30 (Zoom open from 19:00) | Using Apideas, with a focus also on using those opportunistic queen cells by Dan Basterfield | Dean Forest BKA, Zoom (contact DFBKA for details) |
| Thursday 29th 19:30 | Bumblebees vs honeybees by Richard Comont (Bumblebee conservation trust) | NBKA. Newent Community Centre (Glebe Chapel) |
February 26
| Friday 13th 19:30 | Commercial beekeepers tips & tricks by Steve Donohoe & Paul Horton (Walrus and Honeybee) | C&G BKA, Uckington Village Hall, GL51 9SR |
| Saturday 21st 10:00 to 16:00 | GBKA Spring Lecture day, County Honey Show and AGM sponsored by Maismore Apiaries | Hosted by the Stroud Beekeepers Association at the Stonehouse Court Hotel, Bristol Road, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, GL10 3RA. |
| Thursday 26th 19:30 | Miller method of queen rearing by Lynfa Davies | DFBKA. The Main Place, Coleford. GL16 8RH |
| Thursday 26th 19:30 | Varroa resistance through bee improvement by Steve Riley (Westerham beekeepers) | NBKA. Newent Community Centre (Glebe Chapel) |
March 26
| Friday 13th 19:30 | Honeybees, Bumblebees and Solitary Bees – the same but different by Lorraine Wheeler | C&G BKA, Uckington Village Hall, GL51 9SR |
| Thursday 26th 19:30 | The cell punch method of queen rearing by Phil Tinker | DFBKA. The Main Place, Coleford. GL16 8RH |
| Thursday 26th 19:30 | Aspects of bee disease by Marin Anastasov (Gloucestershire beekeepers) | NBKA. Newent Community Centre (Glebe Chapel) |
News
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GBKA 2026 Spring Lecture Day, County Honey Show and AGM sponsored by Maismore Apiaries
Saturday, February 21st. Hosted by the Stroud Beekeepers Association at the Stonehouse Court Hotel, Bristol Road, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, GL10 3RA. This year we have three exciting talks – The secret RNA language of the bees by Eyal Maori, treatment free beekeeping, Varroa resistance and free-living colonies by Joe Ibertson and bees and trees – an ancient partnership by Richard Rickett.…
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Royal Three Counties Show 2025
Online entry to the Royal Three Counties Honey Show is now available (closing date May 14th). The theme for this year’s Bees & Honey Show is ‘Honey & Health’ organised by Herefordshire on behalf of the three counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Read more…
Yellow-legged Hornet Sightings
GBKA Asian Hornet Action Teams
| January | Single hornet |
| February | |
| March | Single hornet |
| April | 9 single hornets 1 nest destroyed |
| May | 8 single hornets 1 nest destroyed |
| June | 9 hornet sightings 6 nests destroyed |
| July | 26 nests destroyed |
| August | 44 nests destroyed |
| September | 52 nests destroyed |
| October | 22 nests destroyed |
| November | |
| NBU Total | 160 nests destroyed |
Government Confirmed Sightings
Updated 7/11/25
- At the start of 2025 two single Asian Hornets were captured. One in Oswestry (January) and one in Canterbury (March).
- More single hornets were captured in April (9) and May (4) and a nest destroyed in Kent.
- Additional single or multiple hornets captured in June and 5 nests destroyed (Kent and West Sussex).
- There was a large increase in sightings from mid-July.
- As of the 14th of November, the NBU rolling update reports 541 credible sightings and 160 nests (mainly secondary) found and destroyed. The majority are in Kent and the South East but a secondary nest was reported in Cheshire and another in North Yorkshire.
Do you have land suitable for bees or an apiary?
If so please contact your local GBKA association secretary here.